The average cost of home decor is about $1,745 per American household. That’s not including furniture or renovation costs, either. Think wall art, little things from TJ Maxx, and the big one, curtains.
Curtains can account for hundreds of dollars of that figure alone. It’s easy to see why; they can take your living room from drab to fab in no time. Some things are best left to professionals, but curtains aren’t one of them — you can totally DIY them.
Keep reading to learn how to make your own curtains.
Choose Your Fabric
The best part about DIY curtains: you get to choose your own fabric. There are millions of patterns online, but it’s a good idea to go into a fabric store in person so you can get a feel for the texture of the fabric.
Some are thinner than others and some have blackout qualities. Blackout curtains can even help cut utility costs. You’ll be glad you went.
Make sure you consider the design of your space, too. You’re going to want blinds as well since curtains and blinds go hand in hand. Consider your blinds’ texture when choosing a fabric.
If your living room is contemporary, stick to clean colors like beige or white. If you prefer a more rustic vibe, burlap curtains might be for you. The colors we design with impact our mood, so it’s essential to choose your fabric wisely.
Measure Twice
Once you’ve got your fabric, it’s time to measure your space to be sure you cut the right lengths.
When you measure your window, make sure to measure the length your curtain rod will be, not merely the length of the window. If you measure just the window, the curtains won’t be wide enough.
When measuring the height of the space, be sure to measure all the way to the floor. Floor-length curtains can make a space look bigger than it is, and we all want a more spacious living room, right?
Get Sewing
Now that you’ve got your measurements and your fabric, you need to gather your tools. You’ll need:
- a sewing machine
- pushpins
- craft scissors
When cutting your fabric, add a foot to your window’s width. This will account for that haphazard, bunched-up look that makes curtains feel so cozy. You don’t want them to be pulled taut across the window!
Loop the top of the fabric over onto itself. You want this loop to be about six inches long. Then, take some pins and pin the loop down across the length of the curtain.
Next, you’ll want to create your hem. Along the bottom of your curtain, flip the end up by an inch or so, and pin along the length of the curtain.
Once your pins are in place, run that bad boy through the sewing machine and voila!
Now You Know How to Make Your Own Curtains
You’ve read up on all the essential steps on how to make your own curtains: choosing your fabric, measuring correctly, gathering your materials, and sewing your project to completion.
Now it’s time to hang them. Choose a curtain rod and get that hardware in the wall!
Got the DIY bug and want another project? Check out our other DIY articles for your next one!