No Sew Cafe Curtain

Novice crafters will love this easy, no sew cafe curtain video tutorial. Make a window curtain using hem tape and an iron. No sewing machine needed!

Over the summer we painted over the sad beige that the previous owner painted EVERY room in this house, and went with a clean, white color (Behr, Simply White to be exact). The window curtain we had in here at that time was white cotton and after painting the room, the room read kind of flat. Everything was white, and we needed contrast.

Last fall, I found the most beautiful amber linen on Etsy, and it catapulted me into maker-mode. Time to update that window curtain!

 

Our bathroom faces our neighbor’s dining room, and fellow city dwellers–you know how close city homes can be! At the same time, the bathroom only has one window, and we need that delicious natural light in here, so I stayed with the same style curtain: a cafe curtain. You just can’t beat the natural light above, and privacy below.

If you are NOT a sewer, this tutorial has your name written all over it! If you ARE a sewer, simply swap out the hem tape & iron for your sewing machine. Either way works great. Check out the video for the full tutorial. Materials list and step by step photos are also below.

Materials:

• Cotton or linen fabric – I used this linen fabric. In terms of yardage, use 1.5 times the width of your window, and 1/2 the height of your window plus 2″. My window is 27″ x 46″, so my fabric measured: 40″w x 25″h.
• Heat n Bond Hem Tape
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Iron
• Ironing Board

For Installing Curtain:

• Tension Rod
• Ring Clips

1. Cut fabric to accommodate your window size. To avoid having to hem the bottom of the curtain, make sure the selvedge edge runs along one of the long edges.

2. At one of the short sides, fold fabric over 1/2″-3/4″ and press with iron to hold the fold. Fold the folded edge on itself 1″ again and press with the iron.

3. Cut hem tape to length of “seam”. Slide the hem tape into the pressed fold, and press with an iron for 3-5 seconds to set the hem tape. Work your way along the entire length of the “hem.”

4. Repeat with the other short side, as well as the top long edge of the curtain.

5. Install curtain rod. I’m using a tension rod, but there are some great wall-mounted curtain rods out there too.

6. Clip curtain rings evenly spaced across the top edge of the curtain, and slide the curtain onto the rod.

On a ‘no sew’ kick?! Check out these no sew envelope pillows or Gratitude Banner.