It Happens in a Blink

Vertical Ruffle One Panel Curtains

Pinspired: My inspiration for these curtains came from Elle Apparel’s Anthropologie Ruffle Shower Curtain tutorial. Here’s {the link} to my pin if anyone would like to pin it.

This shower curtain is so gorgeous, but I had a small problem- none of our bathrooms have actual shower curtains. They have the doors. So I was disappointed to think I had no use for such a cute ruffle project. But who needs a shower? I have windows, and windows have curtains! Problem solved! My Princess is (was) in desperate need of better curtains in her playroom, so that is where I decided to begin.

Rewired: To “rewire” the project, I decided to use vertical ruffles on the curtains rather than horizontal ones. I told you I am taking this seriously. 🙂

 
I started with these Eclipse curtains that were already in the playroom. And, let me tell ya, for a craft blogger, they were a bit on the pathetic side. I bought them on sale, and I bought the last two panels, so I used one panel for each window, which didn’t fully cover the window. So to keep the bright sun from shining in through the sides and irritating the Princess while she napped (who wants to nap when the sun is out??), I attempted to tape the sides. Oh, yeah. It’s awesome. I know. Not to mention the curtains are dragging the floor and in the way of all her toys.

 

The following is the info on how I made the curtains. I measured the window length so that I would know where to cut the curtain off at the bottom. Here are the cuts that I made:

  • I transformed the curtain into a rod pocket curtain, so I trimmed off the grommet portion at the top.
  • I measured the total length that I wanted for the curtain. Then I added four inches to the top for the rod pocket and three inches to the bottom for the hem. I cut the curtain off at this measurement. For me, it was 63 inches, but this will change according to the length of your window.
  • I decided to leave window with a one panel curtain, but the panel obviously needed to be widened. I cut the curtain in half to add a panel.
 All of the fabric that I used in this project are from curtain panels. Occasionally, Lowe’s Home Improvement will mark wayyy downnn their curtain panels. I purchase them super cheap and save them for projects such as these. Expensive curtain panels = awesome fabric pieces, so remember that the next time you see a curtain panel sale!
I took an extra Eclipse (the steel blue) curtain panel and cut it the same length as the turquoise curtain. I cut the steel blue curtain panel in half also. I will use one of these for each window.

 

To make the turquoise curtain wider, I took the steel blue piece and sewed it in as an insert. I pinned the right sides together of one turquoise half and sewed with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. I then did the same thing with the other turquoise half. Now I have one large panel. I recommend finished the seams. I have a serger, so I serged the seams for extra support, but you can also zig zag the seams for support.

 

Now the fun (a.k.a. tedious and back-breaking) part. I like the turquoise color in the curtain, so I didn’t want to cover that all the way up, but you definitely could. I choose to do just three vertical ruffles down the middle of the curtain. Here are the cuts for the ruffles:
  • I took one 84 inch long multi-colored curtain panel and cut it in half. Set one part aside. Take the other half and cut it in half (you now have two curtain panel fourths). Do not cut any from the length. You’ll need all of this for the ruffle.
  • I took another 84 inch long navy colored curtain panel and cut it in half. Store half of the panel in your craft stash for later- it will not be used. Take the other half and cut it in half (you now have two curtain panel fourths). Do not cut any from the length. You may notice the pleats in my navy fabric. I was super lucky enough to have a curtain panel that was pre-pleated. I thought it added an interesting dimension to the curtain, so I left it.
 Here’s a look at the finished fabric cuts laid out on the curtain panel:

To create the ruffle, sew a long stitch (using the maximum stitch length on your sewing machine) down the center of each ruffle. For more information on gathering fabric, see {This Post}. Taking the center ruffle piece (for me it was the navy strip), pin it to the large panel in the middle. Since the top of mine is pleated, and I didn’t want to ruffle that part, I sewed it in the way that it was. I then used the long stitch to gather the bottom part until it was the same length as the large curtain panel. Pin and stitch in place on both sides of the center ruffle. Do not worry about finishing the ends. They will be covered by the side ruffles.

 
 To attach the side ruffles, I started by pinning the tops of the ruffles to the top of the curtain panel. I overlapped the navy center strip by about an inch. I did not want to ruffle the top few inches and bottom few inches of the ruffle to reduce bulk in the hem and the rod pocket. I then gathered the ruffle strip until they were the same length as the main curtain panel. Be sure to distribute the gathers evenly.
I did not want raw edges on my ruffles. For my method, I serged the edges and then folded them under as I was pinning the ruffle to the main curtain panel. If you do not have a serger, you’ll need to iron the raw edges under before you attach the ruffle to the curtain panel. Skipping the ironing step may make it difficult to turn the edges under.
Once the ruffle strip is gathered and pinned, sew down each side of the ruffle. Repeat the above steps with the remaining ruffle.

 

Now that the hard part is over, the rest is a piece of cake! I serged the bottom and top of the curtain panel to join all the layers, but if you do not have a serger, then you’ll have to do the old iron-fold-and-pin method to turn the raw edges.
Bottom hem: Fold under two inches, press, and pin. Stitch close to the turned under (or serged) edge to create a wide hem look.

 

Top Rod Pocket: Fold under three inches, press, and pin. To create a small ruffle at the top, stitch one half inch away from the folded edge. The sew another stitch close to the turned under (or serged) edge to create the rod pocket.

 

Clip away all the lose threads and you have a Vertical Ruffle One Panel Curtain!

 

If you’d like to have the option to tie the curtain together to allow some sun to shine in, it’s easy to create a simple tie-back. For each tie-back, cut two strips of fabric that are 42″ by 3″. Right sides together, sew the short ends together to create one long strip of fabric. Fold the piece right sides together and stitch with a 1/2 seam allowance, leaving a 3 inch opening on the side for turning. (I also wanted to make mine with pointed ends. To do this, I cut the ends at an angle before sewing).

 

Turn the strip right side out and press. Pin the opening closed. Topstitch all the way around the strip to add a polished look to the tie-back and to close the opening.

 

So much work, but totally worth it! I finished these up at night and hung them in the playroom for Princess to see when she woke up the next morning. She was so excited and surprised! And, no, I do not keep my curtains in a tree- I just wanted to pick the colors up in natural light.

I made two of these- one for each window!

Linking to these parties!

Comments

  5. What a great idea! I love the pleats and ruffles. I have some curtains that don’t quite fit their windows. This idea could add some pizazz and make them fit.

    Reply

  11. I absolutely love this! If only I could sew. Going to save this and send it to my mom the seamstress for inspiration and hinting for a Christmas gift. Love it!

    Reply

  13. Melanie, those are awesome! I am so bummed I missed the Pinspired/Rewired challenge this time. I was so excited about it, because I have made these fabric poms for my daughter’s room that I wanted to enter. But, vacation came first :). Thanks so much for sharing these at our Handmade Tuesdays party.

    Reply

  17. You did a FABULOUS job!!!!! I would love to have it!! hehe

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! I can’t wait to see what you’ll be linking up this evening!

    Reply

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