Café curtains are used in almost all homes today because of their sensibility in design and beauty. They have become increasingly popular ion kitchens because they give you a great deal of privacy whole letting plenty of sunlight into the kitchen and/or dining room.

What’s more, you can make a café curtain all by yourself. No there’s no catch here, you really can!

What you will need:

• Your fabric of choice
• Thread
• A rod or a pole or a wire
• Some patience

Procedure:

• Fix your rod at the desired height across the length of your window. Calculate the width you will need for the fabric. Also calculate the height. Remember to cut some extra cloth so you can use up the “extra” bit for making the hemline.
• Cut your fabric as you require and if you need more than just one width, make the desired pattern out of your widths. Mitre
• You will need double hems at both the side and the bottom. Once you pin these, get the thread and stitch them.
• Press the folds over the top, right side out. Stitch these.
• You will need another row of stitches parallel to the one above. The distance between will depend on how thick your pole or rod or wire is. Adjust accordingly.
• Collect the curtain as you thread and pull between the two rows. Level the pleats and hand the curtain.
• Yay!

How to measure the width?

Measure the width of your window. Add 5 more inches to the fabric you cut for the hem and some breadth.

What about the length?

Measure the length from the top of the pole and add about 6 inches. If your fabric has patterns, cut a little more cloth so you can match the patterns.

How long should my turns be before I stitch my folds at the top and bottom?

Not more than a centimetre and a half.

The number of widths multiplied by the length should give you the total amount of fabric that you require.

It is as simple as this. You can also have two café curtains on a single window. The one on the top will act as a valence. If you don’t want the gap in the middle, just extend the length of the valence so you can get your complete privacy.

Making café curtains should use up less than an hour of your time. You can experiment with the fabrics that you want to use. Sheers are a good option if you are making café  curtains for the kitchen. For a sitting room, lace curtains will look great. Do not use lace in kitchens because smoke, grease and other kitchen emissions can easily spoil the lace. Similarly, for other rooms, sheers might not be a great idea because of the plastic-like look they give.

For kitchens avoid frills. You don’t want anything to catch fire accidentally. Café curtains can be made with little or no experience in making curtains before. You don’t even have to be an expert in the methods of sewing.

Another simple way of making makeshift café curtains out of butcher paper is taking the desired amount of paper and folding them like you are making an accordion. Drill a hole big enough for the wire/rod/pole and just push the “curtain” through. It won’t look as neat but didn’t I say it was makeshift?

After you are done making your café curtain, be sure to clean it from time to time. Share your knowledge about it, spread the wealth! Café curtains are for everyone!