Easy DIY Curtains – Luxury Curtains Made in a Snap

I love up-cycling clothes, making alterations, and sewing for the home. I like finding quick and easy projects that reward me right away because when I'm not sewing, I'm doing yoga. With this small time frame in mind, I made curtains. What!? You might be thinking, such a big project, and it sounds technical. Don't be put off, it was really easy, and the finish, (I think), is pro!

Easy DIY Curtains

So, you must be wondering why I decided to make curtains? Well, I just moved to the country in France and bought a very old house with MASSIVE windows, which are too beautiful to replace, but too drafty to live with! Standard curtains were not long or wide enough, and curtains are really expensive to buy, especially custom ones. So I figured, how hard can it be..??

Here I'll go through with you how I made my curtains, using plastic grommets and I'll let you in on the little errors I made/nearly made so you can make a better job than me. I've uploaded some photos for you so it's easy to follow the project. I think one of the best things about making your own is the massive choice of fabric you have. This means you can pick exactly what you want! I had two ideas in mind… Luxury, for our bedroom, to go with my Louis XVI bed, and thermal fabric for the rest of the house, to help us stay warm. I love my bed so much, found it in a french antiques shop for 100 bucks, and it's in great condition…

bed

If you are a  pro at curtain making, but are new to grommets, check out my grommet tips, at number 10, this was where I had to correct some errors!!

Ready to see how I got on?! Here we go…

  1. I started out measuring my windows, if you are doing your own, don't forget…
    1. Add on how far above the window the curtain rail will be.
    2. Plan how long you want the curtains – if you want them to keep you warm they'll need to touch the floor.
    3. Width for enough overlap at the sides.
    4. Length and width for seams! I allowed about 8-10 cm each side for a simple seam and equal top and bottom, 15 cm, so they look balanced.
    5. Extra width to allow the curtains to fold loosely when closed. They'll look funny if they pull too tight. I used the whole width of the roll of fabric per curtain. Be flexible, look at the fabric you want to buy and see how it can work for you, so you get the most out of what you buy. As a guide if your window is 150cm like mine, you need between 250 and 350 cm width of fabric. Remember, I am on a budget , we can be flexible here!
  2. Buy fabric. As well as color, think texture, and practicality. Thermal fabric can make a huge difference to heating your home, by blocking cold air by the window, and not letting it chill the room. Weight is good for curtain fabric, because they will hang more naturally.
  3. You might want to line your curtains, I didn't because I am on a budget, but also because with the thermal fabric, it's just not necessary… (amazing stuff)…  You could also choose to use thermal fabric as a curtain liner, but to be honest I've only ever seen this stuff in Europe but here's where you can get it at Amazon UK.
  4. So I'm home now, and it's time to snip. Where my fabric was patterned I made sure it was all orientated the same and I cut the fabric up, found coordinating thread and contrasting thread, an iron and loads of pins, and I was ready to go.
  5. At the side edge of each curtain panel I folded over about 3 cm and pressed. If it presses well, this is all you need to do and then I folded it again about 4 cm and pinned.
  6. With contrasting thread I did a really loose hand stitch (tacking) and removed pins, and pressed it again. This will secure it better for machine sewing and especially if your curtains are long it will stop bunching in the fabric as you work down.
  7. Curtains by Frankie (13)
  8. Then it was time to sew. Straight down, nice and easy after the tacking, then you can just pull the tack out. And I'm going to press again with hot iron. The raw fabric edge is folded under, so there won't be any fraying.
  9. Curtains by Frankie (14)
  10. Then it's to the top of the curtain, where the grommets are going to go. I just used plastic ones, and even in the thermal fabric, 2 layers, they worked fine. I folded over 3 cm, pressed with iron and folded again 10-15cm, (enough depth for the ring), and pinned. With this double fold you don't get raw edges, which is good if your fabric frays.
  11. Curtains by Frankie (8)
  12. Again, I tacked, pressed, sewed, pressed.. and that was most of the sewing work done for now.
  13. PicMonkey Collage
  14. Measure for spacing the grommets. TIPS.
    1. You need an even number of grommets, or the curtains won't hang right, (you'll get an S shape instead of an M)
    2. If your curtain rail is really close to the wall, you can't leave much space between the grommets, or the bunching of the curtains will be too deep and the curtains will be trapped against the wall. In the photo below, my spacing was way too wide, the curtains were just too wavey, (too high ‘amplitude!'). I ended up spacing at about 20cm, which was good.
    3. Curtains by Frankie (1)
    4. Keep your grommets off the 3cm fold you did, where you sewed to hide the raw edge, because you might end up catching the fabric, which will be too thick to press the grommet together.
  15. So, placing, I think it was 4cm from the edge for the first one and I spaced them evenly after that. I used 8 rings for each curtain, so that's 16 grommets for the whole 150cm width window, (8 on each curtain).
  16. Curtains by Frankie (9)
  17. Circle inside the ring, and for mine I had to cut just wide of that circle.
  18. Curtains by Frankie (6)
  19. TIP. If you are doing multiple curtains, and you are sure they are the same, then just use the first curtain as a template when you have cut out all of the holes. That way they will be lined up the same.
  20. Place each half of the grommet on either side of your hole and press firmly together. Mine made a click.
  21. Curtains by Frankie (2)
  22. Then I hung the curtains, so I could admire my work, and it was then that I measured and pinned for the hem. I like to be sure I had the right length.
  23. Same as before, fold 3cm, and press. Then folded again same as top 10-15cm, pressed, pinned and tacked before sewing. This nice wide fold at the bottom also gives some weight to help the curtains hang nicely.

