Wow! I did not intend on being away for so long, but Stephen and I both came down with strep throat on Monday and we’ve been out for the count!
Luckily I was able to make a decision and attack our dining room curtains since the last time I posted. THANK YOU to everyone who weighed in on our Dining Room Curtain Dilemma last week. You ladies have such good ideas and really got me thinking on other ways to improve our space.
So, without further ado, the winning curtain fabric was….
The green floral print!
The vote was pretty evenly split, but we just couldn’t stop ourselves from loving this fun springy floral, especially for this time of year. The best part is these were made from a $10 set of sheets and I still have fabric left over to use for our kitchen window treatment! SCORE 
Here’s a little tutorial I whipped up to show how I made these curtains from a flat sheet. It really couldn’t have been simpler and took practically no time at all!
Tutorial: Turning a Flat Sheet into Two Curtains
Supplies:
1 flat sheet, full size
scissors
iron
sewing machine & thread (or an iron & hem tape)
glue gun
2″ wide white ribbon
Step 1:
Fold your flat sheet in half lengthwise, and cut along the fold.
You will end up with 2 panels, each as long as the original sheet.
If your panel is long enough you can fold over the edge you see here to make a pocket for your curtain rod. I didn’t have enough length to do that, but you could – I’m just sayin’.
Step 2:
Iron both panels. Then, fold over the edge you just cut 2 times and iron flat.
This is the edge you will sew to keep the fabric from fraying.
For a NO SEW version, you could also iron this hem down with hem tape.
Step 3:
Sew your hem.
Step 4:
Cut 6 strips from your ribbon, approximately 3.5″ long, and lay them evenly across the top of your panel.
These will be the tabs for the back of your curtain. You may need more or fewer, depending on how wide your curtain is. You can also make your ribbon strips longer, depending on how thick your curtain rod is.
Step 5:
Hot glue the top and bottom of the ribbon strips to the panel.
I decided to glue the bottom of mine 3″ from the top of the strip to make them a little more “loopy.”
Step 6:
Hang your new curtains (preferably on a SWEET $10 curtain rod from Big Lots – Ok, ok I love you again, Big Lots)
Here’s a view of what those ribbon tabs look like from the back:
And finally, the finished product!
What do you think? Easy, right?
Thanks again to all who offered advice on these babies. Quite a few of you suggested we keep the drop cloths for a more winter-y alternative, which we plan on doing. I’ll also be on the lookout for some art or photos to replace our dark art on the far wall. Any suggestions? I’m thinking thicker white mats to start…
Also, I may be crazy, but I’m just DYING to paint this room white.
Stephen’s response?
“You paint everything white!”
I’m linking to:
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
Remodelaholic’s Anonymous Meeting
I Made It Without My Hubby @ Shanty2Chic
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Show and Share Day @ Just a Girl
test!
Ok – now THAT is awesome! LOVE the curtain panels! AND the tutorial – ty so much for that! I’m inspired – I may even give it a go! GOTTA love GORGEOUS window treatments for ten bucks! You GO GIRL!
Wow…I love the tip for making the ribbon tabs! Looks great!
Love the curtains, they look amazing. Great job!
Very creative solution for making inexpensive and good-looking curtains
The green & white floral fabric is so fun and cheerful — they add some nice whimsy to the room 
For new artwork, why not use some of your own photos?? You can get 12″ x 12″ photos developed for just a dollar or two, and Ikea has a great selection of inexpensive frames.
Your dining room is looking good!!
Kelly
Wow they really change the feel of the dining room. Very designer looking – and I would’ve never thought to put ribbon on the back side. Very modern, so cool, Love it!
I love the idea and the print you chose is beautiful.
I love your curtains! I’m bookmarking this post for inspiration.
Glad you are feeling better!
The curtains look amazing and thanks for the tutorial! Why didnt’ I think of this before I spent $120 on curtains for my living room?!?! I am kicking myself in the behind right now. Please don’t paint the room white…maybe taupe but not white. I love how it looks like but I can understand you wanting to brighten it up a notch!
