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No Sew Drop Cloth Curtains

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I have decided that I am in love with the concept of No Sew Drop Cloth Curtains!  Yes, they are not new…..I didn't invent them.  They have been all over the internet for quite sometime.  My craft room is upstairs and shares space with ugly exercise equipment.  It is usually in such disarray that the door stays closed.  This project is budget friendly with no sew drop cloths used as curtain panels with toile trim for a craft room update!  This post features a full tutorial!  

Since the new year, I've been on an organizing kick or overhaul!  I must say that I have been very pleased with myself!  I wanted to pretty up the room in the hopes that it would motivate me to keep it super organized.  My hubby and family are betting against me.  It is the room where the kids dump anything that they no longer want or all their school stuff that I want to keep.  

no sew drop cloth curtains

 I can sew…..straight lines.  BUT I didn't want to fool with it for this room that really no one sees.  I decided to try the drop cloth idea!

no sew drop cloth curtain

Lowe's Drop Cloth

Each panel was only $10.98.  I was so excited….hubby was skeptical!

no sew drop cloth curtains

I purchased this inexpensive rod from Lowe's for around $25.  I couldn't find it online to give you a link.

no sew drop cloth curtains

I failed to take a before picture, but just envision the rod brackets not there!  LOL!

no sew drop cloth curtains

While we hung the hardware, I had the drop cloths washing in a normal cycle with cold water and dried them on low heat.  They did shrink a tad bit.

no sew drop cloth curtains

As you can see, they are quite wrinkled after washing.  They ironed up nicely, but not quickly!  Watched a little TV while ironing.

no sew drop cloth curtains

Enter the toile fabric.  I had this toile fabric left over from another simple project for this room that I will be sharing with you soon.  I was able to look at the repeats and get 4 equal strips from it.  I needed 2 strips for each panel.  I can't tell you how excited I was that this worked out!  No fabric waste……wooo hooo!!!!  The reason that I needed 2 strips was that 1 strip wasn't wide enough for 1 panel.  I had to seam 2 together then cut a bit off.  

Also on OSH!  Fall Outdoor Ideas and Projects

no sew drop cloth curtains

I had this iron on tape already on hand so I decided to skip the sewing machine.  If you can iron, you can do this project!  Just follow the directions on the product you use.  

no sew drop cloth curtains

Please try to ignore my pitiful hands.  I had this New Year's goal of taking care of my hands and keeping nails painted.  It lasted about 1 month.  My hands are a tool!  I measure the width of the iron on tape and this became my hem width.  

no sew drop cloth curtains

What I did next was took the measurement of the tape, folded over the hem and ironed it.  Then I sandwiched the tape per the directions and ironed it to the fabric.  I hemmed the bottom and side hems just like this.

no sew drop cloth curtains

Notice carefully!  I did not apply the tape to the top hem!  Yes, I skipped a step, but I'm going to show you why! 

no sew drop cloth curtains

 I wanted the toile to look like it was attached to the drop cloth for a more finished look so the hemmed edge acted as a guide.  I laid it over the top edge of the drop cloth and hung with clips.  The drop cloths were a bit long so NO hemming was necessary.  All you need to do is fold the cloth back.  I promise no one will know!

no sew drop cloth curtain

 Notice the beauty of the drop cloth in that it is all hemmed!!!  BIG MAJOR PLUS!!!  Do you see how the toile is folded over and attached with clips?  Save yourself some time before crawling on the ladder to hang on the clips.  I laid out the drop cloth on the floor.  I measured the width of the curtain.  I decided to position each end clip 3 inches in.    I have a total of 7 clips for each panel.  This leaves me with 5 clips left.  I then measured the  long width in between the 2 clips.  If you draw a line on paper and place 7 slashes to represent the clips you will see that you have 6 spaces in between the remaining 5 clips.  I divided the remaining measurement by 6 spaces in between the 5 remaining clips.  This gave me the inches to place my 5 clips.  The beauty of the clips is that you do not have to be PERFECT!  I had 3 inches in on each end for a clip and the remaining 5 had approximately 10 inches in between.  Whew!  Did you get that?  Please contact me if I can explain further.  DO it on paper first.  If you look at the before picture, you can see the slight pencil mark.

Also on OSH!  DIY Chevron Wooden Tray

no sew drop cloth curtains

 That technique helps to keep the folds all a uniform width. 

no sew drop cloth curtains

Needless to say I am over the moon with them.  Hubby is too, especially the price!  My poor downstairs guest room has been curtain-less for far too long.  I am considering them for there, and it is downstairs!

