Sometimes the windows in apartments are awkwardly sized and you need a curtain with a special fit to make them look good. Reuse your old curtains for any window with this tutorial on how to easily hem a curtain without the use of a sewing machine. Plus, if your curtains aren’t dragging on the ground, you’ll have room to put shelves or storage units below your windows — and that’s always a plus for renters who’re a little tight on space! Here’s your easy DIY no-sew solution:
Supplies:
For this project, you’ll need:
An old pair of curtains (or a cheap pair of new ones)
Iron-on fusing web (I used Singer’s Regular Hold version, which I snagged at Target)
An iron and ironing board
Tape measure
Pencil
Scissors
To start, you need to know how long you want your curtains to be, so measure from the top of your curtain rod to where you want the bottom of your curtains to hit on the wall. For me, I wanted the curtains to be 74 inches long. Next, lay your curtains flat on the floor with the inside facing up. Be sure to smooth out any creases so your curtains are lying completely flat. Use your tape measure to measure out your preferred length plus an inch from the top of the curtain, then mark that length with your pencil. I made a mark at 75 inches. You want to measure out an extra inch because you’ll be folding over about an inch of the end of your curtain fabric later on.
Next, you’ll want to draw a line across the width of your curtains to denote where you’ll be cutting them. If drawing straight lines isn’t in your wheelhouse, use a yardstick as a guide. Then cut your curtains to your desired length, following the penciled line you just drew.
Now it’s time to break out the iron. Set up your ironing board and set your iron to the “wool” heat setting (Note: If you purchase a different kind of fusing web, make sure you follow its specific heat setting directions here). Next, you’ll need to measure the width of your curtains, then cut a strand of fusing web to that length, giving yourself a few extra inches for wiggle room.
Lay the bottom, freshly-cut edge of your curtain on your ironing board with the inside of the curtain facing up. Lay the length of fusing web near the edge of the curtain fabric about an inch up. Now you’ll want to fold the fabric over the fusing web, then press and hold the iron for 10 seconds on top of the fold. When you lift up the iron, the curtain and web should be fused together. Work in sections, starting from one end of the curtain and ending at the other.
Once you’ve finished, you might notice a bit of the fusing web poking out at either end of your curtains — go ahead and trim that up. And while you have the iron out and hot, you might as well press the rest of your curtain if it’s super wrinkly!
Go ahead and hang your curtains up and admire your handiwork. If you’re looking for a cheap way to tie back your curtains, try this: Screw a small hook or screw eye into the wall about an inch or two from the edge of the curtain. Cut a length of twine and then tie the twine into a knot onto the hook, making sure you center the knot so an equal length of twine is left hanging on either side. Use the twine to tie back the curtains for a rustic look.
Got a pair of plain curtains you’d love to jazz up with some pattern? Check out this other easy-peasy curtain DIY project from the ForRent.com blog.
What kind of curtains are you sprucing up your apartment windows with? Share with us in the comments below!