Easy Lined Curtains from a Duvet Cover...Just Two Lines of Sewing

Hi everyone! I had mentioned before Christmas that I was painting my daughter Courtney's room gray. Well, I painted the gray primer coat and there it sat all through Christmas. I finally finished the final coat, but not all of the sewing for the room.

She wanted yellow accents for pillows and things. I did find some cute yellow chevron fabric for pillows, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on fabric for curtains...there are 2 windows in her room and I like the curtains long. I would need 12 yards of fabric (3 yards per panel) and 12 yards of lining. At $10-$12 per yard for decorator fabric plus the cost of the lining, I definitely did not want to spending $150 for curtains that I was going to sew myself.

Here is my super duper cheap...easy to sew lined curtain idea.

Duvet Covers...I bought these at Target a couple months ago for $30 for each set. The duvet set comes with 2 pillow shams too!! Woo Hoo.  So for $60.00 I have 2 windows dressed with lined curtains and 4 pillow shams that match.

This is the easiest project for you to sew. It just takes 2 lines of straight stitching!!

I bought full/queen because of the size I needed. The duvet is 86 inches long and 92 inches wide. I figured the 86 inches was perfect for the length and I would cut the 92 inches in half (lengthwise) to make 2 panels, one on each side of the window.

A duvet is like a jumbo pillow case for a quilt or comforter you already have. It's sewn on all three side and has buttons or ties all across the bottom.

The duvet is printed fabric on one side (pretty in the room) and a white gray on the back (great for lining). Just be aware of what the back of your duvet looks like, because that will be showing on the outside of your house. The fabric for this one was kind of silky, but in a polyester way. Lol It's definitely not cotton.

The first step to making the curtain is to lay the duvet out on the floor and smooth out the wrinkles. You could iron it first if you want.

Luckily for me the manufacturer folded it directly in half, so I just cut it up the middle. You should measure first to make sure it's equal on both sides.

After you cut it into 2 halves, that opening will be the side you'll turn it right side in.

After you have turned it right side together, match the seams and pin.

Sew all the way from the top to the bottom on the sides that you cut. Don't leave an opening. Remember the bottom of the duvet is buttoned or has ties, so that will be the opening you will be using to turn it right sides out once you sew up the sides.

Open up the buttons and turn right side out. Iron out the wrinkles and seams and you are DONE.

Here are some pictures of them hanging. Her room was difficult to take pictures...bright sunlight coming in the window made the curtains and the walls look so dark.

I used the rod and clip system, so all I had to do was clip the top of the duvet and I was done. One tip for which end of the duvet. If your duvet has pretty buttons or ties that show, maybe that would work for a decorative feature near the top. If not, just clip the plain stitched end of the curtain.

It would be easy to use a rod through a pocket though. You could run a length of stitching 2 inches below the top seam and then open up the sides a little to allow the rod to fit through.

You could also sew a band of fabric or ribbon on the back side, kind of like a hidden pocket for the rod.

Hope you can use duvet covers for your next curtain project. It doesn't get any easier than this!!

I also have other tutorials for curtains...

Click HERE for a How to Make Lined Drapes

Click HERE for an easy window valence.

Happy Sewing,
~Karen~