You're in the fabric store, and find a great piece of material that jumps out at you and makes you think, "that would look great as curtains for the living room!" But in the next instant you realize you don't know how to make curtains, so take these steps to make them!
Purchase as much material as you think will be necessary for making curtains - more is always better. Also pick up some drapery weights and shirring tape. You'll then need to measure the windows the curtains are going on, and decide on whether the curtains should go past the window frame, hang to the floor, or settle on the windowsill - it's up to you.
Next, it's time to decide what kind of rods you'd like the curtains to hang on, whether you want them to be hung by rings you want the curtains to slide on the rod and be opened at the top. Many home improvement stores have curtain rods of all types, so you have a wide selection to coordinate with your room and curtains.
Once rod selection is complete, it's time to start making curtains. Cut the fabric into panels of any width you choose, making sure they are even and are in accordance with the length you want them to be on the windows. Start sewing the panels together to make up the width you'd like, keeping in mind that some curtains open in the middle, so you'll need to halve the available curtain width to make two separate curtains. Once the panels are complete, fold a hem of 2 - 4 inches at the bottom and stitch together, leaving about three inches from the bottom open so you can attach a drapery weight to the bottom corners of every complete panel. Once the weights are in place, sew the hem shut the rest of the way.
Now that most of the curtain is finished, it's time to make the top of the curtain. If the rod is going through the curtain top, fold a small hem at the top wide enough for the rod to slide through and sew together, leaving an open hole. If the curtain is going to be hung by rings, place shirring tape about a quarter inch from the folded top of the hem, and pin in place. Place curtain hooks at five inch intervals along the tape, and hang on your new rod to show off those beautiful curtains!
