Jump to Instructions Jump to Video Print Instructions

Don’t know how to sew? Try these easy to make cheap, natural looking no sew curtains using tea towels and a dowel rod.

Small colorful nook with tea towels and bright pillows and pictures

When I moved into my new little cottage two years ago I brought my favorite DIY no sew drop cloth curtains with me for my living room. As you can tell, I don’t sew! But I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money on curtains.

I happened to see these tea towels on Amazon and knew they would make terrific cafe curtains for my new home! This tutorial literally takes minutes and has the perfect farmhouse cafe curtains look!

The three windows in my sunroom don’t need privacy curtains so using a curtain panel or ready-made drapes would have made this project more expensive. I didn’t even have to use iron-on or hemming tape! You can also use the thin fabric of tea towels or regular kitchen towels will do as well!

Materials:

Tea towels (There is no link for the exact kitchen towels I used (aqua and white) but the link above will give you some ideas depending on the color you want.)
Curtain rings
Tension curtain rods

Instructions:

Wash and iron tea towels before beginning.

This may seem self explanatory but if the material were to shrink it would be better to do so before hanging. Iron to your satisfaction!

Measure your windows and decide on the type and number of kitchen towels needed.

Often you may see a rule about multiplying the width of the window by two or three. This material gathers so beautifully and I ended up only using two on each window.

Corner of small room with colorful curtains and furnishings.

Because the curtains aren’t needed for privacy in my sunroom I didn’t spend the money on blinds or shades but went for a more casual inexpensive way.

Decide on type of curtain rods necessary for your window.

I used a small dowel type rod that fit within the window frame. The bigger the window the larger and thicker the rod you’ll need. I was thrilled not to have to use brackets and attach something else to the wall. The tea towel fabric is also very light in comparison to a heavier fabric.

Aqua and white tea towels hung on a dowel rod with curtain clips

Slip curtain rings onto rod.

I absolutely adore using curtains rings with clips to attach fabric to a rod. So simple anyone can do it! At my previous home I used burlap fabric in a couple of the rooms with curtain rings to hang them.

Attach curtains with the provided curtain clips.

You could always measure the width of the curtain and divide it by the number of clips you’re going to use. For me it was just trial and error until I found the perfect drape. Then I just repeated it twice for each window.

Closeup of small dowel rod and white curtains hung with clips

You can see the other end of my sunroom and the third window with its own set of cute tea towels. I love this room so much and these no sew curtains add to the light and bright feel of the room.

Small wall with colorful chest and curtains

I do change out some of the decor seasonally and my big Christmas tree goes in this corner over the holidays.

Small corner of room with bright furnishings and curtains

No scissors, no pines and no fraying edges and I created the perfect backdrop for this sweet little room that greets visitors to my home.

FAQs about no sew curtains

Absolutely! There are many fabrics this would be easy with, including these adorable tea towels. There’s also burlap, drop cloths, sheets, tablecloth and other simple ideas.

This project uses a dowel rod and curtain clips. But you can also use hem tape or with fabric like burlap just fringe the edges and hang. Curtain clips work on a variety of rod sizes.

Cafe curtains are generally the shorter types you might use in a kitchen window or a place where privacy isn’t needed or desired. These shorter type window treatments can add a bit of color and style to any room.

More No Sew Projects

SEE ALL NO SEW

Sewing not your favorite thing to do? Try these easy no sew projects that don’t require sewing but will add beauty and charm to your home!