If you're looking for a way to spruce up your classroom, office, or even a room in your home - I have the perfect DIY project for you. It's easy, inexpensive, and best of all? It requires no sewing!
Curtain rods
I used spring mounted rods since I am not allowed to make holes in the walls at school. Be sure you measure your windows as they sell several different sizes - something I had to learn the hard way...
Fabric scraps, ribbons, lace, etc.
Back in the day I used to do a lot of quilting, so I have a lot of scraps of fabric in my storage closet, but you can also purchase fat quarters or even miscellaneous bits of fabric at your local craft store.
Scissors
Fabric scissors are the best, but you could also use pinking shears or regular scissors as long as they are sharp enough to cut the fabric.
Ruler
Anything that measures in inches will work, but honestly you could "eyeball it" in a pinch.
Cutting board and rotary cutter
As I mentioned before, I have a lot of leftover supplies from my quilting days, so I used these instead of scissors. I found it to be faster, but it's totally optional.
Use the ruler to measure and mark the fabric at 2-inch increments. (I found that 2-inch wide strips make for a nice curtain or valance. You
might experiment with different widths or even use various widths to add
interest.) If you are using ribbon or lace, you can skip this part.
After cutting your fabric into 2-inch wide strips, determine the desired
length of your curtains. For me, I wanted some light to still come
through the bottom of my windows, so I made my strips 43-45 inches long.
Really, I was using scraps and I just figured whatever width I had was
good enough. BUT, it's important to remember that you'll need TWICE the
length (plus a couple inches) since each strip will be tied in the
middle, giving you two hanging parts.
You might want to create a pattern of some sort or you may prefer a more random approach. My poor OCD mind couldn't handle too much "random", so I chose to follow the color order of the rainbow. My classroom already has a lot of red, so I swapped pink for red in my pattern and included several shades of some colors.
Once you've determined the order you want your fabric strips, begin tying them to the curtain rod. Since my windows are super high and I never really touch the curtains, I didn't knot the fabric strips. I just tied them once. This held the fabric in place without adding too much bulk. I liked the look, but I have seen it done several ways and you might prefer the knotted look. Go ahead and experiment. That's half the fun!
As you tie the fabric to the curtain rod, squish the tied pieces together to create a fuller curtain. Spread them out if you prefer a less puffy look. Once you're happy with the look, continue tying fabric strips to the curtain rod until it is completely full.
What are you waiting for?!? You're done. That's it. Nothing more. Just hang those cheerful curtains up in the window or door frame and enjoy your perfectly amazing work! In fact, take a picture and post it to Instagram. Tag me
@iteachstem so I can see your version of these super easy curtains!
I have two windows and a back door, so I made three sets of these curtains so everything would be matchy-matchy, just the way I like it!
And...
I loved making these so much that I ended up creating a table skirt for the ceramic art studio my hubby and I own to hide the clutter of boxes and bubble wrap and unfinished pieces. They are so cute and WAY easy. I just tied the fabric strips to wooden dowel rods and used command hooks to attach them to the table! I'm in love!
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