How To Sew A Curtain At Home? Beginner’s Guide!

Last year, we also redecorated our living room. But Harish, my husband, forgot the curtains for a window. Instead of going to the shop again, I decided to stitch them at home! And this is how our living room looked after adding these beautiful stitched curtains!-

Decorating with simple things like a set of wavy curtains adds a cozy feel to your space, right?

Want to know the simplest thing I learned at first? It was learning how to sew a curtain. Many people find it so tricky. Believe me, it’s not! TBH- It feels pretty simple.

So, if you are also curious about sewing curtains at home, this tutorial can help you! You only have to stitch straight fabric panels together, sew hems,  and attach curtain hooks to them. Let’s go ahead and learn more about it:

How To Sew A Curtain?: 5 Easy Steps

Supplies You Need:

Most of these things are handy and easily available in local shops. Here is the list of essentials needed to sew curtains: 

1. Iron 
2. Pins 
3. Thread: matching or contrasting; either would work- depends on your choice!
4. Needle 
5. Fabric
6. Scissors
7. Curtain rod
8. Measuring tape: Metal tape is preferred. I used a Craftsman 25-ft measuring tape.
9. Sewing chalks
10. Sewing machine: (You can do it with hand sewing too, but it will take more time)

Step 1: Measure Your Window or Frame Where Your Curtain Will Go

Let’s say you are making a curtain for a window in your home. You need to plan first before measuring curtains. 

Also, decide where your curtain rod will fit. Accordingly, the height of your curtain will be determined. 

Step 2: Measure The Fabric Needed

Measure the curtain fabric to match your window’s dimensions.  I always iron fabric before measuring it. I make sure there are no wrinkles and folds. 

For measuring: 

1. Lay your fabric flat on the surface. Open all its corners.
2. Measure the width of your window. Decide how many panels you need for that width.

Pro tip: I took fabric 2 times as wide as my window. That’s why the curtain won’t look like a flat sheet. And it fully covers the window.

E.g., let’s assume your window is 4 ft long. So, you can measure an 8-ft panel or cut two 4-ft panels.

3. Measure the length from the top, where the iron rod fits, to the bottom of the floor.

Don’t forget this dummy mistake: Many beginners ignore it and end up cutting shorter curtain panels. Always measure the curtain rod pocket and hem length.  

Let’s assume you need a 100-inch curtain panel.

And, if your rod pocket is 4 inches, the hem is 3 inches.

So, you will cut a 107-inch panel: 100 + 4 + 3 = 107 inches.

Step 3: Cut the Panels✂️

Mark the curtain according to the measured length and width. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the fabric gently. 

Tip: If you want thicker curtains, you can add plain white cotton/ linen fabric from behind the main panels.

Avoid pulling the fabric while cutting to avoid improper cuts.

Step 4: Iron and Pin Seams🧷

If you are a beginner, baste the curtains first. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Because it offers smooth and straight edges.

So, mark the seam on the curtain. Iron the seam lines. And pin them using sewing pins. I am now so used to this process that I don’t use pins. I have just shown the image for your reference.

You can use safety pins or needles to keep the fabric in place, too. You can pull the pins out as you sew.

Step 5: It’s Sewing Time!- Sew Sides First, then Top, and Last Hems

So, a lot of fabric frays once we start using curtains. To avoid that, we must hem the borders.

As a beginner, you may not understand what a hem is. Don’t worry. It is a process of concealing fabric borders in three easy steps:

1. Fold the ragged edge 
2. Fold it again
3. Sew the folded side.

Done!

For this curtain, I started with sewing the sides first. Then I sewed the top head, and lastly I sewed the hems.

Secret tip: I prefer backstitch for sewing curtains. So, the stitches lock, and the curtain doesn’t fall apart later after hanging.

1. Sides:

You can skip sewing the sides if the fabric is thick. But it looks raw/unaesthetic. And the fabric edges start to lose threads over time. So, it’s better to sew them

2. Top:

When I sew curtains at home, I choose from these two methods: 

1. Rod pocket method 
2. Curtain tape and hook method:

2.1. Rod Pocket Method:

Now you may ask: ‘What’s a rod pocket?’ 

In this method, the curtain rod passes through the tunnel of the curtain panel. I like this method more because it is easy and beginner-friendly.

