Making Simple DIY Bed Sheet Lined Curtains

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Having recently been loving the boutique stamp prints that seamlessly blend modern and grand millennial styles, I set out to find the perfect print to incorporate through easy DIY bed sheet lined curtains. While companies like Galbraith & Paul, Lisa Fine Textiles and Namay Samay have many prints to exclusively offer the trade interior design community, they frequently come with a hefty price tag that did not fit my budget. As many of these companies have mills and resources based in India to inspire their lovely patterns, I began to scour the internet for ways to find similar offerings straight from the source. Etsy, I discovered, was just the place to connect me straight to the market and after some thorough searching, I found just what I was looking for.

Easy DIY lined curtains can be made with just a few supplies, with the most important being fabric, flat bed sheets, and curtain rings. With minimal sewing (only 4 seams per panel!!), you can soon have DIY curtains that transform your space. While I certainly do not claim to be a professional seamstress, this was a simple way that I found to create curtains I was so excited about and hoped it might inspire you in any curtain creating endeavors as well.

Finding Fabric

To first find your fabric, you must think through what style you are looking to accomplish and what budget you are working within. Are you looking for a modern traditional block print, a stylish cute print, a farmhouse print or a textural solid? Typically, for drapes, you will want a fabric that is decently lightweight such as a linen or cotton blend, so be sure to keep that in mind as well as the style.

Sources

You certainly can scour Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics for the fabric of your choice; however, I have also found Etsy or other online shops to be a great option with many fabric offerings. Typically, most shop owners will be willing to work with you regarding the yardage quantity that you need, so if you don’t see the exact yardage amount you need, don’t be afraid to send them a message and get their thoughts or even a custom quote.

Do be aware however that many Etsy shops (especially if they are overseas) will not be willing to give you a CFA (cutting for approval). That being said, you have to have a little bit of wiggle room regarding the coloring and pattern layouts. If you are looking for something very specific, it would be worth buying ½ or 1 yard to make sure it is the fabric that you are looking for before purchasing the entire amount….trust me on this as I have been stuck with many yards of fabric that did not end up like I expected. I was partially refunded which was very nice, however it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you are open to a company that is a little bit more of an investment, they likely will have samples that you can purchase to test in your home.

A few of my favorite fabric shops that I have found with phenomenal deals are:

• Etsy – Unique Crafts Fabric (who I used for this project)
• Etsy – The Block Prints
• Jordan and Joy Co.

Creating Your Curtains

Once you have found the fabric you would like to use, it is best to decide how many curtains you will need. When thinking through the amount of yardage you will need, you must: decide on how many curtains, the width of your window, style of curtain and height of your ceilings. Be sure to allow for a little extra on each panel to account for seams and any adjustments that might be necessary.

Typically, curtains should be hung at least 10”-15” out from the window and at least 2/3 of the space above the window. If you have low or moderate height ceilings, I recommend mounting your drapery hardware just underneath your molding.

If you are using a pleated style curtain, you will need more yardage to pull into the pleats, whereas if you are using a simpler, looser style such as I created, you will be able to do with less yardage. To look balanced however for either style, the stack back of the curtain when they are open should be at least 25% of the curtain panel width and up to around 50% of the width, depending on the size and scale of your window and your ceilings. Just be sure that when you stand back, the curtains seem proportional and don’t look shrimpy.

The drapery installation guide below can be helpful in not only hanging your curtains once you have finished the project, but also in helping you decide how much yardage you will need for your project before you begin.

Supplies

• Drapery fabric –
  • As I was creating 4 panels for 2 windows in our guest bedroom and was hanging them on curtain rings, I was able to use about 10.5 yards of this block print fabric for our 8’ ceilings.
• 2 – Queen Flat Sheets –
  • You are welcome to use 1 Extra Long Twin Sheet per panel (depending on your ceiling height) or if your panel width will allow, you can get 2 panels from 1 queen flat sheet.
• Sewing Thread –
  • Preferably to match your project
• A ruler
• A pen
• A rotary cutter or sharp scissors
• An iron
• Curtain rings
  • It is recommended to place a curtain ring every 6”-8” on your panel, so the width of your panel will determine how many curtain rings are needed.

Panel 1:

When beginning your DIY curtains, you must decide how you want to hang them. This tutorial describes how to create panels designed for curtain rings; however, you could easily adapt the tutorial for adding a rod pocket or even adding pleats depending on the style that you are looking to accomplish.

Step 1. To begin your first panel, cut your front fabric to the length and width you previously had determined. Be sure to include at least 3 inches in your length and 2 inches in your width for seam allowances.

Step 2. Next, iron out your front fabric to remove any wrinkles in the fabric and then flip over so that the front of the fabric is facing down.

Step 3. With the front facing down, turn up about 2 inches on the bottom and iron this portion flat. This will become the finished bottom edge of your curtain panel. If you would like a wider bottom band, you certainly could turn up a larger portion than 2 inches, however in my panel length, I accounted for 2 inches.

Step 4. Next, sew this seam to create the bottom finished edge of your panel.

Step 5. Having finished sewing the bottom seam, it is time to prepare your lining. Start by ironing out your first bedsheet.

Step 6. Once it is ironed, cut the bedsheet down to the width that you need. I cut the width of my bedsheet about 4 inches smaller than my front fabric so that I would have an attractive leading edge. Do not cut the length just yet, including not cutting off the top banded portion of the bedsheet as this will become the band of the back lining bottom edge and therefore will save a step in creating it.

Step 7. Once you have cut your lining, lay the front side of the lining on top of the front side of your fabric so that both fronts are facing one another. Working with the two bottom banded edges, pin the top banded edge of the lining about ¾”-1” from the bottom of the banded edge of the face fabric.

Step 8. Following pinning the bottom banded edges, pin the right side of both fabrics together.  

Step 9. Sew this right edge of the lining and face fabric together. Following this, pin the left side of the fabrics together and repeat. The face fabric will seem uneven because of the shorter width of the lining, however, just be sure to keep your bottom 1” between the face fabric and lining and you should be fine.

Step 10. Having sewn both sides together (inside out), lay out the entire panel and repin the bottom band of the lining about 1” up from the bottom band of the face fabric. Then turn to the top of the fabric and cut the top lining to meet the top face fabric.

Step 15. Iron everything flat once more and ta da – you have finished your first panel!

Step 16. Repeat for any remaining panels needed.

***Note: if you want to add a rod pocket at the top, simply fold over the top after step 15 and sew down a band large enough to accommodate your rod, similar to creating the bottom band in step 4. Proceed with installation following this seam.

Installation

Once you are ready to hang your curtains, clip on your curtain rings every 6”-8” inches and then hang in your space! If your ceilings or floor are not totally even (this is the case in old homes especially due to settling), feel free to fold over the top of the panel in your clip to help each panel have a similar length when “kissing” the floor.

Final Thoughts

I absolutely love the way my DIY lined curtains turned out. For less than $100, it totally changed the feel of the room and integrated a cheerful print without breaking the bank. Using sheets as lining not only saves money, but also time as several of the portions are already sewn together. If you have any of the white lining left over to use as a base, you might even consider creating a custom embroidered throw pillow to match your drapery project. If you liked how this project turned out, check out our guest bedroom budget transformation reveal and guest / powder bathroom update for the full details!

Happy sewing!

Chloe

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