When I started planning our laundry room update, I knew I needed a solution to hiding all of our shoes under the benches. I’m constantly lining it up and trying to arrange it and it always looks like a hot mess. I love the look of a sink skirt and I think it would be really cute to make a shoe skirt! So I got to work on making no-sew blinds to hide all our shoes!
Exhibit A: I’m honestly shocked that it took me 7 years to decide to cover it. We use this room SO MUCH and no matter how hard I try, it’s impossible to keep shoes neat and tidy. I wanted something that was still functional but also beautiful and curtains seemed like a good option. It would hide the mess but would be easy to pull aside and reach for our shoes when we need them.
WHY PINCH PLEATS?
If you look at the work of any professional interior designer, you will most likely see blackout blinds. They offer a highly customized and luxurious look, creating a very luxurious appearance. Most of these curtains are custom made and can cost a fortune requiring extra fabric, but I was immediately surprised how easy it was to make my own.
I do own a sewing machine but it’s been a hot minute since I’ve used it and by the time I figure it all out again I’ll probably be done with this no-sew method! I had used iron-on adhesive before and was very impressed with the results, so I was willing to try it on these curtains.
MATERIALS FOR SEWLESS CURTAINS
I really love the fabric I chose for this project. I found these beautiful block print textiles on Etsy and knew right away I was going to use one of them. They remind me of a DIY Block Print Table Runner I made years ago! Once my sample arrived, this tiny little tulip print was a winner. And bonus – I have fabric left over so I thought some pillows might be in my future 😉
HOW TO MAKE PLEATT CURTAINS WITHOUT SEWING
STEP 1: MEASURE YOUR FABRIC
You want your fabric to be approx double the length of the finished size of your curtain. The way the pattern went on my fabric, my length was predefined for me and I ended up making a total of 3 curtains.
For your height, I’d suggest cutting the fabric a little longer than you think you need to. Then once you’ve hemmed the sides and top you can hold it down and get a better idea of where to trim it.
STEP 2: HEM THE SIDE OF YOUR FABRIC
Once the fabric is cut to size, you can hem the sides about an inch. If you’ve never used iron-on adhesive before, it’s super easy! You simply cut a piece to the length of your fabric. Fold your fabric over it, then use an iron to make it stick!
The heat from the iron melts the adhesive and bonds the fabrics together. There are different brands of adhesive so be sure to read the directions for you! Mine needed to be pressed for about 10 seconds on the back. Then I turned it over and pressed it again for a few seconds per section.
Iron-on adhesive creates a permanent bond without sewing! So easy!
STEP 3: HEM OVER YOUR FABRIC
The hem at the top of your fabric will be slightly wider than your sides because this is where the tape will be used. Fold your fabric over and place the tape on top so you have about 1/4″ of space on the top and bottom (1/2″ total).
Remove the tape and fold the fabric back down. Place two adhesive strips along your fabric, fold the fabric over them and iron.
STEP 4: IRON ON YOUR RIBBON TATTOO
To apply tape, do the same as above, placing two adhesive strips over your seams. Place masking tape on top and iron in place.
STEP 5: HEM UP UNDER YOUR CURTAINS
At this point, you can lift the curtains and get a better idea of where you want them to fall. The tip of the rope is about 1/4″-1/2″ above the floor. You may want yours to hang gently on the floor or hang slightly above. Either way, I find it easier to get my measurements at this point in the process. I even attached one of the hooks and rings and held it against the stem.
STEP 6: INSERT YOUR PLEAT HOOKS TO CREATE YOUR WASH FOLDING
This is honestly the hardest part of this whole process. These guys are stubborn and you’ll definitely need some elbow grease to get them in.
You have a few options here – you will see that your hook has 4 prongs. To get the classic pleat clasp look you need to fit all 4. You can also fit 2 or 3. Play around with them and see which you like best!
I decided to go with 4 and I have some tips to make it a little easier for you! The first tip is to use a toothpick to help open up the gaps in the tape. Especially after ironing it onto your fabric, the gaps will be very even. Just insert a toothpick and wiggle it back and forth a little. If you still have stubborn cracks, you can still insert a toothpick while inserting the prongs. Then slide the toothpick out.
The second tip is to enter the two middle prongs first. Then insert the outer two. It worked Lots easier than trying to do all four in a row.
I was so excited when I turned my fabric over and saw my first seam fold! It looks so good! You may need to make minor adjustments with the fabric to ensure it folds properly, but for the most part, the hook will do all the work for you.
You can also decide how much space you want to leave between each hook. If you want your folds to be tighter, do a smaller amount. If you want them to be further apart with more fabric between them, you can space them further apart. I used 2 blank slits between each hook.
STEP 7: HANG YOUR PINCH PLEAT CURTAIN
Once all the hooks are attached, you can hang it up! With the kind of rings I got, I recommend putting the rings on the curtain rod first and then hooking them onto the curtains.
I got the ingots custom made from Pepe and Carols who also make brass kitchen rails in our kitchen. The finish is unvarnished brass and the ring I bought matches it perfectly!
I’m not going to lie, I was very impressed with myself and how well it turned out! I kept putting this project off because I was afraid it would be difficult and time consuming. Making my first curtain probably took an hour and a half just because I had everything figured out and the second two must have been less than an hour.
And now we have the perfect solution for hiding all of our shoes!
My little pleated curtains were a bit more whimsical and flowy but if you prefer a more defined and crisp look then you can iron the pleats.
What do you think? Would you like to try making your own no-sew blinds?
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