NO SEW, NO TOOLS CAFE CURTAINS

Chrissie
by Chrissie
3 Materials
$30
1 Hour
Easy
I have limited space in my motorhome for things like sewing machines and I'm not all together great with DIY tools (although I do have a battery powered drill) but I wanted to change the curtains at my windows so came up with this "no sew, no tools" method. It could be adapted in several different ways with different rods, fabric etc.

You will need fabric enough to cover your window space. My windows are not over sized so I used cotton pillow cases. They are already seamed (no need for sewing and hemming) and are double sided so worked out well for my purpose. You can use any fabric as long as it is not too heavy for the curtain rod you are using. If you do want to use a heavier fabric you should make 2 curtains and support the rod in the middle with a hook.
You will need eyelet rings, enough to fit the width of your curtains. Be sure to purchase the ones that are double sided i.e. a front and a back section. The first ones I bought were only single sided because the other side was included in a heading tape. Needless to say, they were returned! Ultimately, I used 6 eyelets per pillow case (curtain).
You will need either a tension rod or an extendable curtain rod. If you have metal frames you must use a tension rod. If you have a wooden frame you can use either a tension rod or an extendable. The extendable rods will have little support hooks which you screw into the frame and the ends of the rod have a little fitting that secures over the hook.
You can also fit tension rods between walls.
Measure the inside width of your curtain space and use a rod of the appropriate size to fit. If you need to buy them, be sure not to buy one too short as it will not extend or pull out far enough. Also check the label to make sure it is either a tension rod or extendable rod. Yes, I've done that... bought the wrong one!
Lay the fabric out flat on a table and lightly mark the intervals at which you will insert the rings. Make sure you leave enough space at the top. Using one of the eyelets mark circles on the fabric using the inside of the ring. Then snip a cross in the centre of each circle. Do this for all the holes across the top of the curtain.
Cut away the excess fabric in the centre of each of the holes. Be sure not to cut outside the circles you have marked as the holes may be too big for the eyelets and they will fall out. Any marks will not be visible by the time the eyelet is fitted in.
Doing one at a time, insert the front part of the eyelet into the hole you have cut; turn the curtain over and press the back section into place making sure it is secure all the way around. When you have inserted all the eyelets across the top of the curtain, if you are using 2 curtains, make the second in the same way.
Offer up the rod to its position and set the length. If you are using extendable rods you need to screw the support hooks into the frame or wall. Remove the rod and thread the pole through the eyelet holes of the curtain, then replace the rod, curtains and all to its position, even out the eyelet rings; job done!
I'm pretty pleased with that as I've done no sewing and no real DIY and it only took me an hour! I had also made a second set within the same hour. Oh yeah!
Suggested materials:
  • Cotton pillow cases   (Dunelm (UK) local home store)
  • Tension Rods/Extendable Rods   (Homebase (UK) DIY store)
  • Eyelet Rings   (Ebay)
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