{"id":1010,"date":"2019-11-01T14:06:38","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T19:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hymnsandhome.com\/?p=1010"},"modified":"2022-06-14T17:39:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T17:39:22","slug":"tie-up-curtain-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hymnsandhome.com\/2019\/11\/01\/tie-up-curtain-tutorial\/","title":{"rendered":"Tie-Up Curtain Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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I had been looking for something to break up all the white. I mean, I love the brightness of my white kitchen – it’s what I’ve always wanted – but it just needed some contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter my love of black and white buffalo check. Or is it gingham? I don’t know, but I love it and actually have a dress that is black and white gingham from Shabby Apple<\/span><\/a> (got it a few years back and it’s no longer available – sorry!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After seeing Miss Mustard Seed’s tutorial for curtains made from linen, I decided that’s what I wanted in my kitchen – only, in black and white gingham. While I did not use her design or pattern, she did inspire me to use linen to get that perfect drapey look with slightly raw edges! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One little problem, though: We have wood blinds in our kitchen – NEW wood blinds – and we love the versatility, ease, and privacy they provide. Also, given my perfectionistic tendencies, I didn’t think it would be the best idea to have to tie up and let down the curtains every day. I would forever be adjusting them to get them “just right.” And if my poor husband was to try to do it – well, I’m sure I would be obnoxiously “fixing” them! \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I decided to make my own faux tie-up curtains, meaning they look like the real deal but will never move. I can pull the wood blinds all the way up and they are hidden by the curtains. Yay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now before you run away<\/em> saying, “but I want REAL, functional<\/em> tie-up curtains,” don’t worry – you can still follow this tutorial and make them functional. You’ll just need more fabric than I used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And…I had one more issue…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both in our bay window and over the sink there is pretty much no room for a curtain rod. Like, zero room, and if we were going to keep the blinds, I couldn’t use a tension rod inside the window frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hmm.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Right or wrong, I came up with a solution: since I would be using a very lightweight fabric, I would use the decorative front piece of the blinds as my “curtain rod.” I would not try doing this with heavier fabric!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tutorial<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let me begin by saying that this is not rocket science – I made this up as I went along, and it worked. I was able to finish these in one afternoon\/evening, pausing for a few hours in the middle to make dinner and get the kids to bed. It does involve sewing, but please know I am pretty much the world’s worst seamstress (ask my mom!), and if I can do it so can you! You only need to be able to sew a relatively straight line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used this black and white gingham fabric from Amazon<\/span><\/a>. (Did you know you can order fabric by the yard from Amazon?) It is gorgeous and drapey and everything I wanted! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tap here to buy the fabric I used!<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\"\"\n\n\n
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(I love my Gingher dressmaker’s shears<\/span><\/a> pictured above – if you do any amount of sewing or fabric crafts, do yourself a favor and buy some good sewing scissors! It makes all the difference in getting a clean cut!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. Determine how much fabric you need:<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now, I’m totally not a math person, and I get easily confused when measuring, but somehow I managed this without trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My fabric was 55 inches wide. Since my “rods” were 43 inches wide (less than the width of the fabric), and I didn’t need the fabric to reach all the way to the bottom of the window, I settled for 1 yard of fabric per window, plus an extra yard for making all the ties. I had 3 windows, so I ordered 4 yards of fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measure the width of your rod(s) as they will be when they are in their final position, not including any finials or decorations on the end. We’re just looking at the actual part on which the curtain will be hanging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decide if you want the fabric to reach all the way to the sill to be functional or if you want it to be a “faux” curtain, in which case you don’t need as much fabric and can save some money. Be sure to measure the diameter of your rod or whatever you are using to see how big the rod pocket will need to be. You will need enough fabric to wrap around the rod, plus some extra for seam allowance and wiggle room to get the rod through. Remember, you can always fit a smaller rod in a bigger pocket, but not the other way around! <\/p>\n\n\n\n\"\"<\/a>\n\n\n\n

#2. Gather Supplies<\/h4>\n\n\n\n