Make Your Own Curtains with These 6 Steps

If we move to a different home, or if we just want to change the style of a room, there’s nothing better than enjoying our own handmade accessories. Curtains are something that we can make ourselves to make bedrooms or living rooms look perfect. In our post today, we’ll fill you in on how to make them.

Curtains are a home accessory that dresses up the ambiance of any room. In light of that, we have to be very picky and choose the ones that best suit our style. If you want to make your own curtains, here are the steps that you should follow for professional results… even if you’ve never made them before!

1. Choose a style

There are all kinds of styles, some being simpler than others. So, first things first, we suggest taking a look at magazines or the internet for some inspiration… You could even check out your friends’ homes!

If you’ve never made curtains before, try going for a simpler design; we recommend basic patterns for our readers who don’t have that much free time either as some patterns require a fair amount of work. In order to find the right curtains for your home, think about your room’s decor, how much time you spend there, your interests and the colors that best suit the space.

2. Measure

Many people make the mistake of buying the fabric for their curtains without first knowing how much they’ll need. Measure the lengths of your windows before you buy, allowing a margin of error and room for sewing. You can add the hem (at least 3 centimeters on each side) while leaving some extra fabric just in case.

Here’s a trick: longer curtains should be at least 2 centimeters from the ground or five centimeters under the window if they’re shorter. Additionally, try to make sure to buy enough fabric for your project. If you run out, sometimes it’s difficult to find the same one. Even if you find it, it won’t always be exactly the same.

3. Buy the fabric

Some stores offer advice to determine the amount of fabric that you’ll need for your curtains, but it’s always better to go with an idea of how much you’ll need. There are different kinds of fabrics and what you choose completely depends on the style or the type of curtain that you want to make.

Among the details that you’ll have to consider before you buy, think about if the fabric will shrink or not from washing, if it’s easy to clean or to iron, if you can sew it easily, if it folds in the ways that we want it to, etc.

4. Choose the rod and rings

If you don’t have one already, you can also buy a curtain rod when you buy the fabric. Look for one that exceeds your window by ten centimeters max on each side.

Remember that rods shouldn’t be too thick make it impossible to draw curtains. Also keep in mind that your wall color should match your curtains.

5. Cut and sew

Finally, the most exciting part of making our own curtains: cutting and sewing. Ideally you’ll have your own sewing machine at home. If not, you can mark all the sewing areas with pins and take it to someone who does. Hand-sewing is too much work! On top of that, the stitching might be loose and quickly undo.

The best to place to work with fabric is on a table or any flat surface, like a floor or a dining table. Don’t forget to sew a hem to prevent the fabric from fraying. Make one that’s around five centimeters: double-hem twice and continue sewing.

6. Preparing your curtains for the rod

Once you’ve sewn your curtains the next step is preparing the fabric so that you can pass it through a rod. There are lots of ways to do this, but the simplest way is just sewing little, rectangular-shaped pieces of cloth at the top of your curtains. These should be about 20 centimeters apart from each other. Some people prefer to use wooden rings, or rings of a different material. You could also make a large hem on the fabric itself to make a space for the rod to pass through.

Before putting up your curtains, you should wash and iron them. This will make them look nice. Remember, first the fabric was at the store, then you worked with it and maybe even took it somewhere else to have it sewn. In any case, ironed curtains look much nicer.