In this DIY Drop Cloth Curtains with a Twist (No Rods, No Sewing Required) post I’m sharing a quick little DIY on my no rod, no sew – drop cloth curtains – and I am super excited to share the unexpected materials I used! These curtains made from good ole painter’s drop cloths are so simple and the best part is that they can be done in an afternoon! Making them both easy peasy and inexpensive too!
About the Curtain Panels
First, the “panels” are drop cloths, that’s right, good ‘ole painters drop cloths. Drop cloths come with perfectly finished hems, so no sewing is needed making this a very simple project. Love that! Drop cloths are also neutral and these canvas/cotton ones offer some nice texture to the room. I left them as is but you can also bleach them for a lighter color. You can purchase them at Lowes or Home Depot, I ordered mine from Amazon – because – ya know- Amazon Prime) Drop cloths come in different lengths so be sure to measure for the length that fits your windows – my personal preference is to have them “puddle” a bit on the floor – with this in mind, I figured in an extra 3″ when measuring for mine. For a lighter effect on for your windows, you can also cut them length-wise to get 2 panels out of one drop cloth. You can either hem the cut edge to make side seams or leave it (shhhh! no one needs to know)
Assembling the Panels
The first step is to prepare the panels – after washing and drying the drop cloths I took hair ties – yes, you read that right!! Thick black Scunci (or Goody) hair ties – the ones we use for that second-day hair messy bun! Using my sewing machine – I sewed on 5 evenly spaced ties across the top of the curtain. If you don’t want to drag out your sewing machine – I get it, I’ll do just about anything not to pull mine out! You can certainly hand sew the ties on or just use a safety pin to secure them on the drop cloth. Why hair ties you ask? First, they are the perfect size loop for these curtains, second, they have some give to them which helps them hang just right, third the flat black finish pairs great with the drop cloths and…hair ties are cheap!
Hanging Instructions
To hang – instead of rods, I decided to use drawer pulls (or knobs if you will) with 2 sided screws called hanger bolts – be sure to get drawer pulls that come without the screws already (permanently) attached. I discarded the loose screws that came with the pulls and used the 2 sided screws instead. I took one end of the 2 sided screw and screwed it into the drawer pull, the other side goes into the wall. Next I put 5 evenly spaced pulls (making sure they are on a straight line) on each side of my window to give the illusion of larger windows.
I also placed the pull that is closest to the window right over the window casing (woodwork) so the panel covers the casing and not the actual window, this allows for a lot of light flowing into the living room- which just makes me happy! For height, I placed the pulls about 6″ above the window casing to give the illusion of grander windows and higher ceilings. I took my measuring tape and measured 4″ between each pull and placed a pencil mark where the pulls would go. To install the knobs we were able to just …well, screw them right in!! (by hand – with a little elbow grease 😉 ) I recommend screwing the knobs on the screw first and then holding the knob to push while twisting the other end into the wall. In total 20 pulls for 2 windows (4 panels).
To finish take the curtain panel with the ties sewn on and loop the ties over the knobs and voila! No rod drop cloth curtains! An afternoon well spent!
If you like to close your curtains for extra privacy – these are not the curtains for you! Our home is situated far back from the road, so for us having stationery curtains is not a problem. These curtains can be paired with shades for more privacy.
Here is a list of the materials and supplies needed for this easy DIY project. I purchased the drawer pulls a looong time ago so I was unable to find the exact ones to share with you. However, I offer similar styles below. There are lots of options so I encourage you to be creative to get the look you want, just be sure they fit the hanger bolts, not all do.
Materials and Supplies:
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- 2 (packs of 2) drop cloths
- 20 hair ties
- 20 drawer pulls (2 windows/4 panels/5 pulls each panel)
- 20 2-sided screws (hanger bolts)
- Scissors
- Tape measurer
- Sewing machine or needle and thread (optional)
- Pencil
Additional drawer pulls that fit the hanger bolts linked above:
Brainerd Lancaster Round Cabinet Knob
Brainerd Venetian Bronze Round Cabinet Knob
Frequently Asked Questions
You can always use a traditional curtain rod on to put your own twist on using s=drawer pulls you can mount them on a decorative board and hang the board. This is a great solution if you don’t want to screw all those knobs into your walls.
It is recommended that you run your drop cloth curtain panels through a washing machine cycle before you hang them in the event they shrink. Additionally, the washing machine will remove some of the stiffness of the fabric. For a more casual look, you can also add fabric softener to your wash cycle.
You can simply clip curtain rings (sometimes referred to as drapery clips) to hang them on a drapery rod. If you are not familiar with clip curtain rings you would clip the rings to the top of the drop cloth and run the clips over the rod. This is a good option if you want to be able to open and cloth the curtains. You can still use the hair ties I mention in this post however they won’t run as smoothly over the rod to close.
Solutions for Drop Cloths that are too long: If the Drop cloths are too long consider cutting the hem to shorten them. After cutting the fabric you can leave the raw edge of the hem with a sewing machine. If you don’t want to pull out your sewing machine you can use hem tape to create a no sew bottom hem. Another great option to keep these no sew drop cloth curtains is to add a folded header to the top of the panels to do this you would simply fold the excess fabric over and add the hair ties of curtain clips to the fold. You can see how this is done in my ticking stripe curtain post.
Solutions for Drop Cloths that are too short: If the drop cloths are too short and you don’t have enough fabric for the panels to touch the floor consider making shorter curtains. You can have the panels reach just below the window sill. Another option is to add a header to the drop cloths. you can do this by sewing a panel along the top or bottom of the drop cloth. For a no sew option, get creative, cut the top of the drop cloth into strips then do the same with the additional fabric and tie the pieces together. Use the same drop cloth material or go in a completely different direction with a fabric that is a different color.
You can hang drop cloth curtains anywhere you want a farmhouse look or relaxed style. I hung ours in our living room but Drop cloth curtains would work well in a dining room, bedroom, or guest room. Drop cloth’s are an affordable product making them the perfect solution for a room that has lots of windows. Another great use for drop cloth curtains is to use them as outdoor curtains on a covered patio or porch. You would simply install an outdoor curtain rod and then hang the curtains.
We used a cotton canvas drop cloth. Canvas drop cloth is made of 100 percent cotton duck fabric. It typically has double-stitched seams and heavy-duty rot-resistant thread. Additionally, canvas drop cloths are washable making them a great choice for curtains and other home decor uses. You can find canvas drop cloths are your local hardware store, and larger box stores like Lowes, Home Depot, and Harbor Freight.
Tip: Drop cloths come in different shades of off-white canvas. If possible consider going to a store to purchase the right shade for your project.
Drop cloth curtains are a great way to save money on your window treatments and these DIY curtains could not be simpler! For more curtain ideas be sure to visit my Window treatments board on Pinterest.
I hope you enjoyed this DIY Drop Cloth Curtains with a Twist (No Rods, No Sewing Required) post and will try to hang your own drop cloth curtains with this post as a guide. Be sure to check out another fun DIY using unexpected materials Make your own orb chandelier using embroidery hoops and for another great window treatment idea visit my DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Ticking Stripe Curtains post.
Keep creating friends!
What a fantastic idea! One I will definitely be “borrowing”!!
Thank you Maureen!!