Make your own drop cloth curtains with this easy tutorial! It’s a great way to save money and finally get the length you need!

One of the first design ‘tips’ I ever picked up on was the Curtain Rule.

You know. The one that says all curtains should be hung high and wide.

Contrary to my previously held belief, they should NOT go right above the frame.

Apparently, when they are hung higher and wider than the window, they make the window appear larger.

This rule is all well and good, except for the small fact that NO stores carry curtains longer than 86 inches.

Not only did I go to Target, but I also checked out Walmart (I am sorry Target, I did not mean to betray you!) and Home Goods and At Home.

This so-called rule seems to be widely accepted in the home decor space, so why the heck have stores not jumped on this band wagon?

Which brings me to my problem and solution: if you can’t find the correct length curtain, make your own.

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Supplies to make drop cloth curtains

• Drop cloth
• Sewing machine
• Fabric scissors
• Straight pins
• Thread

I’ll be honest, fabric can get a little pricey. Especially home decor fabric, even with the 40 percent off coupon at Joann Fabrics.

So what’s a girl to do?

Shop the local home improvement store, of course.

I had been seeing a few DIYs here and there about drop cloths and thought they would make the perfect curtains. They are so much cheaper than traditional fabric and they have a great natural look.

I picked up a 9×12 at our local home improvement store (I found this one on amazon that is comparable). I knew this was going to be way too big for just one window, but I also wanted the curtains to be nine feet long. This seemed like the easiest route with the least amount of cutting.

After laying out the entire drop cloth, I found a seam that ran down the middle – a perfect cut line for me to start with.

I cut the drop cloth in half and then in half again. Each piece would be one drop cloth curtain panel.

I folded over about 1/2 inch worth of fabric and pinned that down for the seam. I debated letting it hang free, but decided against it. One side from the original already had a seam and I thought it might look a little off to have one side polished and one side frayed.

After sewing the seams together and hanging the drop cloth curtains with these curtain clips, I was able to cut off and clean up the frayed edges.

And that’s it!

This route was definitely the way to go! The price of both drop cloth curtain panels cost about half of what one panel would cost when I was browsing online.

And the best part? They are SO long.

I am still debating on what length to cut them, so they’re staying extra long until I decide. I’d like to wait until we get a little more of the room together before I make the cut (pun intended).

For the quick and easy tutorial on making that industrial curtain rod, click here.

All our best,

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