 

no sew curtains

Since the toile is not attached to the drop cloth, I can always reuse them for another purpose.  Hopefully, it will not be painting since I spent all that time ironing!

no sew drop cloth curtains

Drop cloth curtains are a very affordable way to dress your windows.  I have 9 foot ceilings upstairs, and it impossible to find attractive curtains and at a low price to fit our windows.  I would highly recommend this project for those wanting big impact with a small cost!

no sew drop cloth curtains

 I'd love for you to follow Our Southern Home!  The various ways are in the sidebar!  I have a couple of other projects to show you in this room.  My home tour is also getting ready to start!  I'll be starting with my 2 favorite rooms- the kitchen and screened porch!  So please follow along so you won't miss anything!

 

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111 Comments

  1. Christy,

    I love your drop cloth curtains! I am interested in doing this but I also need to blockout the heat. Have you noticed if the drop cloth has helped with keeping it cool during the summer?

    Thanks,
    Kris

    1. Thanks so much!! Yes, they have helped opposed to nothing there. They are thick. In the summer, we keep them pulled more to keep the heat out. You could always line them….more work of course. They are just a great inexpensive alternative for a window treatment. I love them!! ~Christy

  2. Christy, Thank you for your instructions for making those nice folds in your curtains. I have previously used drop clothes and fabric in combination. Sewed a 5 inch strip along the inside of living room 9 foot curtains and really like the look. Putting together a board for my future master bedroom and yours is the 1st pin. Using the fabric at the top is a great way to tie in a bed skirt or pillows with the same fabric. Also, I really like your pretty plates hanging next to the curtains. Colors are soooo pretty.

    1. Thanks so much, Vicky!!! I really love them! Drop cloth is so affordable. Good luck with yours!!! The plates were painted by my children when they were young! They are teens now. SO sweet of you to notice! XXOO Christy

  3. Beautiful job!! I got here from http://www.mommyiscoocoo.com/ via HomeTalk. I’ve also appreciated your readers’ iron-free tips. 😀

    Another thought to add to the versatility of drop cloth curtains/slipcovers is that they take dye beautifully. I recommend the Procion MX dyes for colorfast-ness (nope, I’m not affiliated, just tons of research and trial-and-error). If you take good notes on the first batch, it’s easy to get a color match on the second batch. You can either mix your own colors or get pre-mixed hues from a few companies. Also, I’ve had great success dyeing them in my front-load washer. It’s easy-peasy, so don’t believe the comments you might see that you can’t do it that way.

    Harbor Freight is another great source for cotton canvas dropcloths, and you can almost always find at least a 20%-off coupon. They still might have seams, though, especially the larger sizes.

    Thanks so much for the inspiration!
    Liz

  4. I have been goggling on the internet about using the drop cloths for curtains decided today that I was going to do it, I’m so disappointed, I went to Lowe’s and purchased 2 – 6’x9′ drop cloths just like what is pictured here, 1 is perfect, a full piece of fabric but the other is pieced together, it’s like 2 pieces 6′ wide but one is 6′ long and the 3′ long and they sewed them together. I’ll probably never get it folded and back in the package to return and then have to take a chance on another being one piece, this sucks, I live an hour away from the nearest Lowe’s. Oh well, try try again

    1. Oh, no!!! I am so sorry for your troubles. I’ve heard of those issues with Home Depot, but not Lowes. I hope it was just a rare occurrence! I’d check the next one before leaving store since you live so far away. They really are worth it for the price! XXOO~ Christy

  5. Hi, I think putting “stripes” of toile all the way down the curtain would look good too. Also, you could make a wider stripe at the top.

    1. Great ideas! I was using just what I had that was left over. Thanks bunches for the input! Happy Thanksgiving! ~Christy

  6. Love the header! I’m working on plain drop cloth curtains for a few rooms in our house. I am having trouble finding enough cloths without random seams!!!! Terrible! We have made a few returns to Home Depot. Can I ask if the brand you used had seams? Any ideas or brands would be appreciated! – Rachel

    1. I’ve heard about the seam issue! Look at the photo of mine in the post with brand info. Mine came from Lowe’s and I didn’t have an issue. I’ve heard Lowe’s was more consistent with no seams! Thanks for visiting!!!

  7. These are so pretty Christy and look stunning in this space! I’ve actually been thinking about doing something like this for our porch. I’ll need A LOT of fabric so naturally thought of drop cloths ;).

