A Curtain Of Sorts

I recently completed a pretty big project that I’m totally obsessed with.  I’m gonna give it to ya in two posts though, so you’re not stuck reading a one thousand word diy essay, k?  Lets talk about how to sew curtains.

Supplies:

• Blue Hawk 9′ x 6′ canvas drop cloth
• Iron / ironing board
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Fabric scissors
• Yardstick
• Binder clips
• Seam ruler (not necessary but certainly helpful)

I wanted this curtain to be floor-to-ceiling, and my ceilings are 8′ high, so the first step was to trim this guy down.  I also wanted it to be just under 4′ wide.  So I measured 4′ feet from the long side at both the top and bottom edges, folded it over and clipped it in place using binder clips.

I then ironed a line down the length of the curtain and used that as my guide to cut the fabric as straight as possible.

I repeated the process across the width by making a fold, clipping with binder clips, ironing and cutting across my ironed line.  I went with 8′ 1″ so that once it was hemmed it would be down to 8′.

For the side hem, I used a seam ruler to iron a 1″ fold along the length of the canvas.  I then folded it within itself, resulting in a 1/2″ fold.

Then the side got a double stitch hem all the way down.  I used a needle and thread in my sewing machine specifically designed for heavy weight fabric.

The hem along the width would serve as the top of my curtain.  I prefer hidden tab-top curtains.  I just like the way they look.  The process to make them is a bit more tedious but the juice is worth the squeeze if you ask me.

For my tabs, I cut nine 2″ x 4″ rectangles out of my canvas scraps.

I folded the long edges into the center and ironed.

And then used a zig zag stitch down the middle for added sturdiness.  This left me with nine 1″ wide, 4″ long strips.

Using the same folding and ironing technique as I used on the long side of the curtain, I prepared the top to be hemmed, but before I double stitched it, I tucked each of my 1″ wide tabs under the fold, about 4 1/2″ inches apart.

Then the tabs got double stitched into the top hem.

I folded the bottoms over and stitched them in about an inch and a half below the top hem so that I could slide a dowel rod through like so.

And voila!  I turned a $10 canvas drop cloth into a curtain of sorts.  I’ve used this method on several different fabrics for curtains for friends of mine and it works like a charm every time.

Stay tuned to find out how I used this curtain!  Hint: it’s not over a window.

Do you like to sew your own curtains or do you prefer to buy them?  Do tell…