Quick & Easy DIY Barely Sew or No Sew Drapery Panels
So I have a bit of a thing for drapes. Curtains. Side Panels.
Whatever you want to call them.
But the thing is…my husband doesn’t exactly share my thing for them.
Meaning, he doesn’t really like them at all.
In each of our previous houses I have sewn custom drapes of side panels to work with our decor scheme. But when we looked at this house he was so in love with all the thick craftsman style wooden trim that he tried to get me to promise that I wouldn’t hang drapes.
And, I tried. Really, I did.
But…it’s kind of like an addiction. Our home just felt naked without them.
I mean, how else do you cover a 9′ glass door other then with drapery panels??
So, needless to say, that drapes/side panels/curtains have been gradually sneaking their way into our home over the last couple of years.
And one of my favourite things about them?! How quickly and easily you can make simple & custom no sew or barely sew drapery panels in any fabric you love. Often at a fraction of the cost of buying them retail.
Materials:
I made four panels- at 54″ wide each (the full width of the fabric) and 90.5″ finished length. I ordered 12 yards of fabric, but needed less then that. I also used drapery clips, much like these, to hang them with…
To get started, you need to measure the height of your window/rod. You want to figure out how long your curtains needs to END up being in order to hang nicely on your rod. I prefer if my drapes skim the floor – you don’t want there to be a gap between the bottom of your drapes and the floor.
To determine the height I needed my drapes to be FINISHED – I clipped up my fabric to the rod using the clips I planned to use and then used a measuring tape to measure the final finished length.
My panels needed to be 90.5″ finished so I added two inches for the hems at the top and bottom and cut my fabric lengths to 92.5″. (One inch for the top, one inch for the bottom).
For more advice about measuring and cutting long lengths of fabric for drapery panels- please read my tips in this post here.
I wanted neat hems on the back, so I folded over the top (and after, the bottom), a 1/2″ and then ironed it flat.
I then flipped it over AGAIN the other 1/2″ and ironed it flat. That meant that my sewn edge was folded and then folded again so it is very neat and tidy looking.
Because my edges were completely finished due to the fabric that I ordered, I didn’t actually bother hemming them over. I just left them with the finished side edges exposed. If your fabric edges aren’t perfectly finished like mine were (it depends on the fabric) then you can do the same type of double-fold-over hemmed edges on each long side of the drapery panels as well as on the top and bottom.
For the Barely SEW version that I did, I simply took my ironed edges over to my machine and stitched them neatly. Well, somewhat neatly. I’m not brilliant with straight lines, but who can tell??
If you want to do a NO SEW curtain – then just use some double sided hemming tape. I have done this style before on previous drapery side panels, and it turned out amazingly well.
The key to making these No Sew or Barely Sew drapery panels is in the hanging method. Using these simple drapery clips makes these fast and brainless.
I completed all four of these panels in about an hour one weekend, and was so excited that I totally overgrammed pictures of it. I mean, an hour? I could waste that playing solitaire on my phone. But, no, I had brand new drapes for the dining room….
And I love them! What do you think?
The print that I used for this is called Manchester Premier Navy and it is by Premier Prints. I ordered mine from Fabric.com and it cost $8.96 a yard. I also used a discount code, which saved some additional money, and if you live in the US you get free shipping over $35.
I love me a pretty and patterned drape.
So these Quick & Easy No Sew or Barely Sew Drapery Panels were the perfect project to share for this month’s Get Your DIY On Challenge: Textured and Patterned Projects:
Check out what my cohosts have shared for this challenge…
Carrot Inspired Easter Patterned Pots at The Hankful House
DIY Textured Beach Painting at Artsy Chicks Rule
DIY No Sew or Barely Sew Designer Look Curtains at The Happy Housie {you are here!}
Patterned Sofa Table at Confessions of a Serial DIYer
Bringing in Textures of Spring at House by Hoff
We hope to see all our blogging friends back on Sunday evening to share their patterned or textured projects!
I may link up at some of these fabulous places below, for more info check out housie parties: Monday Funday , Inspiration Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Project Inspire{d} , Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Wow Me Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday , From Dream to Reality, The Inspiration Exchange, Wow Us Wednesday, Live Laugh Rowe Live Laugh Linky, Thursdays Are Your Days, Inspire Me Please, Catch as Catch Can, Fabulously Creative Friday, Party Junk, Pinworthy Projects , Link Party Palooza,, Weekend Bloggy Reading, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Spotlight Saturday, Suburbs Mama , That DIY Party
You did such a great job! Thanks for sharing the details. Been thinking about making some curtains for my kitchen area, but struggle with how much they need to match since it opens up to the living room and dining room. Any pointers on that?
I love that fabric! It is busy with great texture but not too much for the room. Gorgeous! I made my own curtains in our living room because I fell in love with a fabric.
Nice! I love the simplicity of these panels! They look great!
Thank you Lynn!! I am loving their fresh, crisp look:)
That fabric is amazing!! You know I love it! 🙂 Great job, they look fabulous.
xo
Nancy
Thank you Nancy!!
thank you. I need drapes for my bedroom but the price is ridiculous! I love the fabrics you use. Where do you find fabric? The local store where I live doesn’t have a great selection.
Hello Linda!
The print that I used for this is called Manchester Premier Navy and it is by Premier Prints. I ordered mine from Fabric.com and it cost $8.96 a yard. I also used a discount code, which saved some additional money, and if you live in the US you get free shipping over $35. Two of my other favourite online sources are onlinefabricstore.net and tonicliving.com
Thank you so much. I always love new drape ideas and I love the simple hemming along with the clips for the rod!
They are beautiful Krista!! The print is stunning- great choice for your home 🙂
AW, thanks Mandy!!
They are stunning, Krista! Tell your hubs he’s nuts! Drapery panels are such a great way to bring pattern and color into a space. Love this fabric choice! 🙂
Thank you Christy- I am thrilled with how they came out:)
these are great and i love the fabric!
Thank you Cassie!!
Curtains, drapes, panels, whatever, always dress a room nicely. Love yours.
I totally agree Maria! The finish off a space perfectly… thanks!
Do you have the name of the fabric line and pattern? Just love it!
Hi Debra!
The print that I used for this is called Manchester Premier Navy and it is by Premier Prints. I ordered mine from Fabric.com and it cost $8.96 a yard. I also used a discount code, which saved some additional money, and if you live in the US you get free shipping over $35. Two of my other favourite online sources are onlinefabricstore.net and tonicliving.com
Hi ,
I love the material you used for your curtains . Can you tell me where you purchased it and also the cost
Thanks
Hi Cathy!
The print that I used for this is called Manchester Premier Navy and it is by Premier Prints. I ordered mine from Fabric.com and it cost $8.96 a yard. I also used a discount code, which saved some additional money, and if you live in the US you get free shipping over $35. Two of my other favourite online sources are onlinefabricstore.net and tonicliving.com