Want inexpensive custom curtains but don’t know where to start? You’re in the right place! I’ll walk you through the easy process step by step.
Curtains
For so many years drop cloth curtains were my absolute go-to! The neutral color went with any decor and they were basically ready to hang after a quick wash. Unfortunately, the longer length drop cloths that were available at my local home improvement stores began having huge seams down the middle or even in random places and suddenly my drop cloth curtain days were sadly over! I was determined to find a simple solution and I’m so happy to share these with y’all!
I’ve used this method for all of the curtains in my workspace and have gotten so many questions about them that I promised myself I would document the process when I made some for our new home.
Measuring the length needed for your curtains is super simple! Just follow this formula:
Curtain Length in inches + Ruffle length in inches + 4 inches for the seams = total length in inches of fabric you need for 1 panel.
Curtain length should be measured from your rod height to your desired length. I like to to make my curtains just long enough to barely touch the floor so they have a bit of a puddle effect without being completely on the floor. White curtains puddled on the floor with 3 boys and 2 dogs just doesn’t work for me but since these are custom, you can make them as long as you’d like!
The ruffle length is completely custom too! For reference, my ruffle on these curtains is 16”.
After you have both of those measurements, you’ll need to add 4” for the seams at the top and bottom if you’re using a 1” seam. If you’re using a different size seam, just double the size of your seam as a basic rule and add that to your total length.
The fabric is 60” wide which is plenty for 1 panel for my picture window, but just keep that in mind if you have a smaller or larger window.
I’ll use my curtains as an example with the formula:
Curtain Length in inches + Ruffle length in inches + 4 inches for the seams = total length in inches of fabric you need for 1 panel.
84” + 16” + 4” = 104” x 2 panels = 208” = ~6 yards of fabric for both panels Remember you need to divide your total inches by 12 then by 3 to get the amount of yardage. (12” in a foot and 3 feet in a yard)
Don’t stress about these measurements! The curtains are completely adjustable based on the ruffle length so if your off by a few inches you can make your ruffle shorter or longer to make it up!
The first and most important step is the fabric selection! In order to minimize sewing, I only use James Thompson duck canvas fabric which is available at Hobby Lobby. This fabric is the best for these curtains because the selvage edges (sides of the fabric running the entire length) are super sturdy and will not ravel when washing without being sewn!! Otherwise, the minute you wash any fabric with a basic selvage edge, it’s going to ravel so the seam requires sewing or securing with hem tape for the entire length of the curtains…and then there goes the simple and easy part right out the window, literally! And as a little side note, all James Thompson fabric is made here in the USA and has been since 1860!
The fabric is $9.99 per yard but if you wait for Hobby Lobby’s 30% off sale (like I always do!) you can save a little money which always helps! If the store doesn’t have the fabric amount that you need in stock, you can request a special order and get a rain check for the sale price!
Next, I like to prewash the fabric for shrinking. Since the fabric is 100% cotton, its important to wash and dry the fabric to ensure the correct fit with each washing. We do this with all of the fabric for the handmade pillow covers in our shop too so that the covers will have consistent sizing after washing!
Once your fabric is ready, all you have to do is make 2 seams along the top and bottom edges of the fabric! It’s very important to remember that one of the seams will be folded over for the ruffle so you should fold the fabric over for the seams in opposite directions so that when ready to hang, both finished seams will be on the outside. To sew, create a 1” seam then pin and sew.
If you want to make a no-sew version, you can use HeatNBond Hem Iron-on Adhesive. If you’re not used to sewing, to make a hem you need to fold the fabric over 2” and iron. After your fabric is prepped, you can add the hem tape according to the directions.
After your seams are all done, your curtain panels are ready for hanging! We made the corbels and rod for these curtains and you can read all about that in my next blog post. I used these 2” rings for hanging but the ring size will be based on your rod size. For reference, I used 9 rings on each panel so my rings were ~6.5” apart.
To hang, simply fold the ruffle over, adjust the length as needed, then attach to the rings. If you’re hanging these alone, I recommend attaching the rings first with the curtains spread out on the floor. It makes the panels much easier to handle if you don’t have help! And that’s it!
If you try these out, I’d love to see your curtains! Please tag me in your social media posts or send me a message with some photos!
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