DIY Drapery – A Simple 7 Step Guide to Making Your Own Curtains

Making things yourself can be heaps of fun.

Why pay someone else a lot of money to decorate your home when, with a few tools and materials, you can make something fun and funky that fits your own aesthetic? Today, we’re going to take a look at how you can make your own cool and creative curtains!

A Simple 7 Step Guide to Making Your Own Curtains

You’ll need a few things, but once you’re done you’ll have some smashing drapes to call your own. We’ll unpack this in seven simple steps.

Find out what you need

You’re going to want your curtains to match your home, your needs and your vibe.

Do you want privacy, or decoration, or both? Do you want insulation, or to brighten or darken your room? What room are they going in? For example — a kitchen is better suited to light coloured, decorative curtains while a bedroom may benefit from heavier, darker drapes. Assess your needs and decide. Form always follows function.

Pick and buy some fabric

Once you’ve figured out the form and function, choose your curtain fabric.

You’ll have a wide choice of patterns and types of fabric. You can choose from silk, cotton, polyester, linen, velvet or lace. Each have their own benefits and drawbacks. Once you have your weapon of choice, it’s time to grab some tools.

Tool time

You’ll need some curtain rods and brackets, because your curtains won’t suspend in thin air! You can get creative with the type of timber you pick for this. Those on a budget could opt for some cheap dowel. However, if you’ve got a bit more cash to splash around, you could get a nice polished timber, which would look significantly classier. You may also want curtain rings. Just ensure that you get enough to space them out at a nice, consistent interval.

The next thing is a sewing machine. You can borrow, buy or hire one. Next up is your fabric, thread, pins, measuring tape, a pencil, a table to work on and an ironing board and iron.

Get measuring

Yep, that’s right. Time to break out the measuring tape. There’s a few rules you need to follow here. First of all, your drapes should run 1.5 to just over 3 times the width of the windows. Be generous here, because with more folds you’ll achieve a better look.

Length-wise, you’re going to aim for the curtains dropping below the window trims. This is a nice look, although some people prefer their curtains to brush the floor too.

Preparation

We can’t stress this enough, your fabric needs some work first.

Give it a good wash, especially if it’s cotton or a cotton-blend. Once you’ve dried it, either on the line or on the dryer on a delicate setting, iron it. Wrinkles will get in the way once you’re cutting and sewing.

The fun part!

Now you get to cut and sew! Refer to the measurements you took earlier, and remember the golden rule: measure more times than you cut!

Make sure you use a large table or bench space to work on, as curtains are quite large. Cut out your pieces, then mark the hems with your pencil. Now it’s time to iron and hem the sides. Fold the fabric, and iron as you do it. Pin it and sew where you’ve pinned.

The final joy

Now you’ve done all that hard work, it’s time to hang those beautiful curtains up and sit back and have a cup of tea. You’ve earned it!

Remember, follow the steps

That’s all you need to do. Assess your needs, choose your fabric and get your tools. Then measure and prepare your fabric. Finally, cut your lengths and sew your hems. Also, remember to take some breaks, especially if you get frustrated!

Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers  of Self-Acceptance,  Appreciation, and Personal  Achievement.  We ask that every contributor and expert answer    the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the  current article they have written.  In that way, and as a team, we hope to  encourage  and motivate  each other, thus inspiring  you to Get All A’s.

1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally?  Additionally, what are you  still working on accepting? Now, we’re talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.

That not all will enjoy my writing.

2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally?  On the other hand  OR in contrast,  are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on  appreciating?

I appreciate my ability to be creative.

3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us  not only  what makes YOU most proud  but also  share the  goals and dreams that you still have.

Proud to have the writing skill.

4.  Of course, we  all have imperfections,  or  so we think.  In truth,  we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways?  Likewise,  what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?

Ha, Many! I embrace them all.

5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to  appreciate and express  all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU!  In fact, sharing  what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!)  Therefore,  Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”

I love my family.

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