Have I got
the easiest sewing tutorial for you today friends!! I promise, even if you’re terrified
of your sewing machine (it’s totally intimidating I get it!) these simple curtains
only require a few simple straight lines and 15-minutes of your time!
We've been chugging
right along with the entryway (click here
for the last update, and here
to start from the beginning) and we desperately needed to add some curtains. Because
these peachy retro ones, left by the previous owner, just weren’t cutting it:
I should
also mention that our new curtains couldn’t be just ANY curtains, they had to
be the shorter ones to fit our tiny window.
These guys also
needed to provide privacy since our bathroom doorway was at the top of the
stairs in a direct line of sight from the window.
Instead of wasting time to find something at a big box store that a) may or may not match the décor b) may not fit the aforementioned tiny window (thus sewing may ensue anyway), I made them myself.
Oh and I
have a little secret, these simple curtains were made back in October of 2012
(hence the pumpkin in a photo later on), shortly after moving into our house. Yeah slacker blogger here. At the time,
I was super pumped that our fabric stores were FINALLY carrying chevron. In a
color combo I loved. To top it off, the price was perfect too. $5 for 1 yard of
material (with 50% coupon).
I digress…
let’s get to the meat and potatoes tutorial shall we?
MEASURE
First things
first, measure your windows to determine how much fabric you will need. This
step is as hard as the tutorial gets. The explanation I’m about to go through
will probably take you more time to read than to actually measure.
Our window
is square and doesn’t require a lot of fabric, since they’re not floor length
curtains. As you can see, our short curtains only needed to drape slightly
below the windowsill:
You will
need to give yourself room for a sewed border (otherwise known as a seam) on
each side of your panels, and enough fabric to cover the area of your window
you wish to cover.
Lastly, be sure to calculate enough extra fabric to cover your preferred
‘hanging method.’ For our particular set, I folded mine over creating a pocket
for the curtain rod to go through (also known as Rod-Pocket Heading). I like my curtains to ‘thread’ nicely on the
rod so I like my ‘pockets’ with a little wiggle room.
For additional curtain styles and other curtain considerations check out this helpful resource.
Our window
measurement came in at just shy of 3x3 feet (30 inches). We added 3 inches to
the top (for the Rod-Pocket Heading) and 1/2 inch seam around the three
remaining edges of each panel. With all these measurements, we only needed 1
yard of fabric. 1 minute
CUT
This step is
very simple, simply cut the fabric in half. Or better yet, have your fabric
store do it for you (they have those perfect metal guides). 30 seconds, or 0 if the fabric store cut them for you.
PREP
Fabric is usually wrinkled and/or creased in some way directly from the fabric store/online. Thus, a quick iron should do the trick. Be sure to iron your seams (as explained in the measurement guide above) to save time during the “sewing” step. 2 minutes tops. -Tack on an extra 5 minutes if starching (below) applies to the fabric you chose.
Fabric is usually wrinkled and/or creased in some way directly from the fabric store/online. Thus, a quick iron should do the trick. Be sure to iron your seams (as explained in the measurement guide above) to save time during the “sewing” step. 2 minutes tops. -Tack on an extra 5 minutes if starching (below) applies to the fabric you chose.
However, the
chevron fabric I chose was of the some-what thin, although not transparent by any means, 100% cotton variety (as
opposed to thicker cotton like duck or twill). I really like my panels to be
quite heavy so they won’t move in a slight breeze/door slam. After-all this is
our entryway.
Thus, an OPTIONAL additional step was needed to
‘toughen/stiffen it up.’ My trick: layer on the starch. Here are the basic
steps:
- Run the fabric through the iron Au naturel.
- Spray a light layer of starch front and back*
- Iron front and back a few times to set the starch.
- Repeat steps 2&3 about 5-6 times or until the panels can basically stand on their own.
*Be sure to
do a light misting each time or you could run into the dreaded ‘flaking’ issue.
If that’s the case, run it through your washing machine or hand wash real
quick. Bummer your curtains are no longer
take 20 minutes…
**If you decide to wash your curtains down
the road, you may lose some stiffness (if not all) so you may need to pile on
the starch again.
SEW
Since you
already ironed your seams, you’re set to zip your curtains through your sewing
machine.
I like to
start with sewing all four seams on each panel so that when I work around to the “Rod-Pocket Heading” it's overlapping seam is already nice and straight.
When you're done your seams should look like this:
Then, finish
off the top (aka Rod-Pocket Heading). Since the three side seams are finished,
simply fold over your pocket heading and sew your final straight line. The
‘pocket’ will look like this when you’re finished:
HANG
The last,
super simple step, is to hang the curtains and marvel at your work.
Total time:
14.5 Minutes!
- Measure = 1 minute
- Cut = 30 seconds
- *Prep = 2 minutes
- Sew = 10 minutes
- Hang = 1 minute
*if your fabric is not as thick as you’d like
tack on an extra 5 minutes.
Alright so
file this tutorial under the ‘takes more time to explain than to do the
project’ category ha! I promise simple straight line sewing is all it takes. No
fancy stitching/switching needles/switching thread/etc required.
Even if your windows are slightly larger or even floor length curtains, these simple curtains will probably take you more time to hunt down your sewing machine (and where on earth you put that perfect color thread) than to run them through your iron and sewing machine.
Even if your windows are slightly larger or even floor length curtains, these simple curtains will probably take you more time to hunt down your sewing machine (and where on earth you put that perfect color thread) than to run them through your iron and sewing machine.
Oh and
remember the laundry
basket I made and all the pretty fabric I chose from the Online Fabric Store? Well I’d love
to give these windows a fresh new look (sadly we’ve already outgrown the
chevron) by using the grey and white sketchy-ish fabric:
Guess I’ll
be referencing this tutorial in the coming months!!
Next up on the entryway, is creating a storage area for all our winter coats/spring jackets.
So, are you
brave enough to bust out your sewing machine and whip up a batch of curtains? I’m DYING to switch out the chevron already!
Do find your craft supplies scattered throughout the house? Do you prefer stiff
curtains? Wait, that doesn’t sound right…






P.S. We were not paid or perked from any of these vendors; we just happily picked up the supplies necessary for the job.
Want to follow along with the Entryway progression? Here’s the $5 Drum Shade, Intro/Plan, Doorway Removal, adding storage using creative materials, the magic of paint, installing the floor, and DIY'ing a Corner Bench.
Remember...



I'm one that is a little afraid of my sewing machine. Thanks for the easy looking tutorial. I love your entry!
ReplyDeleteYou make it look so easy Trisha!!
ReplyDeleteNow you just need to write me a tutorial to remind me how to THREAD my sewing machine, and I'll be all set! ;). Seriously, I really need to do this....I keep making "no sew" curtain panels and stuff, and I'm sure I spend way longer messing with iron on hem tape than I would just sewing a couple of straight lines! The curtains look great :)
ReplyDelete