When decorating our homes one of the hardest decisions to make is finding the right curtains. A lot of times the price drives us from wanting to purchase pre-made curtains so we wait.
Wait no longer. How would you like to make curtains for under $20.00 to make? With this idea you can make them as ornate as you like or keep them as simple as you like.
You will need: measuring tape, colored pencil, scissors, material fusing web or material glue, curtain rod, king size sheet of a color you want for your curtains.. Lace, other material optional to add to add a classic touch to your new curtains, this of course is optional.
Let’s get started.
1) Measure the window that you wish to dress.
2) Now go shopping in your cabinets or head to the linen store. You will want a king size flat top sheet. If you are shopping in your cabinets you have the options of using your bottom sheet for a later project, pillows for your sofa to match your curtains.
3) Find a space that you can work in, the floor works best because you can then lay out the sheet to properly cut and measure the way you need to.
4) Take the flat sheet, lay it out on the floor. If you would like to create two panels for your curtains, find the middle of the sheet. Using a colored pencil put a small mark. Oh make sure you have the wrong side of the sheet up for working purposes. Depending on the width of your window, you may not want to use the entire sheet. But if you do, that’s fine. Using the measuring tape, stretch it out along the line that you made for your center point. This will help you create two panels. Now cut down the edge of the measuring tape, you now have two panels.
5) Depending on how long you want the curtains, you might want to cut the bottom so that the curtains don’t drag on the floor. Make sure you measure from just above your window to where you would like your curtains to end before you do any cutting. Once you have this length, use the measuring tape to figure out the length on the panel, put a small mark on the bottom. Now stretching the tape along the edge of the panel, cut about an inch below the mark. This way you can fold the fabric up to create a nice finished edge.
6) Grab an iron if you have one, time to make a nice crisp seam. You can either do the bottom of your panel first or do the side edge that you cut. Depending on if you have chosen to use the fusing web or the glue, follow the instructions to fuse the material together.
7) At the top of the panel, where the edge of the sheet is folded over, you will want to create two holes on the backside of your panel, this is the side that you just fused your raw edges to. You will need to be careful so that you don’t cut through both sections of the material. If you bunch the material a little bit, you can create a pocket of sorts to snip. Make the hole wide enough for your rod to fit through. The raw edges can be coated with a little material glue if this is what you chose to use. Let dry.
Slide your rod through the holes hand your curtains you are done. Now, if you choose to add a touch of color with other fabric or lace to your curtains. You can choose an area that you like to add the other material or lace, cut the material to match the width of your curtains then using the fusing web or glue, apply the material to your panels. Let it dry.
9) Your curtains are easy to maintain if need be. You can take them down and put them in your wash.
With the extra material that you cut from the bottom of your panels, you can sometimes make a couple of throw pillows for your room. It really helps to tie in the colors. You can also create tie backs with the extra material for your curtains if you choose.
Here is a price break down for you: King size flat sheet $12.00, glue $2.00, fusing web $5.00.