-Desiree
I just love what you did here with the sheets! Job well done! And the room…loving it now as it is and really think the white walls would give it a great feeling too…sorta retro
! Can’t wait to “see” what you decided!
Thanks Desiree, I agree with you! I’m against white in the DR. But in the end it’s M’s choice
I Love those curtains– thanks so much for the sweet tutorial.
those look just perfect. Love color and the print! Nobody would know it’s a sheet if you didn’t tell them.
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That’s a great way to repurpose bedding and just in time for spring! Great design and colors. Thank you for the tutorial. Can’t wait to try it in our bedroom!
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Hi again!
thanks for stopping by my blog and entering the giveaway. So far you are the only one entered. You may just be receiving the book. : )
Love this tutorial you show on the curtains. Love how the loops are hidden and there is a clean look on the front.
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Just wanted to let you know that I linked up to this post today. I love this tutorial.
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LOVE the folders, rather than gathers. A perfect choice for my son’s first apartment. Thank you!
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How great tutorial. Thank you. Just one question … how about hotglue in washing machine? Is it ok?
Hey Jana,
I actually don’t have an answer for ya. I pre-washed my sheets so I haven’t had to wash them since hot-gluing the tabs in place. It wasn’t too big of a project to glue the tabs in the first place, though, so I’m just going to see what happens when I get around to washing the curtains and re-glue if necessary.
Hope that helps!
Love love love this project! Turned out so cute!
Thank you sooo much! I’ve been searching the www for interesting ways of sewing curtains! Now this sure is neat and so easy – great! That will definetely be my next sewing project…
LOVE the curtains, also in love with Big Lots!
Great post…will have to get my glue gun out next time I am thinking about curtains!
Hi, love this idea!!! I just made some curtains for my 1 year old’s bedroom out of a Thomas quilt cover. I used curtain tape and rings. Now I know I could have saved a heap using your absolutely brilliant ribbon idea. Thanks for sharing!
i have searched many curtain sites and this is the best so far with very clear instructions with the photos, for a beginner this is most helpful, i look forward to making some curtains for my grandsons bedroom without costing an arm and a leg.
Meredith -where did you buy these fantastic sheets? I’ve been looking all around the stores and have found nothing that compares to these. I seem to find all solid colors and no patterns. Did you have to buy a full set of sheets or did you guy this sheet as a single flat sheet? Thanks for the info
Linda
Hi Linda,
The sheets were actually from Big Lots over a year ago. I bought the whole set and used the flat sheet for dining room curtains and cut from the fitted sheet to make a roman shade for our kitchen window. It was the only set of sheets with this pattern in the store and I haven’t seen any like them since! I wish I had a better answer for you!
If you like the large-scale pattern, you might try looking at the Amy Butler sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond (if they still have them) or finding a shower curtain you like and cutting it in half to make 2 curtain panels…
Good luck!
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Hi,
I wanted to try these curtains but I don’t have a glue gun. Was wondering if you think the hem tape would suffice to attach the ribbons? Or do you think it might not hold the weight of the curtains? Thanks for your help and this pattern!
Hey Courtney,
I think hem tape or fabric glue (in a bottle) would both work just fine on these curtains! The nice thing about sheets is that the material is pretty lightweight, so any type of glue would probably work. Good luck with your curtains!
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Hi, This is so smart! Do you know how long the finished curtain was made from the full flat sheet? I’m sure I could figure out the math on this but thought you might remember. Thnx for sharing!
Hey Jessica,
I think the curtains are probably about 90″ long. We have 8 foot ceilings and they’re hung about 5 or 6 inches below the ceiling in our dining room.
Hope that helps!
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Thanks for this awesome tutorial! I found a gorgeous duvet and made drapes. Never would have thought to do this! I saved about $300 making my own drapes. Thanks again!
Holy crap! I saw this on pinterest and thought, Ok I have to click over because there’s no way that’s going to be cute! But…. IT’S ADORABLE! Fabulous idea!
Love the curtains. I’ve been looking for some for a while and I think I can actually handle making these. In case you’re still looking for some new artwork, I have some new horse photographs for sale at the following link. (amybuchanan.zenfolio.com/horses) I already have them printed on a white mat. They are available in many sizes.
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