Curtain Hemming and Embellishing, No Sewing Required!

No sewing machine? No big deal! You can hem and embellish curtains without sewing a stitch — and you can do it in an afternoon.

No-Sew Hemming Curtain

Level: Easy

What You Need

Instructions

1. Measure

Prewash and hang your curtains, then measure the amount you’ll need to remove. Take the curtains down and lay them on a flat surface for step 2.

2. Mark and Cut

Use a non-permanent pen to mark the back of the curtain along the bottom edge of where you’d like to hem. Decide how deep you’d like your hem — somewhere between 1″ and 5″ will work best.

Measure the hem depth down from the previous mark, toward the hem and mark this length. Measure down an additional 1” and mark again.

Always measure twice! Double check that your measurements are correct, then cut the curtains along the bottom most line.

3. Press and Fuse

Press the curtains toward the back along each marked line. Be sure to check the fabric content of your curtains and set your iron temperature accordingly.

Unfold the curtain and place a length of fusible tape between the 1” fold and the back of the curtain. Fuse the fold in place along the entire width of your curtain by following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Place another length of fusible along the top folded edge and refold the next pressed fold of the curtains to their final length. (If you’re having a rough time keeping it put, you can hold the ribbon temporarily in place using a glue stick before fusing.) Fuse in place as before and you’re all done!

No-Sew Curtain Embellishments

Level: Easy

What You Need

Pro Tip: Be sure to prewash ribbon and embellishments — otherwise they might shrink when you wash your curtains in the future.

1. Pompom Fringe Fun

Nothing complicated here: Just glue the fringe to the back side of the curtains along the curtain edge. Begin and end by folding 1/2” of the ribbon under at the curtain edge to hide the raw ends.

2. Double Ribbon Mix and Match

For this variation, start with heat-resistant ribbon the width of your curtain(s) + 12”. Try contrasting or matching widths and different types of ribbon for maximum effect. Purchase or cut fusible web to the width of the ribbon.

Measure and mark a line for each length of ribbon along the bottom of the curtains. Place fusible web between the ribbon and curtain along the line and fuse according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Begin and end by folding 1” of the ribbon under at the curtain edge to hide the raw ends.

3. Mitered Ribbon Statement Curtains

Use a heat-resistant ribbon that’s twice the total height and width of your curtain(s) + 12”. Measure and mark an even line up and to the inside edge of each curtain. Buy or cut fusible web to the width of your ribbon.

Place fusible web between the ribbon and curtain front and fuse, making sure to follow the marked lines and fold a mitered corner.