No-Sew Curtains

I've been slowly working on our kitchen/living room.  You might remember my mantle updates, and side table makeover.  I've also re-arranged the room a few times and switched around some rugs, but of course failed to blog about it.  But for the past month or more, my heart has been set on updating the curtains.

When we first moved in, I put up the white curtains we already owned.  They were cheap ones from Ikea, and long enough for our tall windows.  Plus, I was trying to make do, I didn't want to rush an buy something just to have something.  Well, the curtains were a bit too long.  The kiddos stepped on them, they dragged on the floor, and as expected, the bottom hem got disgusting.  So one day, in a fit of despair, I trimmed the bottom with scissors.  And that is how they have been for 3 months.  Additionally, the white curtains with light colored walls began to wear on me.  All the furniture is neutral colored, so the whole room felt blah.  My search for window coverings began.

I quickly found that purchasing drapes would be rather expensive, especially since my windows are tall.  Standard 84 inch curtains won't cut it.  So I decided to look for fabric.  I have heard and read about making no-sew curtains and that sounds like a cheap way to get exactly what I wanted.  Tracking down the fabric became the hard part.  I have since discovered that there are not many places to purchase fabric in my area, no Joanne's, Calico Corner, Hancock, nothing.  There is one designer fabric store that I found, but I'm not really interested in paying 25 dollars a yard and up.  I browsed Fabric.com and found a few options, but still was anxious about paying $13 a yard (I needed 6 panels).  So finally, I decided to check at Walmart.  Luckily, they had a small fabric section.  I discovered a cream and oatmeal ticking stripe in a heavy weight cotton.  Now I love stripes, maybe borderline obsessed with ticking stripe.  This was it, as long as there was enough yards.  It came down to the wire, I thought I might need 18 yards and this was just over 17, but I took it all.

So, to make the curtains, I gathered a few materials and followed some simple steps.  Here is what I used:

A tape measure, fabric scissors, fabric glue, and an iron.

1. First, I measured out the length I needed for each panel, plus 2 inches for hem.
2. Cut each panel.  I kept the tape measure out to the appropriate length on the floor and measured the fabric.  I aligned the end I needed to cut with a line on my hardwood floor so I kept a straight edge.
3. Fold over the hem and iron to crease a straight edge. Place glue along hem and push fabric together with fingers.
4. Let dry minimum of 30 minutes.
5. Repeat for each panel.

Now to hang, I used drapery rings with clips.

It turned out much better than I expected.  I love the look it adds to the windows.  Since we have blinds, and the windows all face the backyard, I don't plan on closing the curtains.  As a result, I am able to get away with less width for my panels.

Here is a close up of the ticking stripe:

I love how it turned out, and it was so much less expensive than buying curtains!  I'm ready to tackle another room!

Any of you buy fabric online?  Where is your go-to for curtains?  I'd love to hear from you!