    It was lovely to meet you at Haven! Hope your new cards were perfect 😉

    1. Thanks so much, Doreen! It was nice meeting you as well. I had a wonderful time! Have a lovely day! ~Christy

  8. They turned out great! You know how I love the toile! Thank you for sharing this at the Anything Blue Friday party at The Dedicated House! Hope to see you again at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

  9. Thanks so much for sharing this fantastic project at Simple & Sweet Fridays. The curtains turned out beautiful!

    Jody

  10. Hi Christy, The curtains look wonderful and adding the toile was a great idea. Thanks for linking to the Open House party.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

  11. These are gorgeous! Love how simple they were to make.. Just bought some drop cloths on sale and now I can’t wait to use them!
    xoxo
    Amie @ Pinkapotamus

  12. Hello Christy, they look terrific – I can see why you’re so pleased with them! Love the combination of the toile material with the drop cloth material – looks terrific – I will be featuring your post in this week’s Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

  13. Christy, just letting you know that I’m including these in some of my favorites from last week’s Project Inspire{d} link party! Thanks so much for sharing them. 🙂
    Nancy

    1. Thanks bunches, Nancy!!!! So excited! FYI- I picked up a piece of “junk” to make a sign with your tutorial!

  14. Hello & Hey Christie!

    I just signed up to follow you. I found you via Roeshel’s Party at DIY Showoff.

    I love your drapes. You posted a great tutorial. I am so with the if it looks good go for it… this version you posted is fabulous and so clear. Just great. I am an ex seamstress (not really by profession) just had to sew to live and your way is so much easier than all the details most of us had to live by. a year or so back… grin.

    Oh, the thought of ironing those dropcloths made me cry….. So try washing in just VERY hot water and hanging them on a makeshift line (I do this all the time) so the fold over creases are vertical, they dry beautifully and you don’t notice any creases……. it works. NO MORE IRONING! Well for me anyway, cause I was born and raised in the south and too hot for me to iron anything I don’t have a threat of torture over.

    1. Sheryll,

      Thanks so much for your kind words!!!!!! I really appreciate you following. 🙂 WOW! Thanks on those iron free tips. My family knows not to come to mom for ironing unless it is an emergency! LOL

  15. These curtains turned out beautifully and you have me thinking about adding fabric at the top of my drop cloth curtains. Love the toile.
    Traci

    1. Thanks bunches, Traci! I love it. Easy way to add a bit of pattern with the all over expense! I appreciate you stopping by!

  16. Saw these on Pinterest, Christy, and had to come over and see what a great job you did! : ) Love the toile band at the top and how you did that. These worked out great for you. I may have to think about using drop cloth for our home office, which I’ve been wanting to get new drapes for.

    1. Thanks so much for visiting, Kathy! I think you will be very happy with them! They do NOT look like a drop cloth once washed and ironed. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Cher! Yes they are….want to use them all over now! LOL! I appreciate you stopping by 🙂

  17. These look great! I have been looking for ideas for my bedroom. How do these curtains work for blocking the light?

    1. Thanks, Jen! The do NOT block the light, but not sheer either. I’d say similar to an unlined curtain panel. If you have blinds as well then you’d be fine! Mine will stay opened…just for looks. In the heat of the summer, I may close them to help keep the room cooler.

    1. Thanks so much, Emma! Maybe you could try to order online???? Lowe’s or Amazon.com. Not sure how bad the shipping costs would be. Ours are nice and sturdy!

  18. Hi, love the use of dropcloths for so many projects. I wash them first in either warm or cold water and you can use Downey Fabric Releaser in the spray bottle. The bottle recommends spraying when the fabric is dry, BUT I always use it when the fabric is wet!! I haven’t ironed in ages and it works wonderful on the dropcloths, even use it on linen clothes and no ironing needed. Works fantastic.

  19. Love this! I am going to make drop cloth drapes for my living room and thought they might be to plain for my taste but this is great. You can also change as the seasons change.

    Karen

    1. Thanks so much, Karen! What a great idea on the header change for seasons!!!! So glad I did it the way I did now! You have inspired me!!

  20. Awesome job! I used dropcloths to cover huge pillows from Ikea for a temporary headboard for our bed which we’re still using several years later, ahem. I’ve also used them to make curtains for the bathroom and an embroidery project. Great stuff!

    I would love for you to link up your project to my Fabulously Frugal Thursday linky!

