DIY drop cloth curtains

DIY drop cloth curtains

I just finished making some DIY drop cloth curtains (yes, drop cloth- as in the ones painters put down so they don’t get paint on your furniture and floors!). They are 9 ft long x 6 ft wide, and the curtains themselves on cost me about $28! With ring clips, I spent about $38 total. I could not buy a nice pair of curtain panels at such a long length for anywhere near this price. There is NO sewing involved, either! The process was incredibly easy- and so, I thought I would share it for all of you!

Last year, I bought 4 curtain panels with my christmas money! I then returned those panels, and bought 4 more. I wasn’t completely satisfied with those either, but I was tired of searching and I was desperate to have curtains in our living room! We live out in the country, so while blinds aren’t necessary, I still think a little privacy is nice. Plus, I am obsessed with making things feel warm and cozy- and a room can’t feel cozy without a good set of curtains..right?

I really hate that I didn’t think to take a picture until I had already started this project. I’d already halfway taken down the curtain rod and started drilling holes for the new rod location (10 inches higher, because the rod was originally placed too low). So, excuse the room.. I was switching between the chair and ladder, and throwing around anything that crossed my path. Hanging this rod proved very difficult and so, it is not something I would EVER write a blog on-- so that’s why this is just about making the easiest DIY curtains ever!!

Previous curtains

I was pinteresting different ideas on curtains recently. I remembered a friend had just hung up something called “drop cloth curtains” for super cheap, so that’s the direction I was headed. I found some REALLY cute ideas out there, and they all claimed to be super cheap- also, it didn’t seem too complicated. So I decided to face my fears and give it a try.

Obviously, I already had the curtain rod. So, here is what else I bought:

Curtain clips from walmart- I bought two packs. These were 4.97/pack plus tax.

Then I bought (2) 6x9 ft drop clothes. These are found in the paint section of your local home improvement store. I bought mine from Home Depot.  I went for “Heavy Duty” thinking it would keep out more light. These were 13.95 a piece. The regular kind were about $11 a piece.

… and that’s it! At this point, once I finished the dreaded project of rehanging my curtain rod, I could begin this project!

1. First, I washed and dried my drop cloths under the setting for towels and sheets on my washing machine. I previously read that they would shrink a tad if they were every washed, and I like to feel like I have all bases covered.

2. I don’t know why I expected them to come out all fluffy and pretty- but as you can see, when they finished drying they were a hot mess. It was obvious why every previous post talked about ironing the drop cloths. It seemed like it would be tedious, so I made sure I had netflix going in the living room while I ironed away. This process took me about 35 minutes.

3. I measured the length from where my rod would be all the way to the floor. Mine measured 8.5 feet, and I like when curtains go all the way to the floor- so I had a couple inches I could safely work with.

4. Finally, I laid both curtains out on the floor. I measured 1.5 inches to fold over and clip. Honestly, the fold over was not necessary- but I thought it would look a little nicer. You may prefer to iron the fold over before clipping it. I did not iron this part, and you can’t tell.

5. All that was left was the put the curtains on my newly hung rod and VOILA! My space has been completely transformed and feels so cozy!

The curtains are a great thick-ish material so no glare coming through on the tv! You can’t see through them either, so you can feel safe in knowing that you have your privacy! They are an off-white linen material, and have very subtle and rare strings with bits of other colors (this little detail you can’t see without looking for it really.) I spent less than 2 hours getting the curtains ironed, clipped, and hung! For so cheap and so easy- you seriously can't beat it!

I hope y’all enjoyed this DIY project!! I wish all of you DIYers the best in all your home improvement endeavors!!