I know what you’re thinking.

“Where did she get those adorable buffalo-check tie-up curtains??”

Just kidding.  Maybe you’re not thinking that.  But would you believe it if I said that I SEWED THEM MYSELF?!

Yes, me.  An amateur seamstress whose projects usually end up in a knotted mess.  No joke.  It has happened.  I am so excited how they turned out (and they don’t actually look like crap!) and love that they add a little farmhouse charm to our kitchen.

I originally saw these curtains at Target, but they were too small to fit our windows. I think they’re 42″x63″.

I looked everywhere to find something similar but didn’t have much luck. That’s when the search began for fabric!

Believe it or not, I found my fabric on Amazon. Best price and 2-day shipping.  Heck yes.

As you may or may not know, I do most of my projects as fast as I can while my little one is napping.  So timewise, I got these done in about 2 naps. 🙂 Really, if you can sew a straight line on a sewing machine, you could do this too!

I loosely followed Miss Mustard Seed’s DIY & Ready-Made Tie-Up Shades but modified it a little to fit the design I wanted and size of my windows (46″x46″ – I had no idea my windows were perfectly square.  They really don’t look like it!).  I wanted these to fit inside of our window on a tension rod, and be slightly bunched, so I ordered 4 yards of fabric (I would be putting these on 2 windows).

Since my windows are 46″x46″, I wanted to have enough extra fabric for hemming and for a little bunching on the rod, so I cut my fabric to 54″x54″.  For the tie-ups, I cut 8 strips 4″x54″.

First thing I did was hem the 2 sides and bottom of both of my curtains. I fold the fabric up by about 1/2″ twice, so that the raw edge is tucked inside the fold and pin it in place.  Before I sew the hem, I iron along the fold.  This makes a huge difference.  It makes it easier to sew and just looks better on the finished product.

For the tie-ups, I folded those 4″ strips in half, with the print on the inside.  I sewed a straight line all the way down but didn’t sew them closed on the ends.  Right now, they are inside-out, so you have to get them right-side out.  This was the hardest and most time-consuming part! Because they’re so long, it made it really difficult. If anybody has any tricks, please share!! Once I got them right-side out, I ironed them flat.

For the top pocket, I folded the raw edge down only once (1/2″), then folded it down 3″ to create the pocket.  Before I sewed this shut, I placed my tie-ups under the fold (see picture below).  I divided the width of my fabric by 1/3 to figure out where to place them.  I placed 2 tie-ups on the left-hand side (one on top of the other), then 2 more tie-ups on the right-hand side.  Once you’re done, 2 tie-ups would be in the front and 2 would be in the back.   Then, sewed a straight line across that would also sew in the tie-ups.

And really, at this point, you’re done! It took a little finagling to get the tie-ups just right, but I think they’re adorable!  Not too bad for an amateur. 🙂  Let me know what you think!

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