How To Make Easy, Inexpensive DIY Curtains

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases*

Check out how to make these budget-friendly, no-sew, DIY curtains! Skip the expensive curtains and create your own in a couple simple steps!

Does anyone else have a permanent curtain frustration?  It’s one of my least favorite things to choose for our home.

Quality curtains tend to be very expensive and to be honest, I don’t even love the thought of covering my windows.  I love for our home to be bright and sunny!

However, curtains offer some benefits that can not only enhance the overall look of your home, but can be essential as well!

My Design Challenge

When we purchased our current home, there were a number of design challenges.  One that was particularly tricky is the V E R Y long room that runs along the back of our house.  All 48 feet of it, to be exact!  That includes 48 feet of sliding doors that open to our pool and patio, along with about 12 feet of windows on one end.

We wanted to make this huge space feel like a cozy part of our home rather than an air-conditioned porch.

I immediately knew I wanted curtains to help break up those 48 feet and also soften up the entire room.

My Design Solution

Realizing the incredible amount of curtains that I would need, along with the incredible budget that would accompany them, I decided that DIY curtains were definitely in order!

I had used drop cloths to create inexpensive curtains around our patio at our old house, so I knew I loved the look (and price!) of them.  I also loved the fact that this wouldn’t take a lot of time, effort, or expense, but would make such a huge difference in the look and feel of the entire room.

Process for Making DIY Curtains

Materials Needed:

• Painter drop cloths
• S hooks
• Clips With Hooks (heavy duty is best)
• Tape measure
• Step Stool 

How to Hang Your DIY Curtains

Before ordering your drop cloths, determine the length and width that you need for your DIY curtains.  Since I have such a long and large space, I ordered drop cloths that are 9 feet long and 6 feet wide.

Since my ceilings are actually only 8 feet and the DIY curtain rods are a few inches from the ceiling, we needed to shorten the length just a bit.

Insert fun fact: I do not know how to sew.

*Inexpensive painter drop cloths aren’t necessarily sewn with great precision, so you may need to adjust a bit and just know they won’t always be perfectly straight!

If you know how to sew or have a friend who is willing to do you a favor, you could also trim the drop cloth and have it hemmed to your desired length.  If you prefer a more finished look, that would work really well.

Personally, I kind of love the imperfection of them.  The texture and imperfection of the drop cloths reminds me a little of old European linen. Much like the shop rags that I love using for napkins, the drop cloths have that bit of a loosely woven fabric and texture, similar to linen.

I know, I know.  My DIY curtains are a long stretch from fine European linen, but they fit my budget and I actually love them!  The more expensive of drop cloths that you purchase, the higher quality.  I prefer the more inexpensive ones because they are thinner and I think they have more of a “vintage linen” look for a DIY curtain than the really thick, expensive drop cloths.  Again, just my personal preference!

The next step is to actually hang your DIY curtains!  Simply put the S hook over your rod and then hang your curtain clip on the S hook!

Tada!!!  Your DIY curtains are really that easy!

DIY Curtain Rods

Looking for a budget-friendly DIY curtain rod?

I knew the curtain rods for such a long space were going to not only be costly, but hard to find thick, sturdy ones (without breaking the bank) that would hold up at such long lengths.  I also wanted it to be one, continuous rod for the length of the room.

Forty-eight foot curtain rods don’t really seem to exist.  Ha!

I also love a bit of a raw, industrial look, so my dad helped us out with this project.  Remember, we were currently in the middle of renovating almost our entire home.  It was all hands on deck!

If you’re looking for a unique curtain rod, check out this DIY!

Materials Needed

• Pipe
• Flange
• Tee Fittings
• Elbow Fittings
• Connector Fittings

It’s helpful to have a second set of hands to install the curtain rod, but the steps themselves are fairly simple:

• Attach two flanges to the wall at a 10 foot interval with screws or anchors.
• Screw a tee or elbow fitting on either end of one section of pipe (an elbow for the end of the rod, or a tee for the middle)
• Hold up the pipe, and screw in the connector fitting between the flange & elbow or tee fitting.
• Repeat as necessary.

Other Spaces to Use Your DIY Curtains

We use these same DIY curtains, S hooks, and curtain clips outside under our gazebo!  Outdoor curtains are crazy expensive.  I love that these really help our gazebo space feel like a room but cost under $50!

We used thick rope to tie them back to the gazebo columns.  That helps them not blow around in the weather, etc.

And for $10-12 each, it is not a big deal to replace them every few years when they are getting worn from the sun and rain!

I have also seen drop cloths used many times for recovering chairs or cushions for deconstructed furniture.  In fact, the settee in our dining room has thick drop cloth-like material on it!

I hope this gives you some fun ideas!  Remember to utilize textiles from the hardware store for inexpensive and fun DIY projects throughout your home!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases*