I had the BEST week last week. Some friends and I collaborated on a flash mob surprise room makeover for a friend and yep: it rocked. Can’t wait to show you the befores-and-afters, but first! A quick little update I made to these old curtains we pulled in for the makeover.
One of my friends donated these simple white tab-top curtains she’s had for YEARS, and I thought it’d be fun to see how hard it is to hack the tab tops to make them into back-tab panels.
(Spoiler alert: not hard. Totally easy. Totally worth doing.)
Tab tops have been around for a while and they’re not horrid or offensive or anything, but I much prefer the clean look of back tabs, like the curtains I made for Mila’s room…
And the DIY Greek key curtains I put in the breakfast nook.
Back-tab panels just have these… uh, tabs… on the back… (Bet you can’t guess how they got their name!) They just look so much cleaner and more custom (in my opinion).
So I dragged these four panels to my antiquated sewing machine and got to work! You guys. It was ridiculous how easy this was. I actually thought I’d have a few extra steps but didn’t even need them.
I just folded the tabs down toward the back side of the curtain…
And sewed a quick little straight stitch right on top of the existing seam. I used a simple straight stitch because that’s the best stitch the only stitch I even know how to do.
I actually thought I would need to sew down the bottom of the tab too, and insert the rod through that pocket, like so:
But I didn’t even need to do it! I just inserted the rod through the new little pocket I’d just made. It took me something like 30 minutes to sew down all the tabs on four different panels, and they just hung so much more beautifully.
Isn’t that about a million miles better than the tab tops? So much more clean and custom? If you have some old tab top curtains laying around, this is a quick and SUPER easy way to make them look a little more fancy. Only thing is, if you plan to hang them high and wide around your windows – and you SHOULD. You really, REALLY should –
…taking in the tab tops is going to make your curtains a little shorter than they were. But you can just pull the trusty old sew-more-fabric-to-the-bottom-of-the-panels trick, like we did. I managed to not get any great pictures of this, but you can kinda see the extra fabric on the bottom of our curtain panels here:
Easy peasy lemon squeezy. And you KNOW if something takes me 30 minutes to sew, it will take an actual competent human being only about five minutes. Back home, they call me “the Sewing Machine Jammer” because all I do is jam sewing machines.
No one really calls me that.
To my face.
Have you ever transformed curtains? Do you dig the back-tab look like I do?
Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
they look great! you are so smart! 🙂
Love the back-tab panels so much better than the tab-top. Great idea!
What a difference! Such a clever idea and great improvement!
So smart! Makes me wish I didn’t get rid of my tab top curtains from 1999! xo Kristin
Agree, I like the back tab look so much better than tab top. Great idea to just flip ’em over!
I love that you posted this! And can’t believe how slow I can be sometimes. I never even thought about doing something like this, and i have a set of really nice tab top curtains that I was just going to donate or throw away because although I loved the curtains, the tab top part makes my skin crawl! Now I don’t have to! So I will fix them, and Love them, and hang them up and tell all my friends!! Thank you 😀
Kelly, Kelly, Kelly! Stop. You’re the smartest ever. I am simultaneously AMAZED and saying “DUH”. Because… Why didn’t I think of this?
And because you are the QUEEN of curtains, I have an important question for you.
At our house, we have a window and a door(exterior, with window) next to each other on 1 wall. I want to have curtains for both of them, hoping to make it look a little bigger, you know. Tiny House. BUT I can’t figure out the best way to deal with the door and the curtains. Help??
This is a genius idea…. So simple! Thank you for the inspiration!
lol! So, I hate to admit that I was the dummy that cut the tabs off of my curtains so I could use the little rod clips to hang mine…why in the world did I not think of this!? Super easy and smart! 😉 Jesse @ Scout & Nimble
Ha! Dummy #2 right here *sigh*
I have to admit that I really hate tab top curtains. This is actually brilliant and like you said, super easy. Love that you did this for a friend too!
This is pretty genius Kelly! The curtains look a million times better and such a cleaner look too. Now we can buy tab top curtains on clearance and make them look good!
Yes, that looks much better! Great job!
nice! I don’t think I have any tab top curtains at the moment. This is probably good, because I was going to feel really bad when it took me three times as long as you to do this and therefore SIXTY times as long as a competent human being ;). But, yes–so much better! you’re a smarty pants!
So smart and so easy!!!! Thank you for sharing this! I do not like tab top curtains and in the past I have been so disappointed when I find curtains that I love but they are tab top 🙁 Now I will have a larger variety of curtains to choose from since I can just apply this quick fix to them if needed 🙂
I totally prefer the back tabs too! And we can be sewing machine jammers together because I was trying to sew blackout lining into some curtains yesterday — with a straight stitch because like you said, clearly the #1 stitch 😉 annnnnd I somehow jammed the machine, messed up the bobbin tension (I don’t even know what that means but I googled my issues and this was what I got), AND then broke the needle!
