Even if you’re a beginner, sewing this DIY simple curtain panel should be right up your alley! Here are the very simple steps to creating your own custom window treatments…
The first step in creating a simple unlined curtain panel is to start with a straight edge. I like to use a long metal ruler that reaches across the entire 54″ width of fabric along with a metal square.
I lay the fabric out, face down, on a flat surface, (it needs to be a surface that is large enough to accommodate the entire fabric width to lay flat, so usually the floor is the best option).
Next, I line up the square along the selvage edge of the fabric, and use that guide for the long ruler.
Then I use a chalk or marker to draw a line, tracing next to the long ruler… this is marking my cutting line to create a straight edge to start from:
From that point, it’s just a matter of measuring down what your necessary lengths will be and following that original line for measuring more cuts from.
So in my case, one of the windows in the breakfast room that I was making this DIY simple panel for was to be a finished length of 44″… I just needed a minimal amount of extra fabric on the top and bottom edges to fold over twice. (and I mean minimal!) I allowed only 1″ for the top and 1″ for the bottom of extra. Therefore I cut the fabric at 46″ long (that’s the finished length of 44″ + 1″ for top +1″ for bottom).
Then I started pressing. In fact these simple panels are more pressing than sewing really.
First, the sides are pressed over on the selvages:
Second, those sides are folded and pressed a second time:
This creates a nice finished look along the sides of the curtains:
Third, the top edge and bottom edges are folded over 1/2″ and pressed:
Fourth, the top and bottom edges are folded a second 1/2″ again to create a nice finished edge:
If you’re interested in making a curtain panel that has a rod pocket in it, where you slip the rod through, check out this post where I explain that in detail. (This DIY simple curtain panel doesn’t have a rod pocket because they will be hung with clip rings on a rod instead)
Once everything is pressed, (and you’ll notice I didn’t even need to pin it, this fabric held the press so well, it wasn’t necessary) it’s time to permanently stitch that pressing together:
Using a matching thread to the main body of the fabric, and having my sewing machine set on a fairly long stitch, I can sew around all 4 sides of the panel in no time at all. This is easy, straight sides, nothing tricky, kind of sewing!
That’s it! All done!
Time to hang them… just removed the old curtains and hung up the new blue ones on the clip rings:
My friend had a use for the old curtains, and ever since I made the faux delft tile inserts in the antique corner cupboard, I haven’t liked the other ones with it. This new blue fabric is timeless, I love it.
Affiliate shopping links:
White Wood Pole Set: rod, finials and mounting brackets.
Other great linen fabric choices.
Here’s a peek at the old curtains…
and here are the new ones…
Both are cute and made the same way, it’s just about the current colorway in the breakfast room these days. 😉
You’ll notice too that the holdbacks mounted on the window trim really make these simple curtains look like something a little more than just a simple panel. They just give it that finished, more tailored look, I think.
Affiliate shopping links:
White Wood Pole Set: rod, finials and mounting brackets.
Other great linen fabric choices.
This DIY simple curtain panel is just about as easy a sewing project you can get. So will you make some custom curtain panels? I’d love to hear about it!
Want to read more tutorials I’ve written about? Check out the DIY, Tutorials & Tips page!
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This post is also found here: A Stroll Thru Life, Inspire Me Monday, The Scoop, Home Stories A to Z, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to my Lou, DIY Showoff
