Hand-Sewn Ribbon-Top Curtain Tutorial (and using ribbon to pull a room together)

These are as easy as curtains get. I used ribbon to hang simple square curtains and then used the same ribbon throughout my daughter's room to tie everything together (no, Sienna does not have a mural yet). I've also used this ribbon technique for shower curtains. Sienna doesn't have an overhead light in her room, so I made her curtains so light would show through. In this tutorial I also include an option for adding a liner or blackout fabric.

Here are some curtains in Sienna's room, the lighting makes it hard to get a good photo.

Materials needed:

Fabric

Fabric lining or blackout layer (optional)

Coordinating thread and sewing needle

Ribbon

1/2 inch plastic drapery rings

Quilter's beeswax (optional)

Fray Check

If you've never made curtains or drapes before, here is any easy tutorial I put together for the main curtain piece, I made it a download so you can print it off easily. You will need to create this piece/pieces first.

Main Curtain Piece Tutorial

I like to hand stitch the sides of the curtains with a slipstitch like I show in the download. For me, the slip stitch looks nice and I think it is relaxing to do in front of the TV while I am catching up on my taped reality shows! Make sure to have some quilters beeswax (I use Dritz) on hand to run your thread through or you will be cursing the thread as it tangles!

Once you have your main curtain pieces finished, sew 1/2 inch plastic drapery rings (you can find them in the drapery section of your fabric store) onto the main curtain piece about 1 inch down from the top edge. Space the rings out about 6 to 8 inches apart making sure that you have one ring at each corner.

Next for each plastic ring, you will need 30" of ribbon. I like to use the kind with wire in it so I can shape the finished bow. Thread your ribbon through each loop like shown below:

For each ribbon, drape both ends over the curtain rod pointing away from you....

Bring both ends of the ribbon around and tie in the front.....

And then complete your bow!

Cut the end of each bow into a "V" and add some Fray Check to the ends to keep them from unraveling.

I used the rest of my ribbon around my daughter's room to tie everything together. I added some ribbon to this bird cage on top of the hutch......

....and made bows to decorate these Beatrix Potter-themed frames I put together (the bows are only decorative, the frames actually hang by themselves).

Let me know if you have any questions about making the curtains! Anyone can do this tutorial....