DIY No Sew Blackout Drapes: The Final Reveal!

When we moved in to our house, we spent weeks sleeping in our bedroom without drapes and everyday we were up with the sun. That got old real quick so I got to work on these no-sew blackout drapes.

I had my eye on this fabric by Anna Maria Horner ever since I first saw it months back on Pinterest. And then I saw a blog post on View Along the Way, where she used the same fabric for drapes in her nursery and I loved the way the fabric looked hanging up, so I made the decision to go forward with the design.

This project used about 2.5 yards of fabric and blackout material for each panel. The blackout material seriously does a wonderful job at keeping the light out. I’m super sensitive to light when I sleep and this does the trick.

Also, I decided to make these no-sew because I am horrible on the sewing machine. I can’t sew a straight line and I always end up jamming the needle somehow. But it was also really physically hard on my body to sit on the floor for an hour ironing each one together, so if you can use a sewing machine, I would recommend you go ahead and use one over this method. But if not, these will still come out just as wonderful.

Here’s the breakdown of costs for materials for all 3 windows:

• 15 yards of fabric: $9.50 a yard x 15 = $142.50
• 15 yards of blackout material: $4.68 x 15 = $70
• 2 rolls of stitch witchery: $5
• Grand total for each individual window panel: About $35.43

But then we had to buy hardware because the previous homeowners took the rods with them:

• 3 curtain rods: $20 x 3 = $60
• 4 finials: $15.00 x 2 = $30
• 1 corner rod attachment: $8
• 40 top clasps: $10 x 4 = $40
• Grand total for hardware cost: $138

Here’s what I did:

• I measured how long I wanted the drapes to be, which are about 87-88 inches (we have high ceilings and I wanted a dramatic look).
• I laid the fabric out on the living room floor to cut to size, which I admit, isn’t very accurate per panel as it was really hard to cut straight. I received an entire bolt of fabric so that’s why I had to cut each panel myself. If you buy from Joann’s or another craft store, I recommend asking them to cut the fabric for you in the lengths you need!
• After cutting the first panel to size, I used it as a template for the rest so there was some slight variation in length which is hardly noticeable in the end result.
• I laid the blackout material on top of the fabric and cut to fit nicely inside.
• I ironed the edges of the fabric in about 1 – 1.5 inches to make nice crisp lines where I would later fold over again and iron the stitch witchery in between the blackout material and the fabric, fusing them together.
• I laid the fabric and blackout material on the kitchen floor and after carefully lining them both up, I ironed around the entire perimeter with stitch witchery to fuse them together, wrong sides together.
• After installing the curtain rods, I attached a clip every few inches to the top of each panel and hung.

Overall, I don’t believe I saved any money on this project by doing it myself. And having to buy curtain rods was like a punch in the gut because the previous home owners took all the rods with them for whatever reason, so we had to start from scratch.

But the entire reason I did this project was to get custom made drapes in the exact design I wanted. And for that, I am happy! It was hard work and I will probably never make drapes like this again, but it was worth it for the look and darkness they provide at night.

And now, we have to buy new bedding because the blue we have now totally clashes. So add that to the cost of materials too.