Button and Ribbon Topped Curtains

I had been thinking, for awhile, that my sewing room (which is really just a big landing at the top of the stairs) needed some curtains to give a pop of color to the room.   Once we cut down the tree that provided shade to that side of the house, the need was no longer about aesthetics but temperature control.  I had some fabric I found in the clearance bin that needed a purpose, some ribbon to use up, and black buttons. Voila- my curtains were born! 

Supplies:
Fabric
Lining
Buttons
Ribbon
Thread

This is basically a tab back curtain, with two lengths of thin ribbon creating the tabs in front instead of the back. The finished product should be 1 1/2-2 times the width of the window and however long you would like.  I made mine to fit the whole window, but you could certainly make these as valances or cafe style curtains.  Cut your fabric an inch wider and an inch longer than you want your finished product to be.

The ribbons will create the "pocket" for your curtain rod, so the length your ribbons need to be will vary with how thick your rod is.  I had a very thin rod, and cut mine 3 1/2" long.  Be sure you cut the ribbon longer than you need.  You will be able to trim the excess later.

Generally, tabs should be spaced 6-8 inches apart. Since my ribbons were so thin (1/8"), I spaced them closer for more support and visual appeal. Two ribons spaced about 1/16" apart created each "tab".  I just eyeballed this.  I placed my first and last set of ribbons 1 1/2 inches from each edge and spaced the rest 4 1/2 inches apart. When laying this out, put your fabric right side up, and pin your ribbons right side up as well.

Next take your lining, and pin it so that the right side is down.  The right side of the fabric and the right side of the lining should be together.  Pin this, and sew 1/2" seem around the edge leaving a 5" opening at the bottom so you can turn it right side out.  After you sew it, trim the corners and turn it right side out.

Iron the edges. Be sure to fold under your opening as it would be have been had it been sewn.  Fold the ribbons so that they come straight down on top of your fabric, and iron a crease. 

Top stitch the entire perimeter of the curtain at 1/4".  As you stitch over the ribbons be sure they are laying straight.

Next determine how wide your "pocket" needs to be for your rod.  I had a thin rod, so a 1" pocket was wide enough for me.  Mark a line 1" (or whatever width you need) from the top stitch line.  I used pins at ever ribbon to mark this.  You could also use a fabric pencil if you wanted.  Sew a line along your marks.  Again, be sure the ribbons are laying straight as you sew over them.  Once you have done this, trim the ribbon below this stitch so that when you sew your buttons on, they cover the ends.

Sew your buttons on to cover the ribbon ends. 

Then hang your curtain.

One thing to keep in mind with this style curtain, is that your rod will show.  You need to have a rod you don't mind seeing.  Also, this would have been so much easier if I had used one length of wider ribbon at each "tab."  If you are buying supplies, and not just looking to use up sewing supplies, I would buy 1/2" wide ribbon, and use one length to create each tab.  If you do use thin ribbon, as I did, you may want to shorten your stitch length a bit.  I did not do this on my first curtain and a couple ribbon lengths managed to slip between stitches and not get secured when sewing the first seam.  I left them in place, ironed them (unsecured), shortened my stitch length, and made sure I caught them when I did the top stitching.

I think this curtain could be really fun with different shaped and colored buttons.  You don't have to used buttons either.  Any embelishment that covers the ribbons' ends would work.  Fabric roses or rosettes could be really sweet for a little girls room.  Happy sewing!

Tie Top Ribbon Valances tutorial

My kitchen valances were a long time in the making mostly because my hubby and I couldn't decide on a fabric.  I had so many fabric scraps by the end we joked that I could just make a patchwork valance (maybe another time).  However, I knew I wanted to use a spool of ribbon I've had in my craft supplies for awhile, and I wanted to try to sew them so that the face of the fabric folded over to the back so you wouldn't see the lining.  Here is what I came up with.

Materials
(for ease of explaining I will tell you what I used for the valance pictured above.  You may need to alter measurements based on the size of your window and effect you are after)

Fabric- 10" of 45" fabric
Lining- 9.5"x44"
Ribbon- 7 pieces of 1" wide ribbon cut 21" long each
Thread



All seam allowances are .5"

Your valances should be about 1.5 - 2 times the width of your window depending on the look you are after, although I often don't follow this rule.  My main window is about 33" and my fabric was 44.5" wide.  So I just used the whole width of my fabric and cut it 10 inches long.  Cut your lining 1" shorter on the width and .5" shorter on the length.

Determine the top of your fabric.  With right sides together line up the top edge of your fabric and lining.  Pin the sides together so the edges are even and the top is even but the bottom of the fabric hangs lower than the lining.  Once pinned it will not lay flat.

Sew the sides.  Turn the fabric right side out.  Center the lining so that about .5" of fabric comes around the back and press the edges so you get a nice crease.  When you turn your fabric inside out again, you will use this crease as your finished edge NOT the seam.

Turn fabric so right sides are together again.  Use pins to mark along the top edge where your ribbons will go.  They should be about 6-8" apart, but you could certainly put them closer or further away depending on the look you are going for.  I put my first and last ribbon .5 inches from the edge.  I spaced the rest 6 13/16" apart so that I had seven evenly spaced ribbons.  Fold each piece of ribbon in half, and pin it BETWEEN the lining and fabric with the folded edge lining up with both raw edges at the top.  (Last ribbon placed on top is to show you what it looks like before you put it between the fabric and the lining)

Once they are pinned sew along the top edge.  Be sure your ribbons are not twisted when you sew over them.  Next, trim a small square from your fabric at the bottom edge up to the lining and sewn seam on each side as shown below.

Then, line up the edge of the lining with the bottom edge of the fabric.  This is tricky at the corners, but it should look like this.

Sew along the bottom edge and leave a 4" opening somewhere so you can turn the whole piece right side out.  Also, make sure you do NOT catch any of the ribbons in this seam.

Turn it right side out, and use your fingers to straighten out the corners and seams. Your corners should look like this.

Place valance face down on the iron and press a crease in the bottom edge so that about .5" of fabric wraps around to the back. (See picture above.) Hand sew the opening closed.  I used a blind hem stitch, don't know if that is really the best one for this application, but it worked. Use a lighter to slightly melt the ends of the ribbon so they won't fray.  Ta-dah!  Now you are ready to tie it to your curtain rod.

I see all kinds of possibilities here: longer ribbons for making pretty bows, multiple thin ribbons for a festive look, or a full length curtain.  Don't be afraid to experiment and share!