Making Store Bought Drapes Look Custom

5 Materials
$2
30 Minutes
Easy

Have you ever researched the cost of custom drapes? Well, let me tell you, they are pricey!


Fortunately, there are so many options for affordable, ready made drapes from retailers such as Target and Amazon. The secret is to do a few easy steps to make them look custom in your space.


The first thing you want to do is to hem them so that they are not puddling on the floor. I purchased 95" long drapes for this window. As you can see, they are a few inches too long. These are the exact drapes I purchased in Indigo Stripe: https://amzn.to/3EIFSd9




I have already "hemmed" the left side. I will show you the quick and easy steps to hem the right side.

First of all, there is no sewing involved here! All you need is this magic iron on adhesive tape such as the one shown above. This is the exact one I used: https://amzn.to/3sNZU3G




Simply fold the drape under to the length you would like them. You want them to just touch the floor.

Holding the fabric folded, bring the drapes up onto your ironing board. You may feel more comfortable pinning your drapes, but I did not since the pattern on this particular fabric allowed me to make sure my hem was straight. At this point, I iron the bottom to make a line at the bottom.

Next, you will turn your drapes over on the ironing board. Measure a piece of the iron on tape as long as your hem. The tape will go right behind your fold as shown.

Iron in little sections, holding your iron over each section for a few seconds. Carefully check to make sure the adhesive is bonding to the fabric.

Once you have ironed the length of the hem, flip the drape over to the front side and iron along the hem again.

Ta-da!

But we aren't finished yet...

Next, I used my iron to steam some of the wrinkles from being folded in the packaging out. You could also use a hand held steamer if you have one.


The last step is to fold the drapes on the pleats and then loosely tie them. I used twine, but any kind of string will do. I did this 4 times down the length of the panel.

Leave the drape panel like this for a few days. When you untie them, they will look like the drape on the left!


Now you have store bought drapes that look custom for your windows!

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2 of 12 comments
  • Lynne Lynne on Jan 06, 2023

    They really look nice! I like the color of your drapes.

  • Katen Katen on Jan 08, 2024

    Yes yes yes. Hem your curtains and drapes to fit space. That’s a detail that shines every time. Had dry cleaner who used to pinch pleat drapes (can’t find one now). They used cardboard sleeves 6-8” wide to hold pleats in place after cleaning and for transporting. Told me back then only thing to use as it will never leave a wrinkle and in all the years I used them never did. Piece of cardboard wrapped every 12” or so around pleats and either taped or stapled closed. Instructions said hang curtains and leave sleeves in place for a couple of hours.

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