I love café-style curtains in a kitchen! These were so easy to sew and completed rustic farmhouse kitchen decor. Café curtains are great for blocking out the sunlight during certain parts of the day but still allow us to admire our backyard.
Since we have larger windows in our kitchen, I had to learn how to make café curtains with customized measurements. It was a pretty simple process that ended with beautiful results!
I’ve also used simple straight lines to create a valance for the bathroom, doily curtains for the living room, and even tie-dye curtains for a teen room.
But, there are so many windows in my kitchen I feared a big bold pattern would overwhelm the entire space. The Waverly fabric from Walmart blends in slightly but gives a punch of pattern. I love the subtle design in this case.
Knowing how to sew a basic curtain is a great way to save a few bucks and practice sewing. The great thing is that you can choose the style and measurements and make them your own style for a quarter of the price.
DIY Kitchen Curtains
There are two parts to this tutorial: a café curtain and a valance.
- A café curtain is the bottom half of the curtain set. It covers half of the window.
- The valance is the top part of the curtain set – only covering about ⅓ of the window.
What are café curtains?
Typically, café curtains are hung in bathrooms and kitchens where drapes or full-length curtains aren’t practical. Depending on the window, these are usually hung in tiers – one at the top and one covering the lower half of the window.
How do you measure for café curtains?
The length of the curtain begins at the rod pocket all the way to where the curtain falls. Measure from the top of the curtain rod (already secured on the wall) down to where you want the curtain to fall.
The fabric of the bottom curtain should just barely touch the window sill.
Supplies for DIY Kitchen Curtains
- Fabric of your choice
- Curtain Rod
- Measuring tape
- Kitchen or bathroom window
How to Make a Valance
Start by measuring your window and seeing what sizes you will need. My top curtain needed to be 19 x 32. I added 1 inch to that 19 for seam allowance then used the width of the bolt to give the curtain a little fullness.
How much fabric do you need for café curtains?
I always recommend purchasing more fabric than you need. Generally, a curtain’s measurements are 1 ½ – 2 times the width of the area it is meant to cover. The heavier the fabric, the more “full” the curtains will appear.
You may want to add a little extra if you are using a lighter fabric.
It’s inevitable that a small mistake is bound to happen when measuring, sewing, and trimming. A little extra will save you another trip to the craft store.
You can see more about how I made these curtains with the diagram below.
Steps for Making a Valance:
- Cut the size you need from the curtain and the liner fabric.
- Sew with the fabric right sides together.
- Be sure to skip 3 inches at the top of each side for your rod pocket and about 5 inches on one side to turn.
- Turn right side out and iron seams.
- Sew around rod pocket holes.
- Sew a straight line 2 1/2 inches from the top.
- Sew closed that hole you used for turning.
- Iron and hang!
How to Make Café Curtains
Now, you will also need bottom curtains.
In this step, the only thing you do differently is to cut them in half before beginning the sewing.
Between steps 1 and 2 above would be to cut them in half. You can see more in the diagram below.
So far I am really enjoying my new café style curtains. Will you be making your own? Be sure to follow our tutorial above.
Supplies
- Fabric of your choice
- Curtain Rod
- Measuring tape
- Kitchen or bathroom window
Instructions
For the Valance
- Cut the size you need from the curtain and the liner fabric.
- Sew with the fabric right sides together.
- Be sure to skip 3 inches at the top of each side for your rod pocket and about 5 inches on one side to turn.
- Turn right side out and iron seams.
- Sew around rod pocket holes.
- Sew a straight line 2 1/2 inches from the top.
- Sew closed that hole you used for turning.
- Iron and hang!
For the Cafe Curtains
- In this step, the only thing you do differently is to cut them in half before beginning the sewing.
- Between steps 1 and 2 above would be to cut them in half.
