How To Make Curtains: Create Your Own Window Dressings With Our DIY Curtains Guide

Window dressings can completely transform the ambience of your space. Both practical and stylish, window dressings such as curtains influence light control and privacy, all while elevating your home styling. While at Spotlight, you can shop an incredible range of ready-made curtains, and you can also find all the tools you need to make DIY curtains. Practical DIY projects like making your own curtains can seem intimidating, but with a bit of confidence and help from Spotlight, it can be a quick, easy, and even fun process. We'll take you through everything you need to learn about how to DIY curtains, including choosing how to measure your windows and calculate the right fabric requirements, as well as how to hang your curtains. Create your own DIY curtains and elevate your home styling while showcasing your skills.

Quick Links

• Types of Curtains and Services Available
• Choose Your Fabric and Header Type
• Importance of Accuracy: Measure Your Windows
• Calculate Fabric Requirements
• Prepare Your Curtains
• Make Your Curtain Header
• Hem Your Curtains
• Hang Your Curtains

Types of Curtains and Services Available

At Spotlight, you can shop from a range of different curtains ready to install in your home, and curtain fabrics for those wanting to create their own window dressings for their next DIY project.

Ready Made Curtains

Off the shelf curtains to hang from the ceiling or wall, which come in many different sizes, colours, and weights. These are the perfect low effort option at a great price.

Shop Ready Made Curtains

Made to Measure

Custom made curtains where you have a choice in selecting fabric and the service of a Made to Measure consultant. Installation is also available.

Explore Made to Measure Curtains

Cut, Hem & Hang Curtain Fabric

A great option if you're feeling creative and want to keep a consistent look with your home decor. Cut, Hem & Hang fabric can be cut to any size needed. This fabric works with most curtain types, including eyelet, pencil pleat, tab top and rod pocket headers.

Shop Cut, Hem and Hang Curtain Fabrics

Choose Your Fabric and Header Type

We've even got a whole range of projects that outline how to create a variety of curtain headers, so whether you're wanting to make a pair of modern eyelet curtains or timeless pencil pleat curtains, you can find everything you need to know right here at Spotlight!

Shop Curtain Fabrics

Importance of Accuracy: Measure Your Windows

You'll need to know a few key measurements, specifically the 'drop' (which is how far you want the curtain to fall. For my tall windows, that was from the track to the floor) and the width of the windows. If you're making multiple curtains like me, it might be useful to draw up a little diagram and write these measurements down on it. For more tips on this, check out Spotlight's info on how to measure your windows here.

Calculate Fabric Requirements

To determine the amount of fabric you need for your DIY Curtains project, there are a few further calculations to be conducted once you've measured your windows.

Download the Curtain Fabric Calculation Project

How to Calculate the Fabric Width

We recommend multiplying the width of your windows by 1.5 for fullness, or if you want to make curtains with pleats, multiply by 2.5 and round to the nearest whole number. Make sure to include a seam allowance.

How to Calculate The Fabric Drop

Take the drop measurement of your windows and add a 30 cm seam allowance. If your fabric features a pattern, divide the length plus the 30 cm seam allowance by the pattern repeat and then round this to the nearest whole number. Multiply this number by the pattern repeat.

How to Calculate the Total Fabric Meterage

Multiply the number of fabric drops required by the drop length to determine the total fabric meterage required.

How to Calculate The Curtain Tape Meterage

Multiply the number of fabric drops required by the width of the fabric to determine the total curtain tape meterage required.

Prepare Your Curtains

Cut your curtain fabric to the lengths previously calculated and begin to prepare it for hanging. Once your fabric has been cut to size, cut this piece in half to create your two curtain pieces.

Make Your Curtain Header

Now that your curtains have been cut to size, you can begin creating the header of your curtains. Often you'll need to decide on the type of curtain header you'll be making before shopping for your curtain fabric, however, we'll take you through how to make a number of different curtain headers right here.

How to Make Eyelet Curtains

Eyelet curtains are incredibly easy to install and also relatively easy to make.

1. Start by folding back the top edge (top of the curtain) of the fabric around 1.5cm and press.
2. Line the eyelet tape to just over the pressed seam and pin across the width of the curtain to hold in place. Attach the tape to the back of the curtain by sewing across both edges of the tape and then sewing up the sides.
3. Using a pencil or pen, draw a circle on the fabric inside the ring (this will be the back of the fabric). Using scissors, make a few crosscuts to the fabric inside the ring.
4. Press the coloured plastic ring over the face of the fabric and lock down onto the metal ring. You will know this is complete once it clicks into place. Once this is done, trim off the excess fabric. If your eyelets have backs, clip these on once you've trimmed the fabric.
5. Use the clear plastic joiners on the back of the tape to lock the gather into place.

