Hey guys!
I made my girls some window panels for their room today. These are so easy to make, and can go in pretty much any room of the house. If you can handle a hot glue gun, you can master these. I added some stripes to the girls’, but you can totally skip that part for a neutral panel.
Here is how theirs turned out!
For the fabric I use this drop cloth from Lowe’s.
This is a long drop cloth that is already hemmed on all the edges. One drop cloth will make 2 long valance… Cheap!
I always start by cutting the drop cloth in half which leaves me with 2 pieces that are about 4′ x 7.5′.
For those of you that want to add some stripes… Here is where I did it. If you don’t, just skip to the next part!
I used blue painter’s tape to section off a few stripes at the hemmed end of both pieces.
Next I used acrylic paint and foam brushes to fill in my lines… Easy!
That’s it for the lines! Let the paint dry and you are ready to finish them off!
Now I added my top hot glue hem. I cut my panels 2″ longer than the finished length I wanted them.
Next, I folded that end 1″ and ironed it.
Then I folded it again and ironed the fold.
Here is where “Old Trusty” comes in…
I used my hot glue gun to hold down that fold. This is my hot glue gun. Don’t judge… It’s been very loved.
I bought this one at Walmart and it is my very favorite hot glue gun. And it’s $6. Best power tool a mom can buy.
That’s it! Once you glue that hem down the panel is finished!
This is what I did for the hardware. I love wood drapery hardware, but it costs a pretty penny. So… I made my own for my bathroom a while back and decided to do the same here!
Here is what you will need…
Wood pole from Home Depot or Lowe’s. You can have them cut it to the length you need it.
I use these rod brackets from Lowe’s. They are in the wood section by dowels.
I also use these finials found in the same section at Lowe’s.
I cut the wood pole to the size I needed and gave everything a coat of my NEW fav…
You can find Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain at Lowe’s as well. Loving the Kona color…
I attached the wood brackets to the wall with screws and hung everything up. To attach the finials you just screw them into both ends of the pole.
For my drapery rings I used these that I found at Lowe’s. You can also find these at Hobby Lobby.
Just clip your panels up and that’s it!
How easy are those? They can be easily customized, or just left plain and simple. And the best part… No sew baby! Here are the girls’ all finished!
Hope you like them! These really can be used in every room of the house. You can customize them so easily and they can be made in no time at all!
If you like them, I would so appreciate some pins and shares below! Hope you have a great Friday night!
Thanks so much!!
~Whitney
Love these! The hot glue gun trick is ever easier than stitch witchery : )
http://www.kellymarket.com
Those are Fabulous! TFS!
Thanks so much!! 😉
This is awesome! I’m going to make them for my new apartment. Thank you!
these are great! i would like mine to be more “black out”… would you just double up the drop cloth?
maybe do the double rod they sell pre made and put another type of material behind? like a sheer so you can open for more light or a darker material to hold more light out. Also make sure you pole goes far enough past your window so no light creeps in on the sides
Such a cute idea! Thank you for the step by step photos!!
Thanks so much!!!
That is so cool, I am always looking for fun, easy, and cheap ways to make things to decorate my place. I am going to have to do this in my living-room. We currently have those nasty white blinds that are usually in apartment building at all the glass patio doors. I can’t stand them. We have a 1 yr. old son who loves to play with them and if anyone knows if you pull on them the top part that clips in breaks off and you either have to tape it or buy new ones which always break again. They also, bend up easily and snap if bent to hard nasty look. They don’t cost too much but, they do after time when you have to keep replacing them. I can really use these in my living room since they are made of cloth and clip up, if he pulls on them it will just come up clipped, no need to repair or replace! Thanks for the tutorial, you made it look easy. I hope it’s that easy for me.
Thanks so much Ashly!! I hate those blinds too!! Good luck… It really is easy! I would love to see pics when you get them all finished!
These look great! Did you pre-wash the drop cloth? Also, will the hot glue and acrylic paint hold up to washing? I only ask because we have 3 cats & a dog. With all that animal fur flying around I need to be able to throw stuff in the wasing machine. Although I could probably substitute fabrc paint and iron on hem tape. Anyhow, I really love how these turned out and I’m forever greatfu for the curtain rod idea. All these years I’ve been spending $$$ buying curain rods, never knowing I could just make them myself! Thank you!
Thank you!! I don’t prewash, only because it makes for more ironing which drives me bonkers. I have never washed my finished drapes, but I don’t have any animals… Just 5 kiddos! The hem tape is definitely a good option!
The painters cloth has wash instructions on it, since its a reuseable cloth for professional painters
Do you have i instructions for the string& clothespin art pictured on the wall?? That is so cool!
Yes I do! Here it is…
https://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2012/05/shanty-memo-frame.html
Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing this! I was looking for some way to make long curtains to close off the not so pretty part (the laundry area) in our basement which is only partially finished. These are perfect and won’t break the bank! Can’t wait to make mine soon!
Glad to help Kelly!!! 🙂
clever ideal
Thank you!!
Wondering how I was going to put cheap drapes on front window for 11 years and now I know what to do. many thanks for your idea
Glad you like them and glad to help!! 🙂
Love them! great idea. How long are the curtains when finished?
Saddened! Went to Lowes, HD and neither one sell those wood brackets. (I have been looking everywhere for those!) The drop cloths… $25 each! I could go to sears and buy ready made panels for cheaper. You girls are sooooo lucky to find what you need at great prices!
If you have a Harbor Frieght around you those drop cloths are about $10-12 there. Sometimes you can find them at craft places like Hobby Lobby (which is a good place to get the clip rings too on the half price sale weeks).
Man I didnt even think of looking there!! thanks a bunch!! have more windows!!
These turned out adorable! Found my project for this weekend 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Holy cow, I LOVE these! What a great idea. I love that you can customize them any way that you want and they are super inexpensive to make. Thanks for another great project! 🙂