These no sew drop cloth curtains are an easy DIY project for beginners. Now you can make curtains without sewing, buying any special tools or equipment, and without a lot of money!

Blue striped chair with floral pillow in front of two windows

The inspiration for this project was money and looks! I wanted the natural look of the cloth and only had a small budget. So in this tutorial I’ll teach you how to make these cheap DIY drop cloth curtains without spending a ton of money. I’ve also included steps where we made our own materials, but I’m also including links so you can put this together yourself.

Materials you’ll need

Purchase drop cloths.

You can certainly look at your local Lowes, Home Depot or any painting supply store for the cloths. I’ve also included a link to the ones I used from Amazon. The price is always a consideration for me but I found the cloth curtain supplies to be such an economical value!

Determine width of windows.

Drop cloths come in a variety of sizes. The ones I ordered were 6′ x9′. I used two across the large picture window and one for each smaller window at my previous home. I’m also using them in my new cottage home in the living room/dining room.

Corner of living room with black chairs and colorful pillows

You want to have enough width of the fabric so the window treatments will have a fuller look and the curtains will puddle easily when you’re done. Also if you have high ceilings you’ll need to factor that into the size you purchase.

Blue striped chair with teal pillow in front of window

Wash drop cloths and dry until damp.

Don’t overstuff your washing machine so it make take more than one load or two. Also use a timer or alarm for the dryer to keep from over drying. They are easier to iron and less likely to shrink if not fully dry.

Some people add bleach to lighten up the color but I was perfectly happy with the cream color. There may also be a bit of shrinkage but nothing to be concerned about.

Iron, and if necessary, fold over the top portion so drop cloths are correct height.

This is definitely the hardest step. Put on a good movie or a podcast and you won’t feel like this chore lasts forever! Your curtains may come out with a few wrinkles but I think that just adds to the charm. If you want to try a little starch that’s an option as well.

Also note I did not hem these curtains at all. Since I don’t sew if I wanted a hem I would use hem tape but they’re perfectly fine as they are.

Install brackets.

For my previous home we built the brackets that would hold the curtain rods (dowels). We also whitewashed them to give them a little bit of depth and farmhouse style.

DIY curtain rod to hold drop cloth curtains

Designer Tip

If you want to make your ceilings feel taller and your room feel bigger hang the brackets above the window and closer to the ceiling. This gives an illusion of height and is wonderful for those seven foot ceilings!

Attach curtain rings to top of drop cloth.

The size of the rings will depend on the thickness of your rod. Just make sure to buy them larger than the rod!

Curtains folded over at top and hung on black rod

Slip ring clips onto dowel rod and hang.

This is the step where you should have decided if you want to fold over the fabric on the top of the curtain. Totally an option but not necessary!

The number of rings you need is personal choice. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t measure between each one but basically eyeballed it. You want the material to form natural waves as it touches the floor.

Do these curtains actually block out light?

Yes! Maybe not as dark as a blackout curtain but I don’t use any kind of shade or blind on these windows. As a newly single woman I feel completely safe using each curtain panel for privacy.

I love the natural look and texture of the cloth and the fact no sewing machine was required! The drop cloths come in a variety of sizes and is certainly cheaper than lots of fabric.

Colorful small living room with drop cloth curtains

FAQs about drop cloth curtains

Drop cloths are large sheets of fabric (typically canvas) or plastic, which are used to cover floors, countertops, furniture, and any other surface you want to keep protected while painting.

The canvas fabric is fairly thick and heavy, making it perfect to use for curtains. The drop cloth weight allows them to hang beautifully while the thickness lets them hold their shape well. If you love the gorgeous puddled look created by longer curtains, you’ll love these!

Measure the height and add a few inches to allow the material to be folded over and/or draped at the floor.

Drop cloths are not waterproof but they would still be an inexpensive alternative for outdoor drapes.

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