by Suzanne Rose

Created on: January 27, 2013

Beautiful curtains can be extremely expensive, costing hundreds of dollars or more. In addition, you may have trouble finding the fabric you like at a price you can afford. Fortunately, you can make your own curtains very easily in very little time.

The items that you will need for the curtains include fabric, a sewing machine, thread that matches the fabric, an iron, an ironing board, scissors and rods for the curtains and pins.

First you should pick out a fabric for your curtains. This is one of the largest benefits of making your own curtains - you can pick out any fabric from an online source or a fabric store that meets your needs.

Of course you will consider the style and fabric of the material. Also, think about how flexible it is and how it will fold when you open to adjust it. Another consideration is how much light that they block. If you want the entire room to be darkened when you close them, then you will need to buy thick curtains or attach a liner.

You will want to start with 2 to 4 panels of fabric, according to casasugar. Decide if you want just one panel on each side or several. The exact size and shape will be determined by the size of the window, however you should add 1/3 yard so that you have enough space to accommodate shrinkage and seams. Even if you draw from the same bolt of fabric, have the store cut the fabric into the right-sized panels to save you time and effort.

Wash the fabric so that any shrinking happens right away. Iron the fabric. You do not want raw edges showing. You should hem it twice, once on each side so that it looks good from both sides. Make sure to hide any markings on the fabric.

At the top of the fabric, fold a half inch over and hem. Then fold it again, only this time give enough room so that you can fit the curtain rod into it. After ironing, use a straight stitch to sew it.

Do the same process with all of the panels so that each will fit over the curtain rods. If you want the pattern on the panel to continue in the right spot, then be sure to put them in the right order. Once you have finished, attach all of them to the curtain rods and you will have your own beautiful set of homemade curtains.

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