4/15

Easy No-Sew Curtains

Bathroom, D.I.Y. Project, Home Decor, Renter Friendly
By Laura Gummerman

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com It’s always fun when you get to try a technique that you haven’t done before and it totally works just how you hoped it would. Of course with DIY projects, they don’t always work perfectly right away, so it’s a big relief (and time saver) when it all goes smoothly the first time. We needed a curtain option for our small studio bathroom, and I decided that this would be a great opportunity to try out a no-sew curtain technique using fusible fabric tape. As you would imagine, we have a lot of things on our to-do list, so I wanted a project that was a quick and easy answer to our curtain problem.

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Supplies:
-cotton fabric (I chose a swiss dot fabric for the curtains so they would let in a lot of light but still provide privacy)
–fusible fabric tape
-measuring tape
-fabric scissors
-iron
-curtain rod and curtain clip rings
-thin cotton dish towel

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.comEasy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com First you’ll want to measure the window that you’ll be covering. As a general rule, you want your curtains to be 1 1/2 times wider than the window itself so it will still have some folds in the fabric when the curtains are closed. If you choose a sheer fabric like I did, you can add a few extra inches to the width in order to get more opacity through the extra folds.

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com I made curtains with two panels, so once I measured the width and height, I added an extra 2″ to the height (1″ for the top hem and 1″ for the bottom hem) and an extra 4″ to the width (each of the two panels also have a 1″ hem on each side). Once you figure out your dimensions, cut your fabric to your specifications and cut your fabric down the middle if making two panels.

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Once your panels are cut, fold the right side of your fabric towards the back and pin and press a 1″ seam down the sides of each panel.

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Remove the pins and cut a piece of fabric fusion tape the length of your panel. Lift up your pressed fold and place the piece of tape under the fold between the two fabrics.

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Place a damp thin cotton towel on top of your fold and place your iron on the fold, holding in place for 10 seconds. Our fusible tape instructions said to set the iron on the “wool” setting, so check your particular tape for specific tips. Continue to work your way down the fold, pressing your fold for 10 seconds in each spot, and move/dampen the towel as needed until the whole fold is pressed. Flip your fabric and repeat process on the other side of the fold. Repeat process with the other three sides of the panels. 

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Once the sides are complete, fold, pin, and press another 1″ hem on the top and bottom of each panel. Remove the pins and repeat the fusible tape process on the tops and bottoms.

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com After your hemming is complete, install your curtain rod and clip the top of your curtain panels to the clip rings. That’s it!

Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com Easy No Sew Curtains abeautifulmess.com I think the swiss dot fabric was the perfect choice for the space, and the ease of the no-sew technique totally lived up to the hype. Easy and cute—always a good project combination! xo. Laura

Credits// Author: Laura Gummerman, Photography: Laura Gummerman and Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Stella from the Signature Collection.

57 Comments

  • Oh, I love the Indian Summer print you have on your ironing board! I have a quilt in mind using patterns from that collection.

    Love the curtains too!

    Reply

  • one day i may just have to try this. I love youre ideas and style Laura. i also was wondering if you were going to keep on with youre blog b/c i love mutemath and love you and todds style.

    Reply

  • Thanks for the tutorial! One question: how did you fold over a perfect 1″ hem? That’s always my trouble with curtains – I don’t know how to fold the hem over evenly or consistently, so the edges end up wonky and they don’t drape right.

    Reply

  • I love the look of curtain clips and have used them in the past. The clips and cable/rod themselves rusted and left rust spots on my fabric quite quickly. The clips which I used were from a Swedish company.

    Reply

  • I want to do this so bad! I even have the rings and the fabric, what I need to learn is how to install the rod. It always stops me from hanging stuff 🙁 Beautiful and easy project!

    Reply

  • Hey, cute gals of ABM–My daughter recently moved into her new home and is working on her daughters bedroom’s first,(isn’t that just like a mom to make her kid’s rooms the priority)but something like this looks so doable for their fun rooms–I’ll keep you posted. (Like Elsie said–a new home is always be a work in progress!)