This was really SO easy! I'm sure there are some super techniques I could have used to work more professionally, but I'm all about simple and get it done, and I wanted to show you that with very basic sewing skills and a bit of time, you can make your own curtains too!

In summary of materials, I must say, Dritz plastic curtain grommets – really good, even on thick fabric. Also… Thermal fabric – amazing. Really easy to work with, presses well enough, and doesn't fray, hangs nicely and warms the place up!

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[…] this list with you.  In it, you'll find ideas for table runners and floor pillows, as well as DIY curtains and even phone charger […]

Linda Dougherty
Linda Dougherty

I’ve made alot of panels. I mean hundreds.
1) I have a technique for hemming I now use on everything from Home Dec to Clothing. First press up the total amount of hem and turn under. Next press up the turn under almost to the crease – but not on it. You will find you need very few pins and you can sew.
Works for regular or invisible hems. It’s enough weight to hold the hem down. No weights needed on curtains.
2) Easy lined curtains – buy lining narrower than your fabric, make hems first then sew your side seams and the wider fabric turns around to the back! Make your header, hand tack the hem corners and you’re done!!

Mayra Cecilia
Admin
Noble Member

Linda this is brilliant!

Lori C
Lori C

Hi Linda. What does this mean? “Next press up the turn under almost to the crease – but not on it. “

Jan
Jan
Reply to  Lori C

I don’t understand either.

Betty Macpherson-Veitch
Betty Macpherson-Veitch

Thank you for this great article. I have been looking at the idea of grommets but thought they might be much harder than you described. I feel a lot more confident about trying this idea now.

Karen Blackburn
Karen Blackburn

My only tip comes from working for a lady who used to sew curtains professionally, frequently for windows as large or larger than yours, (her best/worst ones were nearly 15′ wide and about 30′ long made for the entrance hall in a stately home, they hung the full 3 stories over the windows either side of the entrance door). Make the hem as deep as you can, she usually did them 6″, and turn over this depth twice, so you would really turn over 12″ in all. This provides the weight needed without having to resort to curtain weights and also means that if necessary you have a decent amount of fabric tucked away should you need it. She had found out over the years that when people wanted/needed fabric matching often the only original colour that could be found was in the hem where it was protected from the sun and other elements leaving the original pattern and colour unchanged. Really like the design and these would be ideal for what I am thinking of doing, putting curtains around a bed to keep out the light and draughts when using it.

Linda Jo
Linda Jo

I just love your idea!

Kathy
Kathy

I found myself in a similar situation. Our sliding doors are 8′ wide and 7′ high. When the afternoon sun came in, it really heated up the room. Ready made curtains were hard to find and easily topped $100. I bought two twin sheets for about $10 and made my own. The only sewing I did was to stitch them together. Later I added the piece over the seam and a band on the leading edge just to add interest. (The panel on the left was already here.) I used a traverse rod and pinch pleat hooks to hang them. They work great for my purpose and they wash really well!
(Although it doesn’t look it in the photo they are the same color)

Deborah Atulomah
Deborah Atulomah
Reply to  Kathy

A bodger was originally a skilled chair leg maker, in a specific part of England. They would travel around and set up a lathe to make turned legs, then move on. Perhaps they were a bit hit and miss on quality, because the word came to mean any odd jobber who would do a quick and sloppy job. These days it seems to mean someone who can make things out of repurposed or scrap materials.

Cheryl
Cheryl
Reply to  Kathy

Kathy, I love your sheet idea. I did something similar. I managed to get a super price on single bed duvet cover and pillow cases for my teenage son’s bed. Then I noticed that the king sized duvet cover was also on special for $10!!! I grabbed two of them, doubled them over (so they act almost like total blockout curtains) and attached the grommets. Absolutely NO sewing at all and my son got a bedroom makeover with duvet cover, pillowcases and curtains that match all for less than $40. Easiest curtains I’ve ever made!

Nora McGrann
Nora McGrann

Many thanks..really informative and I shall keep for future reference!

Pixx

I’ll admit, I haven’t yet finished reading the whole article…so maybe I missed it. But what does “bodge it” even mean? … Budget?

Love the curtain idea! 🙂

Becky Wright
Becky Wright
Reply to  Pixx

Maybe it was supposed to be “botch-it”?

Deborah Atulomah
Deborah Atulomah
Reply to  Pixx

A bodger was originally a skilled chair leg maker, in a specific part of England. They would travel around and set up a lathe to make turned legs, then move on. Perhaps they were a bit hit and miss on quality, because the word came to mean any odd jobber who would do a quick and sloppy job. These days it seems to mean someone who can make things out of repurposed or scrap materials.

Bethany Bryan
Bethany Bryan

I’ve always wanted to make my own curtains. Seems relatively easy based on this tutorial. I’ll give it a try! Thanks so much for the ideas.

Sheila Graham
Sheila Graham
Reply to  Bethany Bryan

I have always made my curtains but have used curtain rings that go through tape. I have just made curtains for my sons lounge room, they are 2 metres each side. I wish I had seen your post earlier. I love the idea of grommets but I had no idea how to do them, they look so professional. I will be using grommets for his kitchen curtain thats for sure. Thank you for showing me how:-)

Lily O'Halloran
Lily O'Halloran

Thank you for the tutorial! I was just thinking about making some curtains. Yours look amazing!

Jennifer Wright
Jennifer Wright

Brilliant tutorial, I have thought of doing my own but haven’t had the opportunity yet. I hadn’t thought about the spacing of the grommets so that was a good tip. The only thing I would do differently is let them hang for a couple of days before hemming, they will drop slightly.