How to Easily DIY Kitchen Curtains And Change Your Space!

While you can buy kitchen curtains, making your own is so much more fun. It also allows for more creative freedom and control since you can manage exactly what you’re hanging up in your kitchen.

Here’s everything you need to know about DIY kitchen curtains.

Table of Contents

DIY Curtains: The Process

Here’s how to make DIY curtains:

Pick a color or theme
Get your base curtain – use ready-made or make your own
Design your curtains using paint, embroidery, etc.
Hang them up!

Let’s go over each step one at a time.

Daylight through curtains into a diningroom - diy kitchen curtains

#1: Pick a color or theme

The first step in making DIY curtains is deciding what theme you want to follow. We went over quite a few options in the “15 Small Kitchen Paint Colors To Bring Your Kitchen To Life” article.

If there was one thing to take away from that piece of writing, it was that you have to pay attention to the colors you’re using – they make a huge difference.

So take a look around your kitchen. Make note of the colors and patterns already being used and pick a fabric that either complements or contrasts them.

#2: Get your base ready – use ready-made or make your own

The second step to making your own curtains is getting the base. Now, you can buy a plain base color curtain, or you can use a bed sheet. Both work well – the decision is yours. If you want to put in a little extra work, you can also get a drapey fabric and work with that.

Using a bed sheet will be the cheapest and easiest option. However, using a curtain or loose fabric will give you more material options. Bed sheets are almost always made with cotton or linen blends. But you can get a lot of thicker options with curtains and fabrics.

Making curtains from bed sheets

Depending on the size of your window, you might need 2 king or queen-sized bed sheets. Figure out which ones are right for you then lay them out.

You’ll notice that one side has really large hems. Make tiny slits on the edges of the bed sheet so you can pass the curtain rod through them.

Making curtains from loose fabric

Step 1: Cut out the fabric

You need two main measurements: the width and length of your curtain.

For simple curtains, the general rule of thumb for the width is to go twice as long as the actual width of your window sill. Then add 3 inches on both sides for the hem. This way you can have a nice pleat going all around.

For the length, decide if you want your curtain to be floor length or sill length. Then measure from the top to the point at which you want your curtains. Add around 3 inches at the top and bottom for the hem.

Step 2: Hem your fabric

Hemming is super simple. Here’s what you need to do:

Fold your fabric 3 inches from the side
Use a ruler to keep it straight and attach pins all along the edge
Iron the fold to keep it in place
Open up the fold and see you’ve made a line
Take the end of your fabric and have the edge meet that line
- You’re folding the fabric 1.5 inches
Then fold it 1.5 inches again
Iron the new folds in place
Sew your hem using a sewing machine

Repeat this process for all 4 sides of your fabric.

Mark one side as the top. This is the side that attaches to your window sill rod. When you’re hemming this side, make sure to leave little slits on the sides of the hem so there is space to put your rod in.

#3: Decorating Your Curtain

Now, let’s look at the fun stuff. Once you’ve got your base curtain down, you have to decide what to do with the fabric.

There are three scenarios:

Your fabric has bold prints or embroidery so you can’t do much more.
Your fabric is plain white and can be painted over.
Your fabric is a block base color, which can be embroidered.

Depending on your situation, it’s time to either skip to step 4 where you hang up your curtains, pull out your paints and brushes, or take out your pins and needles.

What you need for embroidery

Here’s everything you’ll need to embroider your fabric:

Embroidery hoops
Sewing needles
Thread (a LOT of thread)

Remember to sketch out your design on your cloth before you start embroidering it. This will make sure you stay on track and don’t make any big mistakes.

If you’re making small repeated patterns, you should consider making a stencil and tracing it with a pencil on your cloth to make sure it is the same size throughout.

What you need for painting

Here’s everything you need to paint your fabric:

Fabric paint
Paint brushes
Water

Just like when you’re embroidering, it’s good to draw out your design in pencil before you start painting to make sure you stay on track.

#4: Hang Up Your Curtains

Kitchen curtains diy in kitchen and dining room

When you’re done designing and decorating your curtains, you can hang them up in your kitchen. This won’t take a lot of time. Here’s what you need to do:

Take off your curtain’s rod
Place your fabric on the rod
Add as many pleats as necessary
Place the rod back on its hook

Final Thoughts – DIY Kitchen Curtains

Making DIY curtains for your kitchen isn’t as hard as you might think. All you need is a cloth, a sewing machine, and a little time. You can use printed or embroidered fabric to reduce your workload.

But if you want more creative control, you can always grab a sewing kit or some paints and let your inner artists run free.