Three Easy Ways to DIY Window Curtains Without Sewing
Decorating your windows doesn’t seem like overkill, but blinds, shutters, and curtains can get expensive quickly. However, an ambitious DIYer can create simple and inexpensive window decorations with just a few hours of work and some basic materials.
how to make roman blinds seamless
You can make your own seamless Roman blinds by repurposing an old set of blinds. If you have blinds that have seen better days, you’ll need scissors , fabric glue , 1-inch fusible mesh tape , an iron , and a tape measure to get you started. Measure the length of the window to determine the size of the fabric, and then use the width of the blinds to measure the width. You should cut the fabric about one foot longer and three inches wider than your finished shade will be.
To calculate how many slats you need to keep from the original blinds, leave one slat for every six to eight inches of window length. Remove all slats except for the slats you need to place every six to eight inches, usually about six or seven slats. Then iron an inch pleat around all four sides of the fabric, attach a strip of 1 inch fusible webbing, fold the edge again, and iron the pleat to create a hem. Once the hem is complete, lay the shade over the lampshade and measure every six to eight inches so the slats are evenly spaced across the surface of the fabric, and attach them with fabric glue. Use glue to attach the top edge of the fabric to the top of the blinds and the bottom edge to the bottom of the blinds. You can then hang the roman blind the same way you would hang a blind on a window, with the fabric side facing in.
Here is a video tutorial to check before you start:
How to make patterned curtains without seams
To make patterned curtains, you can purchase a relatively cheap solid color fabric and use a stencil to paint your design with fabric paint . To make this type of curtain, you will also need fusible mesh tape, scissors, a tape measure, and an iron. Measure your window opening, then add a foot in length and one foot to the width of each panel for completeness. If you are only using one pane for the window instead of two, you must add two feet to the width instead of one. Add a hem to three sides of each panel using the method described above. Then along the top edge, fold one inch and press, then fold two and a half inches and, using fusible mesh tape, fuse the bottom edge of the fold to create a pocket for the curtain rod.
Once your panels are done, you can use fabric paint and a stencil to make your pattern. When stenciling fabric, be sure to place fabric, tarpaulin, or a piece of disposable cardboard under the fabric so it doesn’t seep onto the surface you’re working on.
How to make curtains from ribbons without seams
To make a simple ribbon curtain, you can use any color of wire-free ribbon you like and some craft or fabric glue. Calculate the amount of tape you need by measuring the width and length of the window opening, then adding a few inches to the length and six inches to the width. To calculate how many threads you’ll need, take the width of the curtain and divide it by the width of the ribbon: for example, if you have a 30″ wide curtain and you’re working with a two-inch-wide ribbon, you’ll need 15 threads of ribbon. Then, if your window is 30 inches high, you will need 15 strands of tape 30 inches long, or 450 inches—that’s about 11 yards of tape.
After you measure the strands of ribbon, you can cut them to length, fold over the top edge of each strand to make a two-inch loop, and glue the loop in place. Then put the ribbon strands on the curtain rod and hang the new ribbon curtain.