15 DIY Curtain Makeovers

November 11, 2013
Creative yet simple-to-do touches add personality to standard purchased curtains.
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Flight of fancy

Applique butterflies and flowers sweeten sheers for a little girl's room.

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Clip-on pattern

 A pair of $4 cloth napkins gains new purpose as cafe curtains when hung from a tension rod. Switch them out throughout the year for a quick refresh.

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Get it straight

Dyed lines jazz up plain cotton curtains. Use a ruler to ensure straight lines; then apply dye with a squirt bottle.

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Graduated look

Shaded ombré is a popular color treatment. Apply it to curtains by dipping the cotton fabric in a bucket of dye, slowly lifting it out (the lower portions are in the dye the longest, so turn darkest).

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Simple mechanics

Washers knotted on with textured yarn or thread link the brown curtains to the industrial-look valance.

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Romantic add-on

Gather your curtains at whatever height you want with the addition of a ribbon in a pretty accent color.

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Sew easy

Sewing on cording in a coordinating theme adds texture. Here, we added cording between two fabrics to finish the nautical look. Blue cording woud stand out even more.

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Capital idea

Many sewing machines can be programmed to monogram fabric. Use that function to add a formal note to your curtains.

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Fresh outlook

Hot-glue on a bouquet of handcrafted rosettes, leaves and yarn stems.

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Romantic ruffles

Use an extra curtain panel in the same or contrasting fabric to create ruffles on the bottom of two straight panels. 

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Key borders

Sew on a border of contrasting fabric to finish the look. Here, a Greek key pattern adds geometry next to florals.

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Lacy look

Using a doily as a stencil, apply paint for an airy look.

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Simple stamps

Floral stamps finish the sunny look on these yellow-striped curtains. Stamps come in thousands of patterns, so there is bound to be one to suit your decor.

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Marble-ous effect

Make a bold statement by marbling white curtains.

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Simple geometry

Mark off any geometric shape with painter's tape on your Roman shade. Fill in with latex paint in a hue you like.

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Spell it out

Trace letters onto curtains; then straight-stitch a simple message of affection or inspiration.

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