A Pair of Curtains in Cream Bee Script

Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to sew a simple pair of rod-pocket curtains from one wide piece of cotton, no piecing required.

Here we go.

First, let's talk about this fabric.

This is the Cream Bee Script Cotton Wideback Fabric per yard from Marcus Fabrics.

It is cotton.

It is 108/110 inches wide.

That extra width is the whole trick here, y'all.

The designer is Dawn Heese.

It comes from the Summer House collection.

The color is a warm, soft cream.

Natural and beige tones run through it.

And the print is a script.

Words written across the fabric, like a letter.

Pretty in a kitchen or a sewing room.

And because it is a wideback, one cut covers a whole window.

No seaming panels together down the middle.

Just like that.

Why This Fabric Suits a Pair of Curtains

Curtains are just two tall rectangles.

They need length, and they need width.

Regular quilting cotton is often too narrow.

You end up with a seam right where the light hits.

This wideback solves that problem fast.

My pair here finishes about 52 by 84 inches per panel.

That dresses a window about 48 inches wide nicely.

Two panels give you gentle, soft fullness.

Want more fullness? Cut your panels wider.

Want them flat and tailored? Cut them narrower.

Completely up to you.

My preference is the script reading upright on both panels.

Check the direction of the words before you cut.

We're not reinventing the wheel here.

Materials List

Cream Bee Script Cotton Wideback — 2 1/2 yards; the 108/110-inch width splits into two full panels with room for hems
Thread — a good all-purpose thread in cream or a soft neutral that blends with the fabric
A curtain rod and brackets, hung and measured before you cut
Your usual tools — rotary cutter, large mat or a cleared floor for layout, long ruler, pins, measuring tape, and an iron
Optional — drapery weights or a few coins for the bottom corners, so the panels hang straight

Here are the numbers I use.

Your 2 1/2 yards give you 90 inches of length.

And 108/110 inches of width to split.

Cut the piece in half across the width.

Now you have two panels, each about 54 by 90 inches.

Fold each side edge under 1/2 inch, then 1/2 inch again.

That is a clean 1-inch side hem.

At the top, fold under 1/2 inch, then 3 inches.

That 3-inch fold becomes your rod pocket.

At the bottom, hem up about 4 inches.

Finished, each panel lands near 52 by 84 inches.

Measure your own window first, from rod to sill.

Then adjust the bottom hem to fit your house.

Brief Steps

Hang your rod first, then measure from the rod down to where you want the curtains to end.
Wash and press your fabric if that is your habit. Press well either way — folds turn into crooked cuts.
Lay the fabric flat on the biggest surface you have. Check that the script runs the way you want it, top to bottom.
Square up one edge, then cut the piece in half across the width to make your two panels, about 54 by 90 inches each.
Press and stitch the side hems on both panels: 1/2 inch, then 1/2 inch again, stitched close to the inside fold.
Make the rod pocket: fold the top under 1/2 inch, then 3 inches, press, and stitch along the lower fold.
Hang the panels on the rod. Pin the bottom hem while they hang, so the length is honest.
Take them down, press the bottom hem at about 4 inches, and stitch it. Hang them back up and admire.