I searched around for some instructions, found a couple helpful blogs with slightly different approaches (here and here), and created my own plan based on them, the materials I had, and my skill level. (I haven't gotten to the point of trying fancy stitches yet, so we have to keep this pretty simple.)
Step 1. Preshrink & Cut Fabric
I bought 8 yards of this cute elephant fabric, unrolled it, and threw it in the wash to preshrink. Once it was washed, dried, and ironed, I cut 1 panel that was 110 inches long (height from floor to curtain rod + 8"). So that the pattern lines up on both panels, I took the remaining fabric, cut it off to match the pattern at the top of the first panel, and then cut another 110 inch-long panel. Then I cut 2 panels of blackout liner that were 105 inches long (5 less than the curtain fabric). Lastly, I cut 2" off of the width of the liner so that it will be slightly narrower than the curtain fabric.
cutting two long panels with matching pattern at the top
Step 2. Sew Long Edges
For each panel, place the liner on top of the right-side of the curtain fabric so that its top is 5" below the top of the curtain fabric, and the left edges are flush. Then pin and sew the long, left edge together. Then pull the liner over to line up with the right long edge, and pin and sew it together. At this point, you should have a huge fabric tube. Because the liner is slightly narrower than the curtain, this causes the curtain material to fold around the edge of the curtain to ensure the liner isn't seen from the front. Then I flipped the curtain tubes right-side out.
Line up the curtain material and liner so the liner top is 5 inches bellow the curtain top and left sides are flush, and sew the left side.
Then pull the liner over to be flush on the right side, and sew the right side.
Next, I turned my attention to the top of the curtain. The goal is to create a loop of fabric for the grommets that's 4" tall, without excess liner and bulk. The curtain fabric should be sticking out 5 inches above the liner. Using only the curtain fabric, I folded and pressed a 1-inch hem, and then folded over again 4 inches. Then I pinned it down and sewed across.
Fold the top down 1" and press, then fold another 4" and press. Then pin and sew it down.
pressing and pinning the 4" fabric loop
Step 4. Install Grommets
I bought 2 packs of these grommets from Amazon, picking the almost 2" diameter option in brushed silver to match the new curtain rod. First you mark the centers of the first and last grommet, four inches from the edges and 2 inches down from the top. To figure out where to put the rest of the grommets, you have to do a little basic arithmetic. Take the width of the finished panel, subtract 8, and then divide by 7. The result is the number of inches between the centers of each of the other grommets. My curtains were 53" across, so 53 - 8 = 45, and 45/7 = 6.42. I rounded to 6.5 and marked the center of each grommet, and then used the template in the grommet pack to trace the circle. It's not critical that the spacing between the grommets is exact, so rounding is ok - but it is critical that they are all the same 2" distance down from the top. Then I cut out the fabric circles, snapped together the grommets, and hung the almost-finished curtains.
my first blog equation! so excited. spacing the grommets is really not that hard.
marking, cutting and installing the grommets
Step 5. Hem
While searching the web for instructions on how to make grommet drapes, I noticed that a lot of people recommend that you measure the distance you want the curtains to cover, make them, and then hang them. It just makes me a little nervous to do that and have them turn out to be a little too short for whatever reason. So, instead, I purposefully made the curtains a bit long and hung them, and then went back to hem them to just brush the floor. After pinning in place, I took them down one last time to sew the hem, and then put them back up. Voila-- all done. This room is getting really close to finished!
curtains needing to be hemmed
closed- note the fabric pattern is lined up across both panels
all done!
Sidenotes:
If you read my crib skirt post, then you know I actually made these curtains twice. A couple thoughts on that:
1. It is really really important that you measure the windows before you order the fabric - can't express this strongly enough. I think I sort of assumed that 3 yards per panel (9 feet each) would be plenty, but in fact- our windows are freakishly tall - so I needed closer to 4 yards per panel. Which meant that when I hung the finished curtains, they were way way too short.
2. When I made the first set of curtains, I made a number of careless mistakes. Getting a second chance was great, because it allowed me to fix the mistakes and really get it right. For the first set, I didn't pay attention to matching up the pattern for both panels, so it looked askew to see both panels side-by-side. I forgot the classic rule of lined sewing projects that you always want the rightside of the material to be on the inside of the fabric tube before you flip it - so I would've had exposed stitches and raw edges. And, I forgot that the point of making the liner 2" narrower than the fabric is so that you pull it over before sewing the last hem - which makes the curtain fabric curl around the edge. You would've been able to see my liner from the front.
3. I don't believe in "pregnancy brain", nor do I appreciate being told my brain is no longer functioning. (General note: the only thing you ever need to say to a pregnant woman ever is, "You look fantastic, and you're doing a great job"). That being said- I do seem to be making a lot more careless errors than usual. The good news is that I made all my mistakes on the first set of curtains, which turned into a nice crib skirt, so the second set of curtains turned out perfectly. Practice made perfect - but generally, avoid the careless mistakes because curtain fabric is pricey!
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