Once you've measured and cut your fabric, hem around all the edges. After hemming, fold over a couple inches of the top of your fabric and sew across the width leaving a loop big enough for your curtain rod to slide through.
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DIY Projects
Ruched Window Panels
by HOMESLICE
Today I'm sharing a little project I did recently to take our plain-jane half bath one step closer to a beauty queen. It all started with some painting, hanging some artwork and shelves, and accessorizing. The window was definitely still an eyesore though.. until now that is.
Today I'll show you how to (easily) create a ruched window panel for your own space.
Start by deciding whether you want your panel to hang on the outside of the window (and overlap the edge) or if you want it to fit inside. Make your measurements accordingly. Remember, you'll want your width to be accurate, but your length needs to be at least twice as long as your window. Mine was closer to three times the length of our window. Less length will give you less ruching- more gives you more!
View the slideshow above for steps to help you create these curtains.
For more DIY window treatments, take a look at Cafe Curtain How-To, and Make a Valance With a Table Runner.
Read more from HOMSLICE here.
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At this point you'll want to decide if you want any trim or other embellishments on the fabric. I added some trim using Sewing & Craft Tape, which is basically a very strong double sided sticky tape. It's fabulous.
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Just pull off the backing, attach it to your trim, then pull off the other backing (fronting?) and attach it to the fabric. So fabulous. You can also sew on your trim if you're ambitious, or even hot glue it on. Whatever you please.
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Now you can begin your ruching. You'll want at least two sets of ruches, possibly more depending on how wide your fabric is and if you want any draping in the middle.
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Start by deciding where and how far apart you want your ruches to be. Choose something easy to measure to help yourself out. Mine were about five inches in from each side and five inches apart. Flip your fabric to the back, measure, and mark with a pencil where each stitch will go.
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After marking all your stitches, get out your needle and string. You'll need a heavy duty string- something thick enough to give you a lot of strength, but thin enough to fit through a large needle. I used bakers twine because that's what I had on hand, and it worked great.
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Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of your string. Start at the top and make a small stitch from the back to front. You'll do small stitches on the front of your fabric and large stitches on the back. In the picture below the fabric on the left is the back of my panel, while the right is folded over to show the front of the panel.
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Once all your stitches are made, go ahead and hang your panel up on the window. Gently hold your string at the bottom while simultaneously pulling the fabric up to create the ruches. Do this on each side. Once your fabric is gathered how you like it, tie a knot in the bottom and cut off your extra string.
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