DIY window curtains

Our new apartment didn't come with any blinds or anything.  We already had enough curtains for our bedroom/studio, but not enough for the living room.  We both wanted floor length light airy curtains.  Some weeks ago we went to JoAnn's and picked out a neutral linen.  I had already measured each curtain so I knew how much fabric to buy.  Measuring out the entire project and drawing a diagram for the construction made the actual project much easier when I started sewing.  Typically I don't like to plan, which never works out with sewing projects.  I wanted the curtains to have texture, so I referred to my Reader's Guide Complete Guide to Sewing.

 I didn't end up using any technique in the book, but there are so many techniques in the book it is helpful for generating ideas.  This book also have very instructive illustrations.  Another neat thing about this book is it has a section on how to sew curtains. 

I started by washing and drying all the fabric.  Then I ironed it.  The hardest part of this project was the ironing.  I have a small ironing board that I have to use on the floor.  Each window curtain was over 100 inches in length and to properly measure and cut the curtains I had to iron a lot of fabric.  I took up the entire floor ironing.  I cut each curtain and machine stitched all hems, sides first and then end hems all about 8-10 SPI and 3/4" wide hems.  Be sure to iron the hems down before you sew them.  When I was new to sewing I would try and not iron so much, but the finished results will always look bad.  Iron everything all the time.  I ironed the hems down, pinned them, then sewed them.

Be sure to think about how the curtains will attach to the window.  I bought a suspension wire and metal clips, so the curtain didn't have to have any way of attaching, it was just clipped up.  

After I finished the machine work I started the hand work.  I tacked the bottom of the curtains in a diamond pattern.  To do this I put the curtain down over a cutting mat.  Then I measured out each tuck and marked it with a sewing marker.  After the design was marked out on the fabric, I gathered the fabric at each point and tacked it on the back of the curtain, which created an overall quilted effect.

 Below are the completed curtains.  Floor length, light and airy with texture.  I like them because they let in a lot of soft light during the day, but they also block out street lamps at night.  I was worried I would have to back them or add another layer, but in the end I didn't have to.