How To Make Your Own Curtains-A List of DIY Curtains You Can Make Yourself

Creative ways to make your own curtains and window treatments. I listed some easy and affordable ways to make your own curtains without having to sew and how to update your already existing curtains.

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How many DIY No Sew Window Treatments posts do I have on this blog? Anybody counting? I stopped after the 4th tutorial….and I’m about to make another one.

Instead of showing you one more tutorial on how you can make your own curtains, I am going to show you a whole bunch of tutorials instead. You’re welcome-ha!

There are things in life that never have to be permanent and pillows and window treatments are one of them. I switch mine out constantly and usually seasonally.

(You can see how I make my pillows here)

And because I have commitment issues with my home decor, I have become pretty crafty with the things I like to switch out. I am not going to spend $100 on one curtain panel and in 6 months change it.

I will, however, find some fabric at a huge discount and make my own curtains and in 6 months I will likely turn those curtains into a pillow.

It’s like I’m a magician.

It’s a fun and inexpensive way to change up your decor. I’m actually on the hunt for some spring fabric for my kitchen valance (take 5). I have a few in mind but I am being so indecisive (once again).

Indecisive is my middle name. So for now, I put up the fabric I had from last spring. I still like it, but it’s just fun to look for new fabric. And by fabric, I mean any kind of fabric. I have used everything from sheets, to shower curtains to drop cloths.

Anything is fair game. So with that being said, let’s get to it!

(This post contains affiliate links, you can see my full disclosure here)

Drop Cloth Curtains:

 

This is hands down the farmhouse blogger’s favorite curtain. And I made these curtains at our old house and they were by far my favorite curtains. They were so easy to  make and the drop cloths come hemmed already so this no sew project is even easier. You can see more about drop cloth curtains here. Be warned though, these drapes can be heavy when hung. Make sure you have a strong rod and hooks.

 

No Sew Curtains Using Sheets

I can’t believe I have never made my own curtains using sheets but it’s on my bucket list. It’s very similar to the drop cloth curtain but easier, since there is no bleaching required. You can see how Jenny made her curtains out of sheets and stenciled them here.

 

No Sew Curtains Using Tablecloths

 

Very similar to making curtains out of sheets, you can use a plain old tablecloth. I also love that you can purchase some very long tablecloths. My mom used white tablecloths she found at World Market as curtains in their bedroom and they were some of the nicest “curtains”

Stencil Ready Made Curtains

You can jazz up any of the curtains I listed above with a stencil (or stencil already made curtains). I haven’t attempted this project yet but look how good these curtains look. You can also purchase an already made stencil instead of making your own.

Add Trim To Your Curtains

 

If stenciling isn’t your thing (because believe me, stenciling can be one of the those secret nightmares) then simply adding trim to your curtains can kick your curtains up a notch.

I love the cheap curtains from IKEA because you can’t beat the price and the length of the curtains is great. Adding some navy ribbon to my curtains made them look more “custom.” If you consider glue and ribbon custom. You can see more about those curtains here.

(PS…I stole a curtain panel from each window to put in my daughter’s room because I was being lazy)

I really wanted to glue pom pom trim to her curtains but my daughter is on an anti-pom pom kick these days.

I used this trick before with a wider trim in our old house too.

If you are feeling extra ambitious you can copy what Kelly did with her IKEA curtains  (here).

Paint Your Curtains

Don’t feel like stenciling or playing with glue? You can use a paint pen to paint your curtains. These DIY curtains are definitely on my DIY bucket list. One day I will get to that list of mine. One day…

I’ve seen curtains very similar to this on some high end retailer websites for over $100/panel.

 

DIY No Sew Curtains With A Fake Pinch Pleat

Rug//Chandelier

My go to way of making curtains is finding inexpensive fabric and some hem tape…and then putting a good show on Netflix. It is so easy to make your own curtains this way. Yes, a little time consuming but worth the savings.

Curtains are just fabric, why pay more when you can do it yourself. Unless you want something more complicated like black out curtains.  In that case, go ahead and splurge. You can see how I make my curtains here and how to make pinch pleat curtains

 

Hang Your Curtains Like A Designer

Ok, this might be a bit of a stretch but sometimes once you get that fabric/tablecloth/bedsheet hung they look a little wonky. There’s a trick for that. You need to train your curtain. Yep, that’s right. And you don’t even have to give them any treats. You can see how I train my drapes here.  There is a bonus in that post too…my favorite place to find inexpensive designer fabric.

And look how nicely they have been behaving since I trained them

 

 

 

Make A No Sew Window Valance

Now, this my friends, is what commitment issues look like. The window in my kitchen above my sink gets a new “valance” every 6 months. And for the most part it’s a different valance. Like I said before, I am planning on switching it up differently again this spring once I get my mind to make a decision on what fabric I want to use. I actually had a tablecloth in my hand at JoAnn Fabrics the other day but couldn’t commit to it so I put it back.

I originally used a shower curtain. You can see that post here. That post was in the beginning of my blogging journey and sometimes I cringe just reading it. You’d think by now I’d update it but who has time for that? At least go see how bad that post was…kidding.

I then moved onto my fall valance using some buffalo check fabric. You can see how I made this valance here

After I got bored with the buffalo check, I moved onto my spring valance last year and used the striped fabric I found at Hobby Lobby. I hung that one a tad different and this was the easiest one I have done. The fabric I used was really light and made hanging it so easy.  You can see more about that window treatment here

I actually ended up using the buffalo check fabric again this past fall but hung it similar to how I hung my no sew roman shade.

Speaking of which…

Make A No Sew Faux Roman Shade

 

This was my most recent DIY window treatment project and possibly the most time consuming, only because I fought a little with the tension rods. But in the end it all worked out and I love how they turned out.  You can see more about roman shades here

 

Some Tips On How To Hang Your Curtains

Before I leave you to make your own curtains, let me offer you some tips:

Tip#1: Hang those curtains high and wide. Believe me when I say this will make your room look so much bigger. Even my 11 year old daughter commented that her room looked so much bigger after I hung her curtains. So just believe me and do it, k?

Tip# 2: Please never buy 84″ curtains…84″ curtains should be banned. It easily was a man that thought to make standard curtains 84″ inches long. Unless you  live in doll house, 84″ curtains will be way too short for your window.  Just say no to the floods.

Tip#3: If you are making your own curtains with fabric, I always buy 3 yards of fabric per panel that way I know I have enough fabric to hem the top and bottom of my curtain, make a faux pinch pleat if I want and still have fabric left over.

Tip#4: If you are using fabric to make your own curtains, outdoor fabric would be the best bet as it will not fade. It’s not the end of the world if you use an indoor fabric. (I have only used indoor fabric by the way)

Tip#5: Curtain clips will be your best friend if you want to just hang your curtains/fabric quickly. I get mine on Amazon but any place has them.

Tip#6: You can DIY your own curtain rods too. You can see how I made mine here. I also purchased these rods for my curtains in my dining room and for the price, they are really nice.

Now go get yourself some fabric or a tablecloth or a sheet or a drop cloth and go make some curtains….and hang them high and wide!

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Creative ways to make your own curtains and window treatments. I listed some easy and affordable ways to make your own curtains without having to sew and how to update your already existing curtains.

 

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No Sew Curtains With A Fake Pinch Pleat

 

No Sew Roman Shade

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