Burlap is one of the best and easiest materials to work with when making a rustic room decoration. You can put together a few burlap panels using the fabric itself, curtain pins, brown thread, and some basic sewing essentials. All you have to do is a bit of sewing here and there, and you got yourself a beautiful and natural burlap curtain. In this article, we will show you ways on how to make burlap curtains.
At first, the idea of learning how to make burlap curtains can be pretty intimidating, especially if you are not a fan of sewing. Luckily, we also have a few nifty tricks on making burlap curtains without any sewing. For that, you’re going to need a pack of Stitch Witchery instead of some needle and thread. But for now, let’s go for the sewing method.
Step 1: Prepare your fabric.
Fill your flat iron with some water to make steam. If you don’t have a steam option on your iron, you can get your regular iron and a clean spray bottle filled with water. Steaming your burlap is not crucial but will definitely make things a lot easier in the following steps.
Get your measurement rights and take note of the number of panels that you are going to need. Pre-cut your fabric to accommodate your panel measurements, and don’t forget to extra inches for the hem on all sides. You can make the panels as long as you like depending on your preferred curtain length.
Step 2: Sewing
Fold your bottom and top hems once. Use a pin to secure it in place. Get your iron and lightly press the burlap. Make sure that you don’t put it under too much heat, as the fabric could burn. If you are using a spray bottle, spray the water first before lightly pressing on the hems. The creasing will make the sewing process a lot easier.
Take your needle and sewing machine and do a zigzag stitch with a broader and longer stitch length. You will need to adjust your sewing machine’s setting before you start sewing. If you have some extra burlap, try to practice your stitches first.
Sew along the top and bottom hem of the burlap using a brown thread and the appropriate sewing needle.
No-Sew Alternative
As promised, we also have an excellent option for those who aren’t too familiar with stitching and sewing machines. Follow the fabric preparation, pinning, and ironing procedures. Instead of using a needle and thread, it’s time to take out your stitch witchery and scissors.
Place your stitch witchery at the exact placement of a regular hem. That goes at the bottom section of the fold. Secure the stitch witchery in place, make sure that there is not excess sticking out the burlap fabric. Now, iron the top, bottom, and side hems where you attached the stitch witchery.
Step 3: Hanging the curtains
For the most part, a rod pocket burlap curtain should look beautiful when hung across a regular-sized window. But you can also experiment with other curtain hardware such as clip rings, grommets, and back tabs.
The easiest curtain hardware to work with is probably the clip rings. All you need is to attach the clip at the top edge of the curtain, slide the ring onto the rod, and adjust it beautifully. For rod pocket style curtains, you should have sewn a pocket on the top hem of the curtain, maybe around ten inches or so.
Regardless of your chosen curtain hardware, your burlap curtain should be up and ready to go. Hang it onto the rod and place it on the pre-installed brackets. Adjust your curtains so that it hangs beautifully and creates the perfect frame for your window.
Curtain Hardware
Like we have mentioned earlier, there are different types of curtain hardware that you can choose from. Although each one will help you hang your curtains beautifully, some look typically better than others. However, its beauty is subjective and is entirely based on your personal preferences.
You can opt for grommets to create a professional-looking burlap curtain that seems like you bought it from a store. You can also experiment with different colored clip rings and drapery hooks to pull the rustic look together. Or you can go for the most basic method, which is making a rod-pocket burlap curtain.
Don’t be afraid to add a few extra ornaments like fairy lights or window treatments such as curtain valances and the likes. Tie it back with some grosgrain ribbons and style it using plenty of other drapery ornamental items.
Why Burlap?
Burlap is an incredibly versatile material that can work with formal to informal interior designs for your living room. It is also popular amongst many designers, and if you think that it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg to get a rustic finish to your space, think again. Burlap is actually very affordable.
It has an open weave fabric that elegantly filters the light. It helps you maintain your home’s privacy while still providing you with sufficient amounts of sunlight that illuminates your space. Its rich texture gives it a distinctive and homely appearance.
Burlap is actually perfect for country kitchen windows and is an environment-friendly fabric. Manufacturers upcycle burlap fabric from feed bags, grain bags, or coffee sacks. So, believe it or not, learning how to make burlap curtains to provide a finishing touch to your home is really helping the environment instead of store-bought synthetic items.