    Also, I just have to mention to you quick that as a nurse attending many deliveries a year ago, then hearing about the Boston bombings while in some of the new mom’s rooms, I saw them holding their babies a little closer as they watched the new coverage of this unbelievable tragedy!. Just like 9/11, years before, it was a happy/sad day at the hospital–you watch new babies being born while knowing that others have lost their lives! I found myself needing and wanting to reassure everyone more than ever before, despite the heartbreak we watched on TV. The point of me mentioning this to you was that when I did finally get away to take a quick break to put my feet up, I escaped for a little while by browsing your darling website–my daughter-in-law had just recently introduced me to A Beautiful Mess, so I was a new reader then.

    My memories of April 15, 2013 will always be infused with all the loveliness shared at ABM–that and a wonderful poem on my desk at home that my youngest daughter wrote when she was 12 years old, she is at NYU getting her PhD now. The things you create are lovely, but I find as much inspiration from the “beautiful” spirit you share of enjoying each day to the fullest, as well! I’ve shared my daughter’s poem here for you to enjoy and be inspired if you’d like: http://wp.me/p2U2Tf-Yi

    Thank you always for your insight!
    Sincerely, Mary Wilding

    Reply

  • I’m going to do this in my kitchen window. Any suggestions for a large half circular window in an entryway? I could manage the square portion in a similar matter, but I’m at a loss for what to do, if anything, with the half circle above. I want light to still come through, but it’s terribly and startlingly bright in the mornings with direct sunlight.

    Reply

  • These are PERFECT in every way!! That is the perfect fabric too! Where did you find yours? Online? In-store? What about the clips? I want to do this for our new baby’s nursery! :)) so excited. Such a fun post to read!

    Reply

  • Yes, please share with us your source for the cute ironing board cover!!!

    Reply

  • Two DIYs from one room! Awesome! I love using those clip on rings for curtains! I have been using them for years and it has made hanging and changing out curtains so easy. Great job as always!

    Reply

  • Thanks for the tutorial, I love your posts Laura!

    I had this same fabric for the curtains at my parents house when I was younger 🙂

    I love how you guys are decorating the bathroom… its looking great!

    Reply

  • Lovely diy! I’ve made similar easy fixes with my curtains – sometimes painting the clips in different colors to add a splash of bright colors to a white curtain.

    One thing that I’ve reacted to on your blog lately that I want to comment on has to do with the photography; I understand that you all like light, bright photos and so on, but sometimes the bright photo of a white object in front of a white background just blends out!
    In this case I understand that it has to do with the window, but in many of the photos I can’t even SEE the curtain, I just see a white “box”.

    I’ve noticed this on other photos as well; not long ago there was a post about a planting-thing for your window (again, I understand the window thing) and I could nearly not even make it out because there was no contours (hmm, spelling?), no lines to follow. I have perfect color-vision and everything, but when you post white-objects-on-white-backgrounds, I can’t even see them! /:

    Could you perhaps just try to add a photo of projects like these when the background light doesn’t blur/blind everything out? It would make it easier to see the crafts that you’ve spent so much time on.

    (Hey, I love your photos and like 90% of them are awesome, I just wanted to give a heads up that some can be hard to see. Hope you all don’t see it as too harsh.)

    Reply

  • Loving everything about this little bathroom! Great work 🙂
    Completely off topic but… Where is your jacket from, Laura?

    Reply

  • I’ve been looking for an easy no-sew tutorial for our small kitchen window above the sink–this will work perfectly! Thanks!!!

    Reply

  • Totally love this! The apartment that we live in won’t allow us to change out the blinds, but I’ve been trying to find a good DIY for curtains to hang over them. And I’m pretty much…not able to sew anything so I really love this idea!

    xoxo
    Taylor

    Reply

  • What a great idea! I’ve been looking for a way to install simple curtains for my kitchen and I am not at all into sewing. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  • Love love love! Where did you find the curtain rod you used? It’s perfect! 🙂 going to try this for our new baby girl’s nursery!

    Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.