How to Make Homemade Curtains for French Windows

French windows consist of two casement windows installed in a single opening. They open into the room from the center, like a pair of double doors. Curtains mounted above the window frame interfere with the in-swing motion, but hanging them on the windows blocks the light and the view. Making curtains that hang from swing-arm rods solves both problems. Swing-arm rods pivot, so you can open and close them like shutters. Because you’ll see the curtain backs when you swing the rods into the open position, make your curtains reversible by lining them with a decorative fabric.

2 swing-arm curtain rods with rings
Measuring tape
Scissors
Curtain fabric
Lining fabric
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Hand-sewing needle
Thread
Iron
Pressing cloth

Instructions

- 1
  Mount swing-arm curtain rods with rings on both upper corners of the molding surrounding the pair of French windows, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t mount them on the moving parts of the windows. When the rods are pivoted to rest against their respective windows, their horizontal legs should extend past the window glass, ending 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch from the window edge. Choose rods that match or complement the window hardware.
- 2
  Measure the length of the horizontal leg on one of curtains rods, excluding the finial. For sill-length curtains, measure from the eyelet at the bottom of a ring to the windowsill. For floor-length curtains, measure from the eyelet to the floor.
- 3
  Multiply the rod length by 2 for light- to medium-weight curtain fabric, or by 1.5 for heavy fabric. Add 1 inch to the result for the working curtain width, which is the needed width before you sew the curtains. Add 1 inch to the eyelet-to-sill measurement for the working length, or 3/4 inch if you measured to the floor.
- 4
  Cut two pieces of curtain fabric per window pair to the working width by the working length. Cut two pieces of lining fabric per window pair to the working width by the working length.
- 5
  Lay one of the curtain fabric pieces right side up. Place the lining fabric on top of it with the right side down. Align the edges, and pin the pieces together. Straight-stitch the pieces together on your sewing machine, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Sew all four sides, except for 8 inches in the center of the side that will form the bottom of the curtain. Repeat with the fabric for the second curtain.
- 6
  Insert your hand into the 8-inch opening, and turn the curtain right side out. Fold the fabric on both sides of the opening under by 1/2 inch. Pin the folded edges together and sew them together by hand. Repeat with the second curtain for the French window pair.
- 7
  Press both sides of each curtain with your iron. Follow the care instructions on the fabric tags, if you have them, or iron through a pressing cloth.
- 8
  Hand-stitch the ring eyelets to the curtain headers, which are the top of the curtains. Sew rings to both ends of the headers, and then position the rest of the rings 4 to 6 inches apart.
- 9
  Unscrew the finials from the ends of the swing-arm rods. Slide the rings of one curtain over each rod. The lining fabric should face the window glass when the rods are in the closed position. Screw the finials onto the rods.

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