My First Drapes...

They are finally done. Now I don't have to worry about whether or not I have pants on when I get up to make my coffee in the morning!

I have had the material to make the drapes since just after I moved into the new house but have not gotten around to making them until now.

They are super simple, 2 large rectangles with grommets at the top.

The fabric I found and fell in love with to make the drapes with was only 55" wide, since my window is 75" I opted to add an extra 27.5" of fabric to either side to make each panel wider so the drapes would be more full. I do not plan to line the drapes with anything because the back side is almost as pretty as the front so I opted to do a french seam to hold these two pieces together, so there would not be any raw edges on the back side. I also tacked the seam down so that it would not pucker.


After the two panels were all sewn together I put a 1" hem on all of the sides (not the top and bottom). I folded the fabric over twice and put a long strip of stabilizer between the two to make them a bit more sturdy.

For the top and bottom I went with a larger 3" hem and used a heavier stabilizer, so that the grommets would not tear through. I put 4 curtain weights (2 on each side) on the bottom of each panel so that they would hang a bit better.

Last I used 3/4" grommets at the top of the drapes. I placed the grommets about every 5 inches. I chose to use a curtain wire, as apposed to a rod which is why I was able to use such small grommets.

All in all I think that my first drapes turned out pretty well. I did not do anything fancy, but I think their simplicity is what I like the best about them. I think that I might end up lining them after all. As much as I like the pattern on the back, the material is just a bit thinner then I would like an lets a bit to much in.