DIY No Sew Greek Key Curtains

Tuesday, July 14, 2015


{R} here and my inner DIY goddess has come out to play! I am so excited to share my newest DIY project. I want to give a quick shout out to one of my favorite bloggers, A View Along The Way, because I found her project via Pinterest and followed her steps!

A little back story... I have been racking my brain for two years on what curtains to add to our 'master'. After completing our DIY stripe wall I decided it was time to dress the windows and after finding inspiration from other bloggers I decided this would be the perfect project. This was one for the books because it required patience (a trait I often lack).


On that (impatience) note, I tried to tweak this project to avoid the whole 'iron-on' step. I first attempted this using 'Liquid Stitch', which is still a great product, just not for this type of project since I was using lighter colored ribbon. This was a failure of epic proportions. But you live and you learn, right?



Let's get started!

What you will need:



  • Curtains (I found mine for $10 a pair at Ikea!... See here for link)
  • Ribbon (Color of choice)
  • Tap Measure
  • Scissors
  • Stitch Witchery (can be found here or any local fabric store)
  • Iron
  • Damp Cloth
Step 1: Prep Curtains

I am including this as a step because it is very important! When you first open fabric that is packaged as such there are always wrinkles and crinkles. I chose to simply wash my curtains and dry them to get those out!

Step 2: Plan Your Design

For this tutorial I am using the 'greek key' design (I'm not 100% sure that's the technical name of this design but we'll go with it). I first planed it out as pictured below. You will want the design on each corner of the curtain. Each corner design will require 4 shorter length of ribbon (I chose 4" each) and 2 longer pieces of ribbon (which I chose to be 7").






Then, I laid out my design so I had an idea of what each corner would like and so I was prepared for actually applying them to the curtain. I started with one short and one long as pictured below.



Next, I put one short piece of ribbon on top (Don't worry I clean up the edges at the end).



Then, I added a longer piece of ribbon on the bottom. 


Finally, I added two smaller pieces to the ends of the longest pieces (I hope I am making sense... see pictures below). 


I decided to cut all of my ribbon and stitch witchery at once to make it quicker when actually applying all the ribbon to the fabric.



Step 3: Apply ribbons to curtains

Now that all of your ribbon is cut and your curtains and washed and dried/ironed it is time to apply the ribbon! Stitch Witchery is awesome! You simply place it behind the ribbon/fabric you are applying, add a damp cloth on top and hold down the iron for about 10 seconds (steam and weird smells commence)!



I started by cutting a 4 by 4 cardboard square to place at the corner of each panel corner to make sure that each corner design was in the same place (did I say corner enough in this last sentence?).


I tried to do the whole design at once but that did not work. Remember, 'slow and steady wins the race' so take your time! Iron each section of ribbon at a time!


To adhere simply wet an old rag and apply over each section of ribbon (Don't mind the dirty cloth I used for this part!).


Then, press the iron. DO NOT move back and forth. Simply press down on one area for 10 seconds. 



Here I am hard at work... I cannot believe I was patient enough for this project (blogging has taught me a thing or two about patience).


Step 4: Get a glass of wine to sip as you admire your beautiful DIY work of art!

And without further ado, here is the finished product!! I am so so so so pleased with the end result. My DIY goddess is gleaming with pride :)








I'm still deciding if I am going to complete another set for behind the bed. I love the striped accent wall but still feel like that window needs it's own dressing. Maybe a greek key valence? It's a work in progress...


Morgan thoughts "Mommmm stop taking pictures of the curtains and let's go to sleep!"...



So on that note, Good Night!

As always, Thank you for visiting {R&R} at home!
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10 comments

  1. Very nice curtains. The tutorial is great thanks for sharing it.

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  2. Great tutorial, very exact and easy to follow.
    They look very airy and elegant!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! They really do create a nice, airy feel!

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  3. Really love this design and seems easy enough to manage! Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! It is a fairly easy project... just takes a little time :)

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  4. I love your curtains and it's such a simple project! Easily a weekend project that I could do, one of these weekends.

    liz @ sundays with sophie

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Liz! Definitely a weekend (or a day) project! Let me know if you decide to do this and post your link back to me :)

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  5. Oh my! This looks so fabulous! Pinned and tweeted. Please join us tonight at 7 pm, and party with us. I can't wait to see your new masterpieces or amazing classics! Lou Lou Girls

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  6. Hi Kimberly! Thank you for stopping by! I was definitely there on Monsay for the party 😊

    ReplyDelete

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