YA’LL, I am officially that much closer to completely transforming my living room space. Not that you even knew that, but now you do! Part of this transformation is window treatments. Much like the other rooms in my home, I can’t fathom spending over $100 for nice drapes or curtains (some costing roughly $40-$75 PER PANEL) – let alone I am super picky on design and pattern.

You know when you have something particular in mind and you just can’t find it? Story of my home decor life. 

Instead, I spent UNDER $100 and made my own window curtains. All you need is the right material, a sewing needle and matching thread. Outdoor fabric is durable, inexpensive and comes in so many varieties of colors and designs. Sure, it’s a little bit more work but in the end you get exactly what you want for less!

Even if you don’t have a sewing machine (which I used in this tutorial), you can easily sew these by hand or using fabric tape. It’s all about finding the right sized fabric, a little love and some accessories! Let’s get down to business on how to make window curtains for less than $100.

how to make

window curtains for under $100

[+ No-sew option!]

items you’ll need

• Sewing machine (unless using the no-sew method, or by hand)
• Sewing needle (if sewing by hand)
• Matching thread (preferably cotton if using outdoor fabric)
• Fabric tape (if using the no-sew method)
• Fabric scissors (especially if you are using the no-sew method)
• Round clip on curtain rings (be sure to choose the correct size for your rod)
• Iron or steamer (optional)

picking a fabric

Here are a few crucial tips to keep in mind when choosing a fabric:

• Make sure the fabric is AT LEAST 54 inches wide (more or less depending on how wide your window is)
• Decide what type of fabric you are wanting to use – thicker fabrics take less shape naturally but have more volume, while thinner materials take more shape, likely require hemming and allow more light in.
• For this tutorial and style curtain, I recommend using an “outdoor” fabric, simply because if you choose to forgo any major sewing – psst, you won’t actually have any frilled edges when cutting (just make sure you have nice fabric scissors).
• TIP: the type of fabric you use also depends on where in the home you are adding curtains. In my opinion, outdoor fabric is best for wider, taller windows in open spaces (such as dining, living areas or bedrooms).
• If you are sewing hems to the fabric, keep that in mind when figuring out your measurements. Always give yourself a few inches more for mishaps!
• Measure how long you want your panel lengths to be according to the placement of your curtain rod (again, keep in mind a few extra inches if you are hemming). Ultimately, you will want to give yourself at least 1/2 a yard extra in length to work with in that sense.

I got my fabric from Joann’s Fabric, where if you already know by now (hello, my fellow crafters) there is ALWAYS a sale going on. I literally purchased 7 yards of this fabric for less than $60 total. It’s almost embarrassing that I would have spent that much on ONE panel at a store.

So why exactly did I choose an outdoor fabric? It holds up really well. Plus, I mean, it looks expensive as hell, too! Sure, they’re not as flowy as other fabrics you might find (you are free to choose any fabric you wish), but I find that the outdoor fabric has more volume. The thicker material also blocks more of the light coming through (so you can actually see the design on the fabric through the daytime).

Again, this tutorial fits for the fabric of your choosing – just know that needing to sew the edges for other fabric types is open to interpretation.

cutting and hemming

Once you have chosen your fabric, it may come with white edges that need to be trimmed. In the photo below, I had to do just that, so I folded the fabric in half in order to trim both sides at the same time.

Your fabric is likely going to be in one whole piece (if you didn’t tell the associate to cut your fabric according to your desired panel lengths). So if you bought 7 yards of fabric, you will need to cut that in half to create two panels of 3.5 yards.

If you plan on hemming (whether by hand, fabric tape or machine), start by pinning or measuring a 1 inch hem on all sides except the top and bottom. Sew closest to the edge of the fold, as shown below.

what to do with the top and bottom?!

Having completed hemming the sides, I knew I had given myself well over 2 feet length wise of extra fabric. So I had a lot to play with when it came to how I would hang my panels and how long I wanted them to hang from the floor.

Here is where you need to make some crucial decisions. How do you want to hang your curtain? 

Again, rod placement is huge, so figure out the length of your panels according to the placement of your curtain rod before you begin cutting!

Originally I had sewn a 6 inch hem at the top of my panels, leaving me room to slide the rod through the loop of fabric. I was simply hoping to scrunch and push the fabric along the rod, hoping it would fold naturally like other curtains I made throughout my home. Although the other curtains throughout my home are lighter material and more flowy. Unfortunately with the outdoor fabric it is extremely thick and wasn’t taking shape at all.

It just wasn’t “scrunching”, you know what I mean?

With that, using thicker fabric has its con. I found that this fabric type is best for accordion-style drapes. You know, the ones you find with the large hole punches in the fabric where all you have to do is line up the curtain rod through the holes?

So incorporating the accordion was my next best option. But I had no clue how I was going to make those holes happen.

Instead, I went with the clip on rings.

If you are using the outdoor fabric, this is by far your best option. You want the weight of the fabric to be on the top and bottom so that the fabric holds that accordion shape. So I recommend making at least a 3-4 inch hem on the top and bottom.

I went with 7 inches so I could leave room for any necessary changes/errors down the road – such as if I wanted to raise my curtain rod to the ceiling.

Speaking of errors! Originally I went with the idea of letting my panels hang on the floor as they lay. I had seen pictures of this and thought they were beautiful!

That didn’t turn out so well in this case. The panels weren’t taking shape that way, either. It would seem like I was running into more problems using outdoor fabric, but I think the point I learned is to keep the drapes SIMPLE.

So I had to cut and hem the bottom of my panels so that they were about 1/2 an inch from the ground – just barely touching the floor. This allowed the drapes to naturally take better shape on the rings!

Again, measure out your hems before cutting away at the length of your panels!

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iron for best results (optional)

Granted, I used a steamer (not the best option overall) because I didn’t have an iron. An iron would work 100x better in this case. When you are ready to hang your panel, you are going to fold the fabric accordion-style, aiming for each fold to be roughly the same size. The number of folds you have depends on the number of rings you will need. I bought a pack of 30 count 2 inch round curtain rod rings and only needed 7 for each side – well worth getting more than needed.

Just be sure you figure out if you need bigger rings for your rod!

My final take on the outdoor fabric:

Again, when using this fabric – simplicity is key.

If you want your drapes to hang on the floor – this isn’t the type of fabric to use.

If you want to forgo the rings and to scrunch the fabric over the rod – you will either need a lighter fabric or a top hem that is tight against your curtain rod (meaning, if your rod is 2 inches around, you will want to make a 2 1/4 inch hem at the top). I could have gone this route, but decided against that look.

In the end I wouldn’t go back from using the outdoor fabric – I absolutely love it. It looks and feels expensive when hung, and those who see it can’t believe I made them by hand.

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