How To Make Blackout Curtains Without Sewing
Have you been struggling to get a good night’s sleep because your room is flooded with light in the early morning? While finding a nice pair of curtains for your bedrooms is easy, finding a pretty pair of blackout curtains is much more difficult. In this blog, we’ll look at how you can transform a pair of standard curtains into your very own blackout blinds without needing to sew.
Step 1 – Hang and measure your curtains
Before you can line your curtains you’ll need to hang and measure your curtains to work out if they need to be taken up at all. Ideally, you want your curtains to sit around 4 to 12 inches from the floor, 6 inches below your window sill or ½ an inch above your window sill. A lot depends on the position of your radiators and whether you want your curtains to be full length and trail to the floor or would like them to hang slightly higher.
Once you have decided on the length you will need to decide on the size of your hem and add this onto your length. You can now cut your fabric to length using a sharp pair of fabric scissors to cut along the line that you have created at the bottom of your curtains.
Step 2 – Cut out your lining
Once you have got your curtains to the right size you can cut out your lining to fit inside the hem at the bottom and sides of your curtains. One of the easiest ways to do this is to place your lining fabric over the top of the back of your curtains flat on the floor and hold it in place with sewing pins. This will then let you check the size and make sure that your hems overlap the lining.
Step 3 – Join the fabrics
One of the easiest ways to join your blackout lining to your curtains is with the help of something called fusible hemming web. This can be used for joining two fabrics together. Simply place the hemming web tape between the two fabrics and then using a standard iron press together until they are bonded. Start by working from the top of the curtain to the bottom keeping the hemming tape and fabric in place with the help of sewing pins.
Step 4 – Hem the bottom
Once the blackout lining is fixed along both sides of the curtains you can fix it at the bottom of the curtain in the same manner. You’ll then be left with the extra hem fabric hanging loose below the lined curtain. To finish this off you’ll need to add a second layer of hemming tape to the hem fabric and the lining to join the hem together and create a neat and professional finish that you’ll be proud of.
Step 5 – Hang your curtains
With a completed set of curtains, the final job left to do is to hang your curtains and start enjoying a darker room and a lot more sleep. This is one of those jobs that will make you wish you’d tackled sooner, and all this without the need to sew.
Step 1 – Hang and measure your curtains
Before you can line your curtains you’ll need to hang and measure your curtains to work out if they need to be taken up at all. Ideally, you want your curtains to sit around 4 to 12 inches from the floor, 6 inches below your window sill or ½ an inch above your window sill. A lot depends on the position of your radiators and whether you want your curtains to be full length and trail to the floor or would like them to hang slightly higher.
Once you have decided on the length you will need to decide on the size of your hem and add this onto your length. You can now cut your fabric to length using a sharp pair of fabric scissors to cut along the line that you have created at the bottom of your curtains.
Step 2 – Cut out your lining
Once you have got your curtains to the right size you can cut out your lining to fit inside the hem at the bottom and sides of your curtains. One of the easiest ways to do this is to place your lining fabric over the top of the back of your curtains flat on the floor and hold it in place with sewing pins. This will then let you check the size and make sure that your hems overlap the lining.
Step 3 – Join the fabrics
One of the easiest ways to join your blackout lining to your curtains is with the help of something called fusible hemming web. This can be used for joining two fabrics together. Simply place the hemming web tape between the two fabrics and then using a standard iron press together until they are bonded. Start by working from the top of the curtain to the bottom keeping the hemming tape and fabric in place with the help of sewing pins.
Step 4 – Hem the bottom
Once the blackout lining is fixed along both sides of the curtains you can fix it at the bottom of the curtain in the same manner. You’ll then be left with the extra hem fabric hanging loose below the lined curtain. To finish this off you’ll need to add a second layer of hemming tape to the hem fabric and the lining to join the hem together and create a neat and professional finish that you’ll be proud of.
Step 5 – Hang your curtains
With a completed set of curtains, the final job left to do is to hang your curtains and start enjoying a darker room and a lot more sleep. This is one of those jobs that will make you wish you’d tackled sooner, and all this without the need to sew.