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How to Make Outdoor Curtain Panels

From Drop Cloths

Dave and I love the look of outdoor curtain panels. Not only do they add a whimsical, breezy look to your porch or patio, but they can also provide needed shade.

Learn from Traci, author of Beneath My Heart, how to make your own affordable porch curtains from simple drop cloths - like the kind you buy at Home Depot or Lowe's.

Learn to Make These Drop Cloth Curtains

What a difference these curtains make to Traci's patio.

Traci is a self-proclaimed drop cloth expert. She has made living room curtains and slipcovers from drop cloths. And then she made outdoor curtain panels for her patio.

Why drop cloths? Traci loves drop cloths because they are inexpensive and wear well. Plus they come already hemmed (yes!) and they look very nice. Dave and I think they look really great, too.

Traci's tips for buying the right drop cloths

Traci likes the 6' x 9' drop cloths from Home Depot better than Lowe's because they are seamless (at least at her store).
She recommends that you wash the drop cloths before using them. Why? Because they become really soft after washing and they also shrink a little.
After having purchased many drop cloths, she noticed that the ones from Home Depot come in two different kinds of fabrics (as shown in the picture below). She likes the fabric in the lower part of the picture the best.

Which of the two fabrics do you prefer?

What you will need for the project

For the curtains

One 6' x 9' drop cloth for about every 5 to 6 feet you want to shade
One package of clip-rings for each drop cloth (7 clip rings per package)
Optional: tiebacks (one per each outdoor curtain panel)

For the curtain rod(s)

Lengths of half inch metal poles to act as outdoor curtain rods
Hooks for hanging the metal poles (see picture below)
KILZ primer and white spray paint for protecting and painting the poles
An alternative idea is to simply purchase tension rods which would even be easier than the metal rods. No hooks or painting would be needed.

How to make the outdoor curtain panels - Traci's method

Traci hangs her curtains from half inch metal poles - which are her outdoor curtain rods. In total she needed 6 poles. For the two longer poles (7 feet), she bought two 10 foot poles and cut them down. She spent less than ten dollars total for all the poles.

To protect the poles from moisture, Traci painted them with KILZ spray primer. To finish the job, she painted them with a coat of white spray paint.

Hooks for hanging outdoor curtain panels

She uses hooks (like shown here) to hold up the curtain rods (poles). The hooks are less than a dollar each. She spray paints them white, too.

The hooks are placed to hold up the poles. Looks fairly easy. Think you can do it?

Now the curtains are ready to hang. After washing (and ironing) them, Traci hangs them up with ring clips. No sewing involved because the drop cloths are already hemmed. Yeah!

When she needs a little extra shade. Traci can extend the curtains.

Or she can pull them back with a tieback - like this! Either way, what a nice way to cozy up your porch.

Traci has 5 of these curtains on her patio. The total cost for this project (remember, 5 curtains) was less than $100 - which is a steal.

Handmade curtain panels in Traci's living room

Here's a picture showing the drop cloth curtains that Traci made for her living room. In addition to this, she has made them for her kitchen and den - plus slipcovers.

If you'd rather not tackle making your own curtains, there are so many smart-looking porch curtains you can purchase. They come in many colors and patterns - and from sheer to heavier outdoor curtain fabrics.

If you are wondering about mildew...we checked around. Yes, outdoor curtains may mildew. To prevent that, keep your curtains from touching the ground and be sure to "unbunch" them to allow them to dry.

Meet Traci of
"Beneath My Heart"

Traci is the Mom of 4 sons and she loves creating a beautiful home on a tiny budget. Traci says her husband is her "partner in crime".

Traci is the author of Beneath My Heart. You will enjoy learning how Traci creates a lovely home by figuring out how to create her own designer items.

Please visit Traci's blog, "Beneath My Heart", to see more of her helpful and creative ideas.

Our warm thanks to Traci for sharing her instructions for making outdoor curtain panels with us.

Please share your decorating ideas with us. We enjoy hearing your porch ideas.

Did you like Traci's instructions for making outdoor curtain panels? Then you will also enjoy Diana's story about Decorating a Porch. (You'll like her zany numbered pillows.)

See a Great Example of Applying Traci's Tutorial

Lori Lawson, a kind friend from our Facebook page, posted this picture for us. She made her own porch curtains using Traci's instructions above.

She used the 6x9 ft. drop cloths. She also used 1/2" electrical conduit pipe with conduit connectors, #6 hooks and a conduit elbow for the corner. Lori used the same clips that Traci's tutorial suggested: Mainstays and white spray paint.

Notice that Lori's curtains have "valances". Because her porch is only 7ft tall, she folded the excess fabric and clipped it with the Mainstays clips! Perfect idea, Lori.

Thank you for sharing with us! You have created quite a nice atmosphere with your new outdoor curtain panels.

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