  21. Christy, I really like this project and happy I found your blog through Susan’s blog. We are building a house and I am looking for easy, yet pretty, curtain ideas. This one fits the bill. I have another question though – kind of unrelated. What do you use to create the “label” on the picture that says “No Sew Drop Cloth Curtains”? Is that a special graphics package? Thank you so much. ~~Mary

    1. Thanks so much Mary! Just make sure you wash them first to take out the stiffness. Account for a small amount of shrinkage. The graphic was made with PicMonkey, an online editing site. I pay $33 per year for full use. You can try it out for free, just not with full access to some of the Royal graphics. Simply do edit a photo and add a photo overlay and font. You can change the color of the overlay and font. It is quite easy!!! Have a lovely weekend> 🙂

  22. What a great project! I used drop cloths to reupholster a pair of chairs last Fall and I love them. Maybe now I’ll do matching curtains!
    Karee

  23. Thank you for this idea! Just love the curtains but I wish it would have been a tuturial because the pictures didn’t load for me and I had to hit the Pin button to even view it. The pictures doing it that way were very small and not giving any detail. Hoping this might be an option because this for me is a wonderful way to have curtains without a fuss plus my one window is very large so it would be ideal. Please think about doing a tutorial from beginning to end it would be appreciated….Thanks!……:)

    1. Brenda,
      Thanks ou so much! The complete tutorial with photos is in this post. I am so sorry you are having issues viewing it!!! This is the first that I have heard about a viewing problem. You may want to try viewing directly from the site. http://Www.oursouthernomesc.com

      Thanks so much for stopping by! Christy

  24. Wow! I am going to have to give this a try! I am a new follower from southern charm! I would love for you to check out my blog and hopefully you will want to follow me back. Have a great evening! Nicole

    1. So happy to have you Nicole!!! I am heading to visit you now! Have a lovely evening! Thanks bunches! Christy

    1. Melanie, thank you so much!!!! The rack came from Décor Steals! It is large and fabulous. I’ll stop by to party Thursday! Christy

    1. Thanks bunches, Maria! I so want to try them as outdoor curtains! Do they hold up well to the elements? Hopping over to party now! Christy

    1. Jenna, Thank you so very much! I really appreciate the visit and the pin. 🙂 I will stop by to party next Monday and link up!!! Christy

  25. I love these! I’ve been wanting to try this for a while. I love the toile fabric – great choice!
    I’m visiting your from the Alderberry Hill party.
    Thanks for the inspiration!

    1. Thanks so much Kris! I am so happy that I gave them a try. I’ve been hearing a lot about using them for outdoor curtains. May just try that as well! So happy to have you stop by! Christy

  26. I have used dropcloths for all sorts of things, including curtains in our family room, but I didn’t think of adding a header of a different fabric-great idea! Just a note…occasionally you will find a seam in the larger sizes of dropcloths. (Lowe’s will exchange them if you run into that). I recently ordered 20 of the 9×15 size to use as tablecloths for my daughter’s wedding reception-if I never iron again it will be too soon-LOL!! Looking forward to seeing more-I love your home!

    1. Michelle, Thanks you so much for the sweet words! I really appreciate the advice on the seams!!! Wow- 20 to iron! What we do for our children! Looking forward to hearing from you again! Christy

  27. Your curtains are gorgeous! I love the toile fabric! I have to ask…where did you get the tiered baskets? I’ve been looking for one of those.

    1. Thanks bunches, Tricia! I purchased the baskets from Décor Steals. I am very happy with them! It is large and great for my crafting supplies.

  28. Hi Christy! Love love love this great idea of yours! I sew too but why would I when your no-sew curtains are so beautiful and easy? and with no long term commitment! I was planning to make curtains for my bedroom but the fabric I want is so expensive. Now I will buy a little for the top and get the look I want. And maybe a dust ruffle trimmed in the expensive fabric! I could use iron on hem tape for that. Thanks so much for the great tutorial!

    Peace,
    Linda at The French Hens Nest

    1. Thank you so much, Linda! I am so happy you are inspired. I love your idea of the bed skirt! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

  29. I love these Christy! They turned out fabulous!! You know how much I love no-sew! 😉 I’ve been thinking about using dropcloths in my study for curtains…stenciled. AND as a floor cloth on my screened porch…undecided on that one though. Can’t wait to see your home tour! 🙂
    Nancy

    1. Thanks so much, Nancy! I love the look of stenciled curtains! Now, that will be a great project! I’d love to see them for a floor cloth as well! You are so creative!

  30. I love these! The fabric at the top makes them look like designer curtains. Do you know if the heat and bond is washable? I’d love it if you would share this at “What We Accomplished Wednesday,” at Green Willow Pond. It goes live on Tuesday nights at about 6 PM EST. Have a great week!

    Hugs,
    Deborah

    1. Thanks so much Deborah! Yes, I’d love to participate in your link party!! The UltraHold HeatnBond is machine washable on a delicate cycle with lukewarm water. No dry-cleaning. This is all according the to package. Christy 😉

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