How to Turn a Tablecloth into a Rod Pocket Curtain

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

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

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.

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).

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!

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

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.