Easy Curtain Panels

I had some off white curtain panels hanging between the windows in my living room. I loved them when I first got them, but after a while I thought something a little more bold would look good. I thought about a pop of color, but decided to stick with something neutral (like the rest of my living room) so it wouldn't clash with the kitchen. I chose a print I liked...I was a little nervous at first, but love how it turned out!! Sometimes being a little daring pays off!

Here's a tutorial on how to make them:

**Side note: I did not line my curtains because they were going in front of a wall. If you plan to make panels that will cover a window, you will want to line them.

I cheated and started off by laying my old curtain panel on top of my fabric:

I measured 3" out from the top and bottom for the hem.

And a couple inches on the sides. I pretty much just trimmed the selvage off and it left an inch or so for the hem. Here it is all cut out:

Next, I pinned one side...

And sewed from top to bottom. I'm showing my inexperience here, but I wanted to have a clean line and keep it straight so I sewed with the fabric facing me, making sure I had enough room on the back so the stitches wouldn't miss the fabric. It worked fine, but I had excess fabric on the back (sticking out after the seam). It didn't look very clean. I could have trimmed it, but I knew it would not show so I left it alone.

After sewing the sides, I folded and pinned the top down (allowing for a 3" seam). I sewed all the way across (even over the side seam). I used my old panel as an example to see how to sew the seams and in what order.

This is what the back looked like when I was all done...

And then I made another one! As you can see in the picture below I already had a rod with rings to clip on the curtain. But since I sewed a wide hem at the top I could have strung it through the rod as well. If you go that route, just keep in mind what length you want it/where you want the bottom of the curtain to hang. This was a pretty easy project and I love the difference it makes in our living room!! Check it out...

Before:                                                           

After:

From drab to fab with two easy curtain panels!! I think adding some color and pattern has warmed up the room, making it even cozier!:-)