How to Turn a Tablecloth into a Rod Pocket Curtain

Last week I showed you how I stencilled some cream colored tablecloths.

DSC_0585

Then, with just a few ironed folds and straight seams, they became our new Dining Room Curtains!

whole dining room

I’ve been longing to perk up that room with some fun fabric…and after hunting and hunting, this ended up being the  solution.

There are many different styles and looks of curtains, but this time I wanted to make simple rod pocket curtains.  Rod Pocket Curtains mean exactly what their name says ~ there is a pocket that the curtain rod slides through with a top “header” that sits above the rod.

The good news about converting a tablecloth into a curtain is that they are already hemmed on all sides.  The tablecloths I used measured 97” long by 59” wide.  The width was just perfect, but they were WAY too long.  I started by cutting 18 1/2 inches off of one end.  I knew I was leaving extra length, but experience has taught me it’s better to err on the side of too long rather than too short!

Once the curtains were stencilled, I ironed them on the underside to set the paint in.  To prevent fraying and to make a neat edge, I ironed down the top (cut) edge 1/2 inch.

press down raw edge

I then made some important markings – one was the measurement from the floor to the top of the curtain rod (top sewing line) and the other was 3  inches above that  (which would be the top of the header, and the place that I needed to fold down).

measurement markings with words

I pressed and pinned at the “top of header” measurement. You will see that my fold is very wide… This is a result of my “err on the long side” point of view!Smile

press and pin

I sewed a seam 3 inches below the top fold to create the “header”.

flip down and press

Normally, you would just sew a seam below the first seam wide enough to fit the rod through.  However, I had so much extra fabric that I did an extra fold.

press back 1

I pressed the seam open…

fold to seam and press again

then folded the fabric down to meet the seam line,

flip down and press

and then folded it again.  {Does that make sense to you??}  Then I pinned where I needed to sew.

finished back side

There is the finished back side.  The “pocket” for the rod is between the 2 seams,

chandelier 2

And the “header” becomes a natural ruffle above the rod.

curtains by pew 2

If you are starting curtains from scratch and are wondering how to figure out the amount of fabric needed, this post may help you with that.

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