Lace curtains can add a touch of romance to any room and can be a great way to allow light into your room while still keeping some measure of privacy. Today lace can be purchased in an enormous variety of styles ranging from delicate lace with lots of holes to denser lace that will provide you with greater privacy when your lace panel curtains are closed. The good news is that you don’t have to be an excellent seamstress to make pretty lace curtains for any window in your home. Here are instructions on how to make your own lace panel curtains.
The first thing you will need to do is to measure how large the window is that you want to make the curtains for. You should measure from the outside edge of the molding around your windows to the opposite side to get the width. For the length, decide if you want your lace curtains to stop at the bottom of the window or if you want to make lace panels that fall all the way to the floor. Measure from the top of the window frame to as low as you would like the curtains to hang and write down that measurement for the length.
To get your final measurements for your lace you will need to add a seam allowance and also add enough extra room to create a pocket for the lace curtains to slide onto the rod. Add an extra 2″ for creating the rod pocket at the top of the curtain, and 4″ to create a hem at the bottom of the curtains. That means that the final length that you will cut your lace should be 6″ longer than you want your finished curtains to be. For the width of each panel, divide the total width of the window by 2 and add a couple of inches to each side to allow for hems and to be sure the lace curtains will fully meet in the middle without having to by pulled taught.
Purchase enough lace for your project at your local craft store, making sure to take both the length and the width that you require into account when deciding how much lace to buy. Choose any pattern or color of lace that you like and that matches with your decor. When you get the lace home, wash it and dry it on gentle to pre-shrink the fabric and avoid too much shrinkage after the curtain panels are sewn.
Begin by cutting each panel to the size indicated by your measurements. Then, hem each of the side edges of the panels. To do this, fold the edge over just slightly and press it flat, then, fold it again and press it again. Pressing the lace will help the folds to stay in place. Once you have pressed both folds stitch the hems closed using your sewing machine.
Next, create the pocket for the rod at the top of the curtain by folding the top of each panel over 1/4″ and pressing it, then folding it 1 ¾” inches again and pressing again. Once again, stitch this hem along the bottom of the folded section using your sewing machine to create the pocket for the curtain rod.
At this point you can hang your curtain from the curtain rod and make sure that you are still on track with your measurements and that your 4″ bottom hem is still going to work. As long as you measured and cut your fabric correctly you should still be in good shape, however if necessary make any adjustments required to the width of your bottom hem to allow the curtains to hang at the right length.
To make the bottom hem, take the curtain back down, fold the bottom edge over 1/4″ and press it, then fold it 3 3/4″ again and press it again. Sew the hem using your sewing machine. When you are done hang your curtains and enjoy your handiwork!
