DIY:
Easy No-Sew Sidelight Window Curtain
Yes, another curtain related DIY!
Why? Because we have a lot of windows! Hahaha.
When we first moved in, we had our sidelight window bare. I did not want to cover it because I love having natural light come in the house during the day. However, it was a major privacy issue where you could see right in, and honestly, that weirds me out. So, we purchased this film which lets in all the light while making it private and it looks fabulously fancy!
Anyway, at night time, the outdoor light coming in through the sidelight window is way too bright and a bit inconvenient, as it bounces off the wall right into our bedroom! To solve this, I figured I would try a sheer curtain and it definitely made a difference! It doesn’t completely block the light, but it softens it so it’s not as bright and the light still gets through during the day. I opted from buying one because I didn’t know if I would like it, plus I would also have to purchase whatever I needed to hang it and so, instead I decided to make my own from a sheer curtain panel I had laying around.
Not only did I use a curtain I already had, everything else used to hang, I had leftovers from previous projects.
Here’s what I used to make our sidelight window curtain:
- 1 white sheer curtain panel (84in in length)
- 4 screw eye hooks (came with picture hanging kit, can be purchased separately)
- Ivory ribbon
- Piece of cardboard
The following are the steps I took to set it up:
Step 1: To make it work, first I measured the window to make sure the curtain would be long enough, which it was plus a little more (and more details on that head).
Step 2: I measured across the window to make sure I had enough ribbon to tie across the top and bottom of the window.
Step 3: I screwed in the screw eye hooks to both sides of the window where I wanted my curtain to start falling and where it needed to end at the bottom. I used pliers to get the last bit into the wood.
Step 4: Thread ribbon on to the bottom slit of the curtain. I did not thread the ribbon on the normal top slit where the curtain rod goes because I didn’t want the frilly top and it just seemed cleaner that way than trying to do it on the top one.
Step 5: I tied the threaded ribbon on to the screw eye hooks as tight as possible. Then I tucked the extra ribbon into the slit. I did not cut it because if it is too short, it will not fold smoothly into the slit.
Step 6: Once my curtain was hanging from the top, I attempted to roll it up as far up as where the bottom screw eyes were located. Then my rolling hard work unrolled. So, that’s when I came up with the cardboard part. I made sure the cardboard would fit snug inside the very bottom slit and that it would be as wide as the space between screw eyes. I then proceeded to thread both cardboard and ribbon inside the slit. Once the curtain was positioned on the cardboard and the ribbon was centered (to get even tying power on either side), I started rolling tightly under towards me. The cardboard proved useful for the rolling to stay in place, it needed a solid core.
Step 7: After the curtain had been rolled up far enough to where the screw eyes were, I tied the ribbon and made adjustments. You could probably use paperclips to keep it more secure, but I went without it.
Step 8: Voila! It is done and in place!
I love how it turned out and it doesn’t look like I DIY’ed it from pretty much scraps. HAHA. It serves its purpose and with the window being pre-filmed, there’s no need to move the curtain at all because you can’t see through the window anyway, so it always stays in place. Which is why I didn’t really care if the bottom was as secure, just FIY. If you are wanting to make it more functional to open and close or to peek outside, you’ll probably want to secure that puppy so the sides don’t get too wild!
Did you like this DIY? If you have any ideas on how to make it even easier, I’m all ears! Leave your suggestions in the comments below!
2018 @ Little Conquest
2018 @ Little Conquest
That looks so pretty and so simple! Love it!
It looks very good, thanks for sharing this!
It looks so pretty and elegant. So glad all that effort you put in turned out so well.
What an awesome idea and it looks gorgeous!
I just love DIY posts.. and this DIY curtain idea is so amazing.. thanks for Sharing this great idea..
Wow, this is perfect. We have this type of window on our front door. I’m not crazy about our blinds, but haven’t wanted to replace them. This is the perfect, affordable solution.
Great idea! Now i can finally stop getting blinded by the light in my kitchen lol
Great idea, and a very easy DIY! Plus, people are always looking for solutions to those awkward windows.
What a great idea for people who don’t like or can’t sew and it’s so easy to do!
What a great idea! I love that it’s no sew !
This looks so nice! I’m not much of a seamstress, so I really admire your work 🙂