How do I Make Children's Curtains?

Making children’s curtains can be surprisingly easy. You can sew them on a sewing machine or even by hand. Alternatively, you may use fabric glue if you don’t feel comfortable sewing. Once you’ve decided to make curtains for your child, getting started is as simple as measuring the windows, choosing the fabric, and making sure you have the supplies needed to glue or sew the fabric. If your child is old enough, you may even allow him to help you.

When you’re ready to make children’s curtains, start out by measuring the windows they will cover. Typically, you’ll want to make sure the fabric you choose is wide and long enough to cover the window well while taking into account the position of the curtain rod above the window. Decide how far above the window the curtain rod will hang, as this is where your curtains will start, and how far below the window you want the curtains to hang. Likewise, you’ll have to decide whether you want the curtains to just cover the window side to side or allow more fabric to create a folded or ruffled look.

If you want the curtains to simply hang straight without folds, purchase fabric that matches your measurements with about 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) added to the length and several inches more fabric than the width of your window measurement. If you want a folded of ruffled look, you’ll need to double your width measurement, but still add only 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) to the length when purchasing fabric.

Once you have the fabric for making children’s curtains, you may cut it down to better fit the measurements for your windows, but leave 1 to 2 inches (about 2.54 to 5.08 centimeters) of extra fabric at the top of the curtain. Then, you’ll need to place curtain tape along the top width of the curtain where you made the fold. It is important to keep the fold in place with the opening 1 to 2 inches (about 2.54 to 5.08 centimeters) in size in order to accommodate your curtain rod. A skinnier rod will work best with a 1-inch (about 2.54-centimeter) opening while a 2-inch (about 5.08-centimeter) opening will work better for a larger curtain rod. You will also have to fold over the bottom of the fabric to create your hem, but there is no need to leave an opening there.

After you have created the folds in your fabric, use an iron to flatten the hems you’ve created at the top and bottom before you start sewing. With the hems ironed flat, you can secure the hem by sewing it by hand or using a machine. It is important to make sure you don’t sew into the opening for the curtain rod, however, and sew as close to the edge of the curtain material as possible.

You can also use fabric glue to hold your hems instead of sewing them in place. If you allow it to dry properly, it is strong and can hold the hems in place for months and possibly even years. The downside of using glue to make children’s curtains, however, is that you will lose the hems when you wash the curtains and have to glue them once more.