No-Sew Pink Ruffle and Bow Curtain Panels

Let's talk curtains!  If you've been around my blog for very long, you know I do a lot of things, but sewing is not one of them.  You'll also know I've done a lot of DIY curtains ~ all of them being No-Sew curtains. 

For me, curtains are strictly décor.  We have blinds for privacy, and I see no need for blackout curtains in every room of the house, as I need sunlight in my home.  The boys' room is the only room that needs to have some form of blackout to help them sleep during naps.  To solve that problem, I custom-ordered them a navy blue blackout pull-shade that can not be seen underneath the no-sew navy chevron valence I made them.  The shade gets pulled down at naps and bedtime, but the rest of the time is hidden. I say all of that to say that when it came to curtains in the nursery, I was strictly thinking looks and cost, not function.

Ok, so now I need to address how I no-sew.  I use a product called Heat-N-Bond.  You can find it in any store that sells fabric.  Directions will be on the box, but basically, if you can iron, you can use Heat-N-Bond. 

Sometimes, for fabrics that do not take well to ironing, I'll even use.....

....wait for it....

....hot glue.

I know, I know.  Say it ain't so!  I can see all the faces of real seamstresses now, giving looks of displeasure!

Here's the thing though, if you do sew, then you can make these curtains just as easily as my no-sew version.  Instead of using an iron, you would use a sewing machine.  But if you're like me, a person who has yet to invest in a sewing machine or the time to learn how to work one, then this no-sew version will work just fine for you too.

I have done no-sew panels or valences in just about every room of our home, and when it comes time to do my seasonal cleaning, I have had no issues tossing them in the dryer on tumble low to get the dust off of them.

Now let's talk fabric.  All of the fabrics that I chose for the curtains were on sale from Hobby Lobby.

As far as the amount of fabric I bought, I can't remember exactly.  I can tell you that to determine how much I would need, I measured from the floor to six inches above the window, where my curtain rod would hang.

For each sheer panel, I needed that amount plus a one inch hem at top and bottom, and a two inch space for the curtain rod.

For the other panels, I was able to divide my pieces of fabric into two pieces and get two panels out of each piece of fabric.  For the pattern fabric, I measured six inches above the window down to the bottom of the window seal, plus a one inch hem at the top and a two inch space for a curtain rod (although I didn't end up needing it, as I tied ribbon to the rods). For the ruffle fabric, I measured from the bottom of the window seal to the floor.

When I purchased the fabric, I rounded up to the closest yard, to make sure I had more than enough fabric.

Now let's talk assembling the curtains.

The sheers were really easy.   I gave a one inch hem on top and bottom.  Then I fold the top over two inches to make a gap for a curtain rod.  Because each panel is a complete piece of fabric, I did not need to hem the sides. 

For the other panels, I tore my fabric into two pieces.  A one inch hem at the top, bottom and inner side was all that was needed, as the outer side was already hemmed.

To add the ruffle fabric, I carefully cut it in half, making sure to have clean even cuts.  Then I hot glued the fabric to the front part of the panel, before I hot glued a piece of ribbon on the top of that.

Lastly, I decided  dress it up a little by tying bows to the curtain rod.  To do this, I carefully cut one inch slits at the top of the panels.  Then I inserted strips of ribbon and tied bows to the curtain rod.

If you were wanting to block out more light, you could always add liner to the back of the fabric.  You could also use an entire piece of fabric for each panel, instead of cutting the fabric in half.

Like I said though, my goal was looks and cost.  So for me, I achieved my goal.  I was able to give this room beautiful curtains without breaking the bank.

I'm pretty happy how they turned out, considering the fact that I'm not a girl who sews:)