How To: Simple Curtains for Basement Window

Ever since we moved into our house last summer, the spare room has been naked! It's a basement room that we use as our guest/playroom. When grandma comes to visit, we lay out a mattress and when she isn't visiting, we let Logan play with his toy overflow in there. The sun shines in pretty good, and there isn't much risk of anyone walking by and seeing anything compromising because the spare room is at the back of our house. You can see only the back yard from these windows.

But still, they need a little decoration. Nothing too fancy. Just something to cover the window and add a little "home" to the room.

So here's what I came up with.

You will need:

- cotton (size depends on your measurements. I only needed less than a metre)

- Shear-type fabric (optional). I like to give a little added pouf to my curtains with this shear lining

- matching thread

- trim of your choice (ribbon, ric, rac, flowers, whatever)

1) Measure your windows. Mine were 35" by 17"

2) Add 6 inches to the length for top and bottom hem

3) Add as much as you like to the width measurement for fullness or "not-so" full curtains

4) Cut your two pieces. One out of main fabric and one, slightly shorter one out of the shear.

5) Hem both sides of the cotton and the shears. I did my whole curtain in a zig zag stitch. It's just for decoration (and it's easier to see in photos!).

6) Add some trim if you like. I added some ribbon down both sides about 6 inches from the edges.

7) Hem top to make a casing. Make sure you have enough space to slide the curtain rod of your choosing through. Also make sure to catch the shear piece into this casing for a finished look.

8) Hem both bottoms. I hemmed my shear slightly shorter than my regular piece because I wanted to flounce the regular piece up a bit at the bottom and didn't want the shear to be too long for that.

9) Embellish whichever way you choose. I folded the curtain up a bit where the trim was placed and stitched it in place. Then I added a pretty bow.

10) Hang your curtain. Ooooh pretty!

You can just push them aside to let the light (or the evening in this case) in.

I will make another version of this curtain for those of you, like Terry who want the curtain to open in the middle. I will post the results when I get it done!

Note: I have set up a Tawny Bee How To Flickr Group. If you try this out, I would love to see your version! Feel free to join and link up some of your great creations using one of my tutorials. :)