Stitching Curtain With Rod Pocket Method:

Step 1:

Lay the fabric flat. For the top edge, fold the fabric panel at 3 to 4 inches. Press this folded area and pin it.

Step 2:

Sew the bottom edge of this fold with a single or double line of straight stitches. It creates the tunnel in our curtain.

Step 3:

Sew the side hems and bottom edge. Your curtain is ready!

2.2. Using The Curtain Pleating Tape: 

I use curtain hooks and pleating tape frequently.  Here is how you can do it:

Step 1:

Cut an equal amount of pleating tape according to the curtain’s width. Put it on the top border of the curtain panel. Sew it using a matching thread. 

Step 2:

The tape must be inside the curtain panel (the side facing the window). Pull the strings of the tape. In this way, the fabric bunches up perfectly.

Step 3:

You can insert hooks in this tape later and hang it on the rod. 

I believe the hooks are reliable and hold the curtain firmly. But over time, the pleating tape gets loose or has loose threads whenever we pull out and insert hooks.

That’s why I prefer the pocket rod method.

3. Sewing Bottom Part:

Many beginners make this mistake. They rely on the measurements when they lay out the fabric on the floor. 

But we forget about gravity! Sounds funny, right? It’s true.

After hanging the curtain panel, the fabric gets stretched. It looks uneven on the edges. 

For Perfect Bottom Hems, I Do This:

After sewing the rod pocket, I hang the curtain on the rod. In this way, I get a basic idea about how it will look and how much length is needed.

Now, locate the line where the curtain panel touches the floor. You have to pin this bottom edge with pins. This ensures that your curtains are not too short or too long.

Then, take the curtain down from the rod. Lay it flat on the ground. And mark a line where the pins are attached. 

Now, press this edge to get a flat edge of the button.  I usually ‘double fold’ the bottom hem. It gives a premium appeal to the curtain panel. 

Step 6: Iron Them

Yes, after following all the above steps, you have sewn your curtains! Now it’s time to enhance their look. 

Lay them on a flat surface and iron them for a final touch. Ironing removes small wrinkles, fabric lines, and folds.

My Top 3 Tips For Sewing Curtains:

1. Matching Thread Magic:  

Try sewing fabric with a matching thread color. It looks elegant, and all seams become almost invisible. 

2. Prefer Long Stitches: 

Using a slightly longer stitch (around 3mm) is better for such long panels. Smaller stitches can be difficult to sew on curtain panels, especially for beginners.

3. Layering Your Curtains:

You can also add a polyester fabric panel at the back of your main fabric. It adds insulation.

Or, you can sew a fabric lining at the top of the main fabric. And let it hang freely at the bottom. You can tie it when you feel warm. You can open it and let it hang in cold weather. 

Plus, in rainy weather, the linen or polyester will not absorb water as cotton does.

It protects the main fabric from:

• getting wet,
• growing mold, and
• water spotting (We observe yellow spots when water spots on a cotton curtain dry).

My Two Cents:

 I hope you got helpful insights about ‘how to sew curtains?’

Stitching curtains at your home is easy. For me, sewing rod-pocket curtains is much easier and more reliable. 

You can also opt for the ‘curtain pleating tape and hook method’. Always vouch for white hooks and tape. White is classy and goes with all colors. 

Measure the panels correctly and sew the sides first. Then go for the top side. After making a rod pocket or adding tape, hang them, locate the bottom edge, and hem it neatly. That’s it! 

If you need more help sewing curtains at home, send me an email with your query. Let’s sew together!

FAQs:

1. Is Cotton Fabric Good For Sewing Curtains?

Yes. It offers ample ventilation, traps dust particles from outside, and also gives a beautiful sheer effect. It’s hypoallergenic and eco-friendly too. You can definitely sew curtains from this fabric. Always wash and iron this fabric before sewing to get proper measurements.  But make sure it doesn’t get wet. Otherwise, it will have dried water spots and may even grow mold.

2. What Kind Of Fabric Can You Use For Curtains?

You can sew curtains of any fabric. You can use cotton, linen, polyester, velvet, silk, viscose, rayon, etc.  I have seen some DIY projects where the sewer has made custom curtains from double/ twin/ twin XL bedsheets. 

3. How Wide A Curtain Should Be? 

A curtain panel should be two to three times as wide as the curtain rod.