Curtain Panels | Decorating | DIY Tutorials | Living Room | Summer

DIY Curtains In Our Living Room

ByJessica Bruno February 24, 2023September 19, 2023

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Today I am sharing DIY curtains in our living room using burlap fabric and the best part, my curtains are no sew! Using a fusible bonding curtain tape will save you time and money. These easy diy curtains are the most inexpensive way to decorate a room in your home especially if you have a lot of windows. Window treatments are expensive so why not start by making curtains for your home and save money?

DIY curtains from fabric, especially burlap are popular in modern farmhouse and rustic style homes but honestly, are great in an setting. Burlap fabric adds nice texture and allows natural light to filter into your space.

The curtain panels I wanted were a light brown and cost $55 a panel. Yikes! I decided to purchase burlap fabric in a natural color and if you know anything about burlap, it’s cheap! I decided DIY burlap curtains were the best solution for filling a room with a lot of windows if you are trying to save money.

Burlap curtains in a modern farmhouse living room, white sectional, green buffet, blue walls, shiplap white walls, pink hydrangeas, wood and iron coffee table, tripod floor lamp

Burlap curtains, black curtain rod, in a modern farmhouse living room, blue walls, shiplap white walls, flying dove on wall, white pitcher with greens, white wood shelf

Is making your own curtains cheaper than buying?

Depending on how many windows you have and the brand of curtains you like, will determine which is cheaper. In my case I had a lot of windows and I wanted burlap curtains from Pottery Barn which were very expensive so in my case, it was cheaper to make my own curtains.

I purchased burlap fabric at Joann Fabrics and I paid $1.50 per yard with a coupon. I used 3 1/2 yards per curtain panel. Not only did the burlap add a great color to the room, the texture was the icing on the cake.

diy burlap curtains, seashells sign, wood candle holders, diy flower fabric wall art, whythe blue paint, white shiplap, white sectional, blue and white pillows , tripod table lamp, white diy shelf

I love how the light brown burlap curtain panels look against the blue/green wall color.

The wall color is call Wythe Blue by Benjamin Moore.

Curtain Tip

You can make a curtain out of just about any fabric. Another great idea is to make DIY curtains from drop cloths or sheets that hang with curtain rings. While drop cloths are a bit heavier, you can still get that modern farmhouse look if you are looking for more of a solid curtain panel.

If you wanted to line your curtains panels to block the sun, you could definitely do that too by purchasing light blocking fabric!

DIY Curtains From Fabric

The stitch witchery worked perfectly on the burlap fabric. Whether you are using a sheet, dropcloth or any other type of fabric, the stitch witchery will save you time by eliminating the need to sew.

You can use the stitch witchery all around the sides if you want a hemmed look throughout your curtain panel. I chose to have a deep pocket top hem on my curtain panel, the edges frayed on the sides and a small hem on the bottom of the curtain panel.

It’s a matter of preference so go with what you like!

Can You Wash Burlap?

The only downfall is you cannot wash burlap curtains but for the cost, I am happy to just shake the curtain panels outside a couple times a year.

If you find that your burlap fabric curtain has an odor, be sure to read my post on how to eliminate burlap odor.

DIY Curtain Ideas

Our modern farmhouse family room at our previous house had 10 large oversized windows and needless to say, purchasing curtains, custom or not, would have cost a pretty penny.

DIY Living Room Curtains

It always amazes me how burlap curtains for a living room trend on google year after year especially during this season. Looks like I am not the only one who loves the farmhouse transitional home feel.

Burlap curtains add phenomenal texture to a space. Our family room was large and the burlap texture helped create warmth without leaving a heavy look around the windows.

If you are looking for a white coastal curtain style, I made these no sew curtains below with jute twine embellishment for a coastal look in our foyer at our previous home.

DIY Tie Backs

Another great idea is to make DIY curtain tie backs the same way you would make a curtain. Simply cut the tie back, steam your hems on either side and attach to the wall.

DIY Drop Cloth Curtains

If you are not a fan of burlap curtains but want to learn how to make curtains with another fabric, diy drop cloth curtains are a great idea and usually you can find them at a reasonable cost. You can also purchase any type of fabric and follow this same process. I prefer fabric with some polyester and not 100%. You want to make sure that the fabric has a bit of texture to it and curtains hangs nicely.

DIY Window Valances

DIY no sew curtains are also a perfect solution for a bathroom or a kitchen. Click through this post, DIY curtain valance to see how I turned a table runner into a window valance.

Here is a picture of the family room during Christmas.

Burlap curtains, white shiplap walls, blue wall paint, white sectional, red and white Christmas tree, brown wicker coffee table storage trunk, red poinsettia, red nordic throw blanket, santa hat, christmas gifts

How to make Burlap Curtains DIY Burlap Curtains No Sew Curtains using Stitch Witchery and an Iron. DIY living room curtains. dollar curtain panels — DIY Curtains No Sew

Supply List

Burlap Fabric
Stitch Witchery
Pins
Scissors
Iron with steam function

Instructions : Step by Step

Gather supplies

Curtain Hem

Make your curtain hem by folding the fabric over (I folded about 10 inches for deep pocket) and pin.

Iron (with steam) bonding curtain tape to fabric

Place your stitch witchery where you would normally sew a hem on the burlap fabric.
You may want to consider having a towel or large blanket under your burlap curtain panel to protect the carpet.

Tips

You will need to make sure that your iron is nice and hot and has a steam feature. I would suggest that you have a large area (like the floor) to work on.
You may want to consider having a towel or large blanket under your burlap curtain panel to protect the carpet.
You can purchase curtain rings with clips and make a smaller hem if you prefer clips instead of making a hem large enough to slide a rod through.

Author: Jessica Bruno

Cost: $7 a curtain panel

Where to Buy Curtains

If you don’t want to make your own curtains, these curtain panels are very similar to mine and very affordable! This white sectional is similar and from Wayfair. I also have these curtain panels in our new family room (we moved to this Mediterranean house).

DIY burlap curtains, Whythe blue wall paint, white shiplap, white sectional, blue rug, blue end table, pottery barn inspired media console, glass lamp, gray and yellow pillows

The image above was featured in This Old House and I was so excited to have my diy curtains and living room photographed for a magazine!

These easy diy curtains were so simple to make and look gorgeous!

Overall, making my own curtains saved me hundreds of dollars and the fact that I didn’t need to sew was even better! If you are looking for ideas to make your own curtain rod, click through to this post, diy outdoor curtain rod, to see how I used a pipe to hang my outdoor curtains. Industrial curtain rods are expensive and a DIY pipe curtain rod will also save you a lot of money.

Meet Jessica

What started as a hobby, Jessica’s blog now has millions of people visit yearly and while many of the projects and posts look and sound perfect, life hasn’t always been easy. Read Jessica’s story and how overcoming death, divorce and dementia was one of her biggest life lessons to date.