Winter is a great time to make new drapery or curtains for the windows in your home. Curtains or draperies are essential for privacy and also help to keep out cold air. In many cases, making your own window coverings is less expensive than buying drapes or curtains at online or at brick-and-mortar stores. If you have extra-large windows, then it might seem like it’s impossible to buy ready-made window coverings. After you have new vinyl replacement windows installed in your home, you’ll definitely want to have attractive draperies or curtains to make your new windows look even better.
Borrow a Sewing Machine
Making new window coverings from fabric is not difficult, especially when you have a sewing machine, but you can also sew fabrics by hand. If you don’t have a sewing machine of your own, then check with friends or relatives to see if they have one you could borrow. Next, you need to measure windows correctly, using either a yardstick or tape measure. In addition to covering the window, you want to have additional fabric for seam allowances and hems along with above and below the window. If you plan to add ruffles to curtains or need tiebacks, then make sure to buy extra fabric to account for those additions.
Buy Your Fabric
When you are buying fabric, you need to determine how many yards are required, so use a calculator to convert inches to yards before going to the store. You must decide if you want lightweight curtains or more heavyweight draperies on your windows. The easiest types of draperies or curtains to sew are styles that have a pocket at the top so you can simply slide your curtain over the curtain rod. If you have a curtain rod that uses multiple hooks to attach the curtain to the rod, then you’ll need to buy a strip of canvas or another type of fabric that has holes in it that are reinforced with metal rings. This will be stitched to the tops of the curtains and will most likely be found in the sewing notions section of a fabric store. If you have a hard time finding this, or need help figuring out which type of fabric would work well for your curtains, a fabric store employee should be able to help point you in the right direction.
Hang Your New Curtains After bringing the fabric home, measure carefully to trim off any excess material and begin to sew panels together or create a pocket at the top and hem at the bottom. Just make sure your pocket is large enough to comfortably slide over your curtain rod. If you are planning on using curtain hooks, then don’t make a pocket at the top, but stitch on the canvas strip with reinforced holes instead. When you are using a sewing machine, you can make hems quickly, but it is also possible to stitch the hem by hand. After the draperies are finished, hang them and admire your hard work.
