How to Make Curtains Without Much Sewing
Finding the exact color and pattern of curtain material you need to match the decor in a room often seems impossible. By making your own curtains you can transform a matching material into a window or door curtain to complement the decor and wall colors in a room. If you lack sewing skills, you can easily make curtains without sewing at all or with minimal sewing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Fabric pencil
- Curtain material
- Scissors
- Iron-on hems
- Clothing iron
- Sewing machine (optional)
- Needle and thread (optional)
Instructions
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1
Measure the window to determine the necessary length and width of your curtains. Remember to allow a few extra inches on both the length and width so that the curtain pleats and extends longer than the window, if intended.
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2
Use a fabric pencil to draw out the intended measurements of each curtain panel onto a piece of material. Work carefully to ensure you have a straight edged rectangle without any sides that slant or slope.
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3
Cut out the curtain panels with fabric scissors to prevent jagged edges on the fabric that easily fray and look sloppy.
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4
Determine the top of the curtain and fold the material back to create a channel across the top of the panel in which to thread the curtain rod through. You will need to fold down approximately 3 inches or more of material to create this channel.
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5
Set a strip of the iron-on hem across the folded-over edge of the fabric. The iron-on hem should be approximately 1/2-inch wide and leave an open channel above the hem that measures 2 1/2-inch long.
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Set the iron to the appropriate heat for your curtain material and run the iron over the folded fabric, fusing the fabric together to create the top channel on the curtain panels. Pass the iron over the material several times to create a firm and secure hold. Instead of applying the iron-on hem, you may also stitch a single row by hand or with a sewing machine across the top of the curtain to create the channel for the curtain rod.
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7
Hang the curtain by running a curtain rod through the empty channel along the top of the curtain panel. Bunch up the fabric as you push the curtains onto the rod in order to make the curtains pleat and flow.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also hang curtains after hemming the top with iron-on hem by attaching curtain clips that hook over your curtain rods or by cutting holes in the curtains and attaching eyelets in which to thread the curtain rod.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Curtain. image by Victor Samoilovich from Fotolia.com
