IMPORTANT NOTICE! This is a text file. It may not print out properly in a web browser. If you are having problems printing this document, save it to your hard drive (select "save" in the "file" menu) And open it with any text editor, such as notepad, wordpad, or word. Copyright 2005 SavvySeams. Some rights reserved. Visit http://www.savvyseams.com/ or email info@savvyseams.com for more information. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA. How to Make Curtains in an Evening With Sew and No-Sew Options Click here for printable text only instructions "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Try a set of these super-simple curtains and see for yourself. It will take less than an hour to make a set for one window; do a whole room, or even a whole apartment in an evening. Materials needed: * Fabric. The size of the fabric for each curtain should be at least 6 inches longer than distance from the curtain rod to the window sill, and 1.5x to 2x the width of the window. * Clip-rings, a.k.a. curtain rings. You should be able to find these at any store selling curtains of any type, like a home dec store, hardware store, Target, Ikea, etc. Try here for an on-line source. * 1/2" or 5/8" wide roll of fusible web, like Stitch Witchery. * For the sewn version: thread, needle, sewing machine. Step 1: Determine the curtain size. You need a one inch hem allowance on sides, so remember to include this in the final dimensions. First, determine the length of your curtain. Measure from the where the top of the curtain will hang (this is probably about 1.5 inches below the curtain rod) to the window sill, and add 2 inches (1" hem allowance on each side). This is the minimum length of your curtain. Most curtains look best if they hang a few inches below the window sill, so add any "design ease" that you desire. The sample curtain hangs about 2" below the sill. Next, calculate the width of your curtain. Your curtain should be 1.5x-2x the width of the window. If your curtain is too narrow, it won't "billow". Even if the curtain is exactly the width of the window, it won't appear to cover it because the curtain hangs a few inches in front of the window. In the sample curtain, the window is 58" inches wide. It is covered by two curtains, each 45" wide, so a total of 90" of curtain. Since you have excess, don't worry about adding hem allowance unless you need the dimensions to be exact. Important consideration: You can save a lot of headache cutting out fabric and make your curtains more accurate by choosing fabric that is already the width you want. This way you only have to cut off the length you need. Step 2: Cut out your curtain fabric. For many fabrics, the most accurate way to cut off a length is to tear the fabric. It will tear along the cross-wise grain, leaving you with a perfectly squared edge. Make sure the top edge of the fabric is cut evenly across. If not, fix it before proceeding. Measure the length you need down the selvage* edge and make a little clip into the selvage. Tear or cut your fabric from the clip. Give the fabric a gentle tug to do a "test rip". If it looks like it might tear unevenly and give you problems, cut it with scissors. If it looks like a go, give each side a firm tug! Step 3: Starting with one of the sides, fold over 1/2". The wrong side of the fabric should be towards you, i.e. you're folding the fabric onto the wrong side. Press the folded edge. Continue along the whole edge. Most professional sewers would insist that you cut off the selvage before proceeding, because it will hang differently than the rest of the fabric. However, this hasn't been an issue in my experience with these curtains. Step 4: Fold the edge over once more and press. The raw edge/selvage edge should be completely tucked under. Step 5: Cut a length of stitch witchery or fusible web strip equal to the length of the edge you're working on. Tuck it under the fold you made in step 4. Fuse it in place following the instructions on its packaging. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the edge of the other side. Then repeat on the top and bottom edge. Take care when pressing the corners when you "hem" the top and bottom. You want the corners to make a nice right angle. No-sew version: skip down to step 12. No-sew disclaimer: while fusible web will hold your hem, it is very delicate to wash and will wear out faster than stitching. So, if you've never sewn before, this is a great project to get started! You can even do the sewing by hand if you don't access to a sewing machine. Step 6: Sew the hem down. Because you fused your hem in place, it should sew up very nicely without any shifting of the fabric. At the start and end of each line of stitching, backstitch a new times to secure the thread ends. Then, working on the wrong side, gently tug on the end of the loose thread. A loop should form from the thread end on the other side. Pull the loose thread end from the front side to the back. Knot the two threads and clip off the excess. Steps 8-11 are for the ties. If you are making curtains without the ties, skip to step 12. Step 7: Decide the width of your ties. Don't make them more narrow than 1/2" or they will be difficult to turn. The width of the fabric you need is 2x the tie width + 1" (1/2"seam allowance on each side). The ties in the sample are 1" wide (3" wide strip of fabric). The recommended tie length is 36". After cutting out fabric for your ties (1 tie per curtain), fold each one in half, right sides together, and sew it 1/2" from the raw edge to make a tube. Step 8: Clip a safety pin to one edge. Dive the safety pin into the fabric tube. Work the fabric along the safety pin to turn the tube inside out. After you turn it right side out, remove the safety pin and press if desired. Step 9: Finish the ends of the tie. A single knot is functional and simple. You could also tuck the raw edges into the tube and hand sew or topstitch the end closed. Close up of tie ends. Step 10: Pin the center of the tie to the center of the curtain. The tie should be positioned so it will be running horizontally when the curtains are hung. Step 11: Stitch the tie to the curtain with a square pattern. To make nice corners, put the needle in the down position, raise the presser foot, pivot the fabric, and lower the presser foot. Then raise the needle and continue stitching. (Be sure the presser foot is lowered before you begin stitching or your threads will tangle and your machine will jam!) Get the excess thread to the back of the curtain, either by gently tugging on the bobbins threads or pulling them through with a needle. Tie the ends in a knot at the back of the curtain and clip off the excess thread. Step 12: Clip on the curtains rings. You can make a two-layer curtain like in the sample by making another curtain out of complementary fabric and clipping the two layers together with the same clip-rings. To get a nice bow, first make a simple knot with the tie so that the ends are now opposed vertically rather than horizonally, then tie the bow. If you don't make the knot first, your bow will be sideways. In the two layer curtain, the ties can be tied in a bow when the upper curtain is in use... Or wrapped around the upper curtain to tie it back when you want to let more light into the room. Did this tutorial aid you in your home dec adventures? Send a photo of your fancy fenestration to info@savvyseams.com for inclusion in our visitor's gallery (coming soon). *the selvage edge (also called selvedge) is the finished edge of a woven fabric, as opposed to the raw edge, which is the cut edge that will fray Creative Commons License