How to Sew Expensive Looking Lined Drapes in a Day
Learn how to sew simple and beautiful drapes step-by-step with illustrated instructions. Dress up your plain windows with these simple but beautiful drapes that are fast, easy and so versatile, you can even reuse the fabric!
For our project
Example: 8 panels... 2 per window, averaging 2 panels per night. You could easily dress up a window in a day!
Rods $25 each... totaling $100
The fabric was on sale and cost about $300
We were able to give the room softness, drama, color and a designer’s touch for less than $500. These would have cost close to $4000 if made professionally!
Instructions
1. Install your curtain rods and hang the rings you're going to use.
2. Measure from the bottom of the curtain ring to the floor and subtract 1/4." This is your finished length.
3. You will use the full width of your fabric for the width of your panel.
4. Cut your fabric and lining:
Cut fabric width = full width of fabric (trim off the selfage if the fabric doesn't lay smooth and flat)
Fold the bottom edge of the fabric up 5" and press.... fold up another 5" and press. Pin. Sew with a blind hem stitch or a simple straight stitch.
Fold the bottom edge of the lining up 2" and press... fold up another 2" and press. Pin. Sew with a blind hem stitch or a simple straight stitch.
6. Sew the lining and fabric together.
Lay the fabric right side up
Lay the lining right side down so that the bottom edge is 1" above the bottom edge of the fabric.
Align one side edge... pin and sew together with a 1/2" seam. Repeat on the other side.
Turn the drape right side out. Your fabric will fold over to the lining side about 1 1/2". Carefully press the drape so that the fabric is even on both sides of the lining. Pin in places to keep the layers from slipping.
7. Lay the drape so that the lining side is up.
8. Fold in the raw side edges of the fabric at the top of the drape and pin. Stitch in place with a straight stitch.
9. Tuck the raw edges of the fabric at the bottom corners of the bottom hem and stitch the bottom corners in place.
10. Lay the drape so that the lining side is up again
11. Mark the finished length with pins, measuring up from the bottom edge.
12. Fold the top edge down to the lining side so that the top edge is about 1" past the pins you just placed. Pin the top edge in place.
13. Stitch the top edge to the drape along the pinned measurement in step 11.
14. Clip or sew the curtain rings to the drape along the stitched line.
15. When you hang the drape, the fabric will fold over to the front. Arrange and fold the fabric as desired.
And there you have it! Gorgeous, professional quality lined drapes that can add some serious class to any room.You can sew formal draperies with silk fabric and a tassel fringe along that folded over edge. Or you can have more casual drapes like the ones in the photo.
Learn how to sew simple and beautiful drapes step-by-step with illustrated instructions. Dress up your plain windows with these simple but beautiful drapes that are fast, easy and so versatile, you can even reuse the fabric!