Check out our Eyelet Curtains Project for more information.

How To Make Pencil Pleat Curtains

Learning how to make pencil pleat curtains is easier than it looks.

1. Start by folding the top edge of the curtain fabric 10cm and press. Place your pencil pleat tape over the top edge seam that you have pressed around 0.5cm from the top fold.
2. Stitch the tape to the curtain by sewing both along the top and bottom edges. You will need to do a continuous stitch along the length of the tape, keeping 2mm in from the edge. Stitch along outside edges, ensuring strings are not caught in the stitch line.
3. Lay the curtain on a large flat surface and measure the drop from the top of the curtain. Mark this point with chalk or pins.
4. The excess should be around 20cm. If there is additional excess due to pattern matching, trim back to 20cm. Fold the excess over twice 10cm to form a double hem.
5. Stitch the hem in place 2mm in from the top edge. Stitch the sides of the hem to close.
6. You will then need to attach your hooks to your pencil pleat tape to hang your curtains. 28mm Gather Hooks are ideal for curtain tracks and 32mm Gather Hooks are suitable for Rod Sets with Rings. Once hooks are attached, you will be able to hang your new set of curtains!

Check out our Pencil Pleat Curtains Project for more information.

How To Make Tab Top Curtains

Follow these simple steps and you'll master how to make tab top curtains in no time:

1. When making tab top curtains, you'll need extra fabric to create your tab tops.
2. Cut a strip of your curtain fabric 12cm high and cut an additional panel approximately 10cm wider than your curtain width and 12cm high. This will be the facing that covers your tabs
3. The number of tabs you need will depend on the width of your curtain.
4. Allow for 15-20cm between each tab and measure each tab approximately 10cm wide. Mark these intervals on the reverse side of your curtain fabric.
5. Cut 12cm wide tabs from your shorter curtain fabric strip.
6. Fold the tab pieces in half lengthways and sew down the open side with a 2cm allowance.
7. Turn the fabric right side out and iron the tab so the seam is in the middle and fold the tab in half.
8. Fold in the ends of your facing piece around 3 cm so that it matches the width of your curtain and iron.
9. Fold the bottom edge over around 1cm and press.
10. With the right sides facing up, place the facing piece at the top of the curtain panel and pin.
11. Space the tabs so the edges of the tabs line up with the top edge of the fabric and pin in place. Sew the tabs along the top edge of the fabric.
12. Open the fabric and iron the tabs so they now face upward. Fold back the facing and iron again before sewing the bottom edge of the facing panel in place.

Check out our Tab Top Curtains Project for more information.

Hem Your Curtains

Hemming curtains helps to neaten up the edges of your curtains, removing the raw hem and any jagged cuts. The two common approaches you can take in hemming your curtains are hemming curtains with tape or sewing the hems. If you're not confident with your sewing skills, hemming tape will be best, however, if you've got some experience with a sewing machine, you can sew your hems into place instead. Our blog article on how to hem curtains provides a helpful step-by-step process of these two methods.

Hang Your Curtains

The method required to hang your curtains will depend on the type of header. If you've made a pair of eyelet, tab top or rod pocket curtains, simply thread your curtain rod through the eyelets of the pocket and position your curtain rod onto your curtain rod brackets.

If you've made pinch or pencil pleat curtains, these window dressings can be installed on a curtain track. Attach curtain hooks to the header tape on your curtains. Space the hooks evenly to ensure the curtains hang perfectly and insert the hooks into the eyelets of your curtain track. You can also install these curtains on a curtain rod using hooks or rings to attach the curtain to the rod.

Check out our informative buying guide on how to hang curtains for more information.

Master How to DIY Curtains With Spotlight

Curtains offer the perfect combination of practicality and styling, elevating your window furnishings while providing numerous light control and privacy benefits. Inspired now that you know how to make curtains? Pop by your local Spotlight store and check out our range of curtain fabrics and sewing accessories to start your own DIY curtains journey, or check out our range of free curtain projects for more DIY curtains inspiration.

Explore our Curtain Projects