Curtain Instructions

Sewing curtains for your home is only as complicated as you want to make the project, and luckily there are several good books available in libraries all over the world to help you. You can also take a class on the subject. I teach all of my sewing students how to make a simple kitchen curtain with a nice casing using recycled fabrics from home or charity shops, jumble sales, etc.

I also offer further classes aimed at the more elaborate (yet really still simple once you know the 'secrets') curtains and draperies like swags and pinch pleats. Making your own window coverings is simply a matter of being willing to go slowly, and learn the basics.

Not long after I learned how to sew a straight line on a sewing machine, I learned to make simple curtain panels for my bedroom (I was about seven. Seriously, that's how easy it is to make your own curtains!). I used a twin flat sheet, following the instructions in a 1950s era sewing book from the local library and my gran's. I cut the sheet in half then hemmed the raw edges down with a straight stitch by:

Steps

1. Folding the raw edge over 1/2 inch and pressing that fold down, then slowly stitching (for better control and a nice straight line) the fold in place.
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2. I then folded and pressed the edge of the sheet with the hemmed bit over and down to a depth of three inches.
3. I stitched the three inches folded part near the bottom of the fold and along the top of the fold to form a casing that would fit the curtain rod.

LOL, the first time I did it I forgot to make sure the stitching was done to the inside. My first efforts looked inside out up there on the curtain rods and my gran made me pick it all apart and start over. (First rule of sewing? Keep your seam ripper handy:).

If you can sew a straight line on a sewing machine, you can make your own simple curtains. And once you've treasured the taste of that success you will be inspired forward to learning the tricks to making even simple curtains look very elegant. From there you'll be interested in progressing into the more complicated types of curtains like pinch pleated formal draperies.

Here's a great website with lots of good tips and free 'patterns' to make curtains for your home:

Sew Your Own Curtains And Window Treatments

By Frugal Sunnie from Scotland