Sometimes the smallest change can completely refresh a space. Lately, I had been wanting to make a little update in our kitchen, but I wasn’t quite sure what direction to go. I ended up sewing these DIY kitchen curtains to add some color and pattern to our cozy cottage breakfast nook.
When I want a change, my go-to is typically swapping out a rug, pillows or curtains and of course a fresh coat of paint. I knew I wanted to bring in some color, so I thought a good place to start would be the curtains. The challenge, however, was the windows.
Our kitchen windows are an unusual size, which made finding ready-made curtains difficult. Most of the panels I found were around 60 inches long, which would have hung too low and nearly touch the bench seats in the breakfast nook. That meant I would have had to hem them anyway.
And if I was going to pull out the sewing machine to hem curtains… I might as well just sew them myself. That’s when I remembered this beautiful floral fabric I had that was tucked away in my fabric stash.
Shopping Your Fabric Stash First
I’ve been wanting to add a little more color to the kitchen, but I wasn’t sure whether that should paint the cabinets, refresh the pillows in the nook or find a new rug. Curtains felt like the easiest place to start.
I remembered buying this floral fabric years ago with plans to make slipcovers for our dining room chairs. Since then, those chairs have been replaced, and the fabric had been sitting forgotten on a shelf.
When I rolled the fabric off the bolt, I discovered I technically had enough fabric for curtains — but just barely. It was going to require a little creativity.
Planning Your DIY Kitchen Curtains Before You Sew
Because I was working with a limited amount of fabric, I had to plan carefully before making the first cut. When sewing DIY kitchen curtains, especially multiple panels like these, a little planning goes a long way.
Please note:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means I may get compensated/earn commission at no extra cost to you if the affiliate links are utilized to make a purchase. For further information, see our Disclosure Policy.
Instead of sewing traditional rod pockets, I decided to use clip-on curtain rings, which saved several inches of fabric at the top of each panel.
After measuring the windows and determining the finished length I needed, I mapped out exactly how much fabric each curtain panel would use.
One tip I always recommend when sewing multiple curtain panels is this:
Write down your plan.
For this project, I needed to sew eight curtain panels in total.
I sketched out the cutting layout and wrote down my measurements for the hems so I wouldn’t forget later. For example:
- Fold and iron 1 inch
- Fold again 2 inches
- Sew a ½-inch seam
It sounds simple, but when you’re sewing multiple panels — sometimes over a couple of days — it’s incredibly easy to forget exactly what you did on the first one. Writing everything down keeps the curtains consistent so they all hang evenly. And in a space like this breakfast nook, uneven curtains would definitely be noticeable.
I’ve shared this little nook styled for different seasons before, like in my posts on cozy fall kitchen nook ideas and our cozy Christmas kitchen nook
Getting Creative with the Sink Curtains in the Kitchen
I knew I wasn’t going to have enough fabric for the window over the sink, but since it’s separate from the nook, I thought I could get a little creative with those panels and make them a little different.
I used the same measurements for the top seam that I used for the nook panels and simply added a white linen ruffle along the bottom. This allowed me to extend the length while still keeping everything cohesive with the curtains in the nook. And honestly, the ruffle is my favorite part.
A Sewing Tool That Makes Ruffles Easy
If you enjoy sewing cottage-style projects with ruffles, I highly recommend getting a ruffler foot for your sewing machine.
It creates perfectly even ruffles and saves so much time compared to gathering fabric manually. For projects like curtains, bed skirts, or slipcovers, it’s a small tool that makes a big difference.
The Final Result
The floral pattern adds just the right amount of color and pattern that I was looking for. I love making small seasonal updates in this space, like I shared in my post about our spring kitchen
These DIY kitchen curtains were such a simple project, and I love how they added a little bit of cottage charm to our breakfast nook. And best of all, I was able to use fabric I already had.
Leave a Reply