Making Drapes from Shower Curtains

decor, decorating, DIY, fabric, House progress

I recently found some cool shower curtains at Target and decided to use them in my dining room as drapes! It was easy and I am so happy with them! Plus they are sort of a Pottery Barn knock off and that's always a thrill, isn't it?

I wasn't entirely satisfied with my smocked curtains. Oh I liked the idea of them but they weren't wide enough and I got fatigued at the thought of smocking another set to make them wide enough. Plus I had seen this picture at Pottery Barn and decided I must have these curtains!

Too expensive and they sold out before I could even contemplate ordering them. Sigh.

So I did the next best thing and found a fabric shower curtain that has the same flavor as these curtains. They were 71" x 71" so I knew I had to extend them down to the floor. So I went to Walmart and purchased one 84" cheapo panel in a cream fake silk.

I measured from the end of the shower curtain to the floor (15 inches for me) so I folded the faux silk panel in half longways. In this picture the two hemmed sides are together and on the right. I measured 16 inches (15 " plus a 1" seam allowance) from the hemmed sides toward the middle and cut.

Now I had two 84" strips that were 16" wide.

Right sides together, I pinned a strip to the bottom of each curtain. I wanted the nice factory seam to be on the bottom of my curtain so I made sure it was on the top when I was pinning.

I sewed a straight seam to secure the faux silk strip to the bottom of my curtain. I trimmed the ends so I had about an inch or so on each end.

I ironed 1/2" under and then another 1/2" under. Then I sewed the side hem. I made sure I started stitching a bit on the shower curtain so it would appear to have been sewn all at once together.

So this is a picture of the sewn bottom side hem. I ironed everything I had sewn and that was it!

Fun and easy! Best part? Each shower curtain was something like $20 bucks and the faux silk was something like $14. Must cheaper than Pottery Barn!

Cheers!

Jenny

11 comments:

Katie @ Creatively LivingSeptember 11, 2012 at 9:44 PM
Beautiful, beautiful! Great idea!

--Katie
FYI, I somehow got put on no-reply blogger status....gotta find time to change that! :)

JenniferSeptember 11, 2012 at 10:30 PM
I had that happen to me too! I went into my settings and fiddled with things. I forget exactly what but it wasn't hard, if I recall!

Thanks for the sweet comment, Katie!
UnknownSeptember 11, 2012 at 11:15 PM
They look great! I am getting ready to do something similar to this as well!
Jessica @ Stay at Home-istaSeptember 12, 2012 at 11:31 AM
So pretty! You are inspiring me to finally add a bottom panel to my 2 fet too short drapes that have been hanging for, oh, about 16 months!

Jessica
Vintage Street DesignsSeptember 16, 2012 at 11:09 AM
What a great idea and they turned out beautiful! I always love the layering of curtains and you offered an awesome tutorial. Thanks for sharing!
Honey I'm Home BlogSeptember 18, 2012 at 10:25 PM
Popping over to your great blog from Home Stories A2Z. I love people who "think outside the box" & this is such a cool idea. Your curtains look very much like the Pottery Barn photo. Congrats on your success!

Warmly, Michelle
MicheleSeptember 20, 2012 at 7:59 AM
What great timing on your post! They turned out amazing! I am going to be extending the length of my curtains this weekend. I have 6 panels to do. I am going to try to figure out a way to temporarily extend the length of the curtains- in case I need to return them to their regular length in the future if we are in a different home.
the cape on the cornerSeptember 20, 2012 at 12:14 PM
shower curtains are so pretty these days, all made of fabric and things. great job on this!
judiOctober 12, 2012 at 4:06 PM
i think i just bought the same shower curtains at target! my reason is to re-upholster some bedroom side chairs and to use the fabric for pillow covers or backings. the fabric matches my new target bedding, is beautiful and cost effective for sure. i really like how you improvised with a stylish new look.
judi
CurtainsNovember 12, 2012 at 3:58 AM
I totally agree with the tips mentioned in this shower curtains article. One can improve the visitors in a best possible way.
JaniceSeptember 10, 2015 at 3:07 PM
I made a curtain for a single window once with a table cloth. The cloth was very wide and long, so I turned over enough on the top for the right length and to make a 4-inch ruffle, which showed the wrong side of the fabric and gave the plaid a reversed-out look. I then sewed a rod pocket from the turned over part to hold the curtain rod. I split the cloth all the way down the center and sewed under the raw edges so I could make it a tie back curtain (it was a small window). Since the cloth was navy with a window-pane in white, it wasn't a busy print and I was able to use bandanas for the tie-backs. I folded them into a small triangle and tacked a nail through the layers of the bandana to attach them to the wall. I was able to hide the head of the nail in the design of the bandana. I had a Texas theme going in the room so it was perfect with all the rest of the decor. I was sad when we sold that condo and couldn't use that "curtain" anywhere else in my house!