How to Make Tab-Top Curtains

Tab-top curtains have cleaner, more modern lines than lace curtains or traditional drapes. They also require less fabric.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Curtain Rods Or Rods
• Fabrics
• Ironing Boards
• Irons
• Measuring Tapes
• Sewing Machine
• Threads
• Scissors
• Scissors

Making the Curtains

1. Decide where your curtain rod will go and how far below the window you want the curtains to hang. Measure this distance and add 13 inches (8 inches for tabs; 5 inches for a hem). This is your length.

2. Decide how far over the frame you want your curtains to extend on the sides. Measure from side to side and add 25 percent (for example, if you measure 20 inches, add 5 inches). This is your width.

3. Use these measurements to calculate how much fabric you'll need.

4. Get the fabric and preshrink it.

5. Cut out your curtains according to your measurements, one piece per window.

6. Measure and cut the tabs.

7. Narrow-hem both long sides.

8. Narrow-hem the tabs.

9. Machine hem the bottom of the curtains.

10. Bend the tabs over backward so that the fabric is wrong side in. Stitch by machine or hand.

Measuring and Cutting the Tabs

11. Visualize a castle. Tab-top curtains look just like the crenellations on a castle. Your goal is to create tabs that alternate with empty spaces of about equal width.

12. Measure the width of your curtain.

13. Calculate how wide you want your tabs to be and how many of them will fit. The exact measurements don't matter, but you'll need an odd number of tabs and spaces in total, because you need one more tab than you have spaces. Tabs and spaces should be 3 to 5 inches wide, and each curtain should have at least five tabs.

14. Cut out the spaces between the tabs.

15. At the cut corners, make a 1/2-inch diagonal cut, so that the tabs will lie smooth after hemming.

Hemming

16. Turn over 1/4 inch and press to narrow-hem.

17. Turn over another 1/4 inch and press again.

18. Machine stitch.

19. Turn over half your hem allowance and press if you're using a standard machine hem.

20. Turn over the other half of your hem allowance and press again.

21. Machine stitch.

Tips & Warnings

• Here are some examples: A 45-inch-wide curtain could have five tabs and four spaces of 5 inches each. A 36-inch-wide curtain could have five tabs and four spaces of 4 inches each. A 30-inch-wide curtain could have four spaces of 3 inches each and five tabs of 3 3/5 inches each.

[n2blues2003]

on 8/6/2008 Can someone tell me how to make the wrapped tab tops for a valance? It gives the curtain more volume. Thanks.

on 3/29/2006 I am going to take the matching sheets that go with my comforter and add a vertical border down the length on each center side of the curtains. Then I will cover buttons to place at the bottom of each curtain tab that matches the sheets.

on 11/22/2005 I am making tab-top curtains for a hunting lodge themed room. The curtains are made from heavy khaki material to match the other camouflage accessories as well as the tabs and bottom strip. The tiebacks are camouflage burlap. This is not hard to sew on.

on 11/22/2005 I bought a roll of extrawide ribbon from a craft store (in a coordinating color) cut the ribbon into small strips and sewed them onto the back of the curtain panels.

on 11/22/2005 Instead of making the tabs individually, make one extremely long tab and cut to size as needed. To secure the ends, either zig-zag or serge. This eliminates the time in doing them separately.