Hey everyone! Today we're making a pair of simple holiday curtains, and you'll learn how to let a striped cotton do most of the measuring work for you.
Here we go.
Meet the Fabric
This is the 12 Days of Christmas Patterned Stripe Teal cotton, from Quilting Treasures.
It comes from the 12 Days of Christmas collection by Julie Lynch for QT Fabrics. The fabric is 100% cotton. It measures 44/45 inches wide.
The collection features beautifully illustrated holiday characters. You will also find elegant birds and florals. Ornaments, stripes, and stars round it out.
The colors feel rich and happy. Think teal, jade, and joyful red. Charcoal, gray, and soft aqua join in. Dark turquoise and touches of lime green keep it fresh.
This print is the patterned stripe in the teal colorway. That teal base is warm and calm at a window. It glows a little when daylight comes through. Oh my goodness, it really does.
I reach for quilting cotton like this for curtains all the time. It presses well, sews clean, and hangs soft, not stiff. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
The Project: A Pair of Holiday Curtains
Our project is a pair of rod-pocket curtains. Each panel finishes at about 42 inches wide by 63 inches long. That suits a kitchen or sewing room window. One width of fabric makes one panel. Completely up to you on the exact length.
Here's why this fabric suits it. Stripes want to run up and down a window. They make a room feel taller. They also give you a straight cutting guide. And this teal stripe reads festive without shouting.
We're not reinventing the wheel here. Cut two matching panels. Hem the sides and bottom. Sew a rod pocket at the top. Just like that, your window is dressed for the season.
Materials
- 4 yards of 12 Days of Christmas Patterned Stripe Teal cotton, 44/45 inches wide (two panels cut 68 inches long each)
- Matching thread, 50-weight for sewing and hemming
- A size 80/12 universal needle
- Rotary cutter, long ruler, cutting mat, pins or clips, and an iron
- A tape measure for your window, plus a pencil or chalk marker
- Your curtain rod, already hung, so you can measure from the real thing
- Optional: clip rings instead of a rod pocket, if you like that look
Brief Steps
Step 1: Measure, then cut. Measure from the top of your rod to where you want the hem to land. Add 5 inches for the rod pocket and header, and 3 inches for the bottom hem. For a 63-inch finished length, cut each panel 68 inches long. Keep the full width, just trim the selvedges off. Cut the second panel starting at the same stripe as the first, so your stripes match across the pair.
Step 2: Hem the sides. On each long edge, fold under 1/2 inch, press, then fold again. Sew close to the folded edge, about 10 stitches per inch. Go slow near the bottom corners. Bulky folds like to shift right there, and slow is how you keep them honest.
Step 3: Sew the rod pocket. Fold the top edge down 1/2 inch and press. Fold down another 3 inches and press again. Sew along the lower fold for the pocket. Add a second stitch line 1 inch above it if you want a little ruffled header. Thread the rod through and check your length before you hem the bottom.
Step 4: Hem the bottom and hang. Fold the bottom edge up 1/2 inch, then 2 1/2 inches more. Press and sew close to the top fold. Hang both panels, spread the gathers out even with your fingers, and give everything a light final press right on the rod if your iron reaches safely. Super duper cute, and really really festive.
Practical Tips From My Sewing Room
First tip: let the stripe do the measuring. Align your ruler with a stripe edge before every cut. Your panels will hang straighter, and your pair will match.
Second: think about light. Unlined quilting cotton lets soft daylight glow through, lovely in a kitchen. If you need privacy or darkness, a simple liner panel behind is a fine option. Your window, your call.
And remember, it doesn't have to be perfect. A tiny wobble in a side hem disappears once the fabric gathers on the rod. You're your own worst critic here. Take your time, it's not a race. Press often, and enjoy that teal glow.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today, y'all. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 12 Days of Christmas Patterned Stripe Teal Cotton Fabric 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