SO I hung those bad boys up with the blackout lining pinned to the back. MUAHAHA
Shannon 1, Curtains 0
BOOYAH! 🙂
Shannon, your comment just made me laugh so freaking hard!
Me too!
You had me at “flash mob surprise room makeover”. Reminds me of the old TLC show “While you were out”.
Also, so smart making the top tab into back tab. I think I would have passed by top tab curtains in the store even if the fabric was killer. Not any more!
LOVE it. Personally, not a fan of the old tab tops. We’ve got the kind which you hook onto curtain rings. If I ever needed to make some cheapo curtains look non-cheapo…this would be a great way to do it!
great an easy tip – thanks for sharing
Yes, they look TONS better!! Let’s hear it for easy-peasy stuff!
xo Heidi
I love how you make it look so easy, I really believe even I (who can’t sew at all) could totally do this! Thanks for the inspiration!
They look great! Yay for figuring out a solution instead of just tossing the curtains!
I literally just did this yesterday with the curtains for my daughter’s room after having been inspired by your previous back-tabbed curtains post. It was so easy and looks great! One question for you: I completely agree with your suggestion to hang them high and wide. However, if we are using sheers underneath (basic ones for privacy,) should they also be hung so high or more even with the window frame?
Yes, I’d hang them high and wide too. I have that situation with my living room curtains. You can kinda see in this pic: http://viewalongway.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_8054.jpg. The sheers are hung at the same height as the other curtains, on a double rod. Hope that helps!
L.O.V.E.
I have mad kitchen curtains out of a shower curtain, a valance from a scrap, a shower curtain from a regular curtain, made a crib canopy from a curtain lol…I’m a curtain hacker. I’m by no means at all a sewer. In fact one of those project was totally no sew. Here’s a link if you want to giggle at my curtain hijinx:
http://www.findingsilverlinings.net/d-i-y-projects/
Yours are better lol!
You may be the smartest person I know ; ) Great idea! I can’t stand those curtains usually and they tend to be the cheapest. Love it!
I love that trick! I have done this in the past too (on these grey curtains; http://www.heim-elich.blogspot.de/2012/03/weie-vorhange.html), but I was a bad blogger and didn’t take pics and explain it 😉 Glad you did, especially as the top tab ones are often cheaper for some reason I don’t understand…
Genius! This is helpful for our projects coming up 🙂
Will totally try to add fabric to my curtains.. thanks!
You are a genius. I prefer the back tabs, too. But I never thought of just sewing down the top tabs. Duh. So smart – you may jam sewing machines, but you had your way with those curtains.
I’ve done this to a couple of my IKEA curtains before too! They look so much better!
Very timely idea as I am just getting ready to hang some new panels in my guest room and they have the tabs that I really don’t like but I thought that since they are only on the sheers they won’t show THAT much so I was going to settle. Now I don’t have to!! Happy, happy, Joy, Joy!! 🙂 Thank you so much!!
those curtains in milas room are just gorg. gorg gorg.
What a big difference it makes! 🙂 You are a great writer and I always enjoy reading your entertaining posts!
I hate tabs on curtains, your idea is so smart!!! I cut off the tabs on the Ikea curtains and then use ring clips, but I like the hidden tabs so much better! Smarty pants.
Gotta love an easy fix! Excuse me now, while I go take down my bedroom curtains . . .
Great idea. I need to do this with my bedroom curtains. The back tabs look so much better. I’ve just pinned this so I don’t forget. Can’t believe how easy it was. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea! I have a few pairs of curtains I need to try this on.
Love them, Kelly!!!! Such a great and simple solution!!! Thanks for sharing with us all!!!!
Looks great Kelly! I’m not a fan of tab-top panels much, but I am a sucker for nice ring clips. 😉 Can’t wait to see the project!
i agree with you! i prefer the back tab so much more…so much cleaner and more custom looking! I have some cheapy drapes from ikea in my daughter’s room with this little tabby thingy…and now you’ve just given me a new DIY project for my list! will let ya know how it turns out (unlike you i don’t own a sewing maching so I stitch witchery everything…will let you know how the “no sew” route goes! haha. If I’ve gotta whip out the safety pins then i will…don’t say i won’t! cheers!
Loving those curtains you made for your daughters room! So vibrant and eye catching. I had not seen those before 🙂 Great way to use what you had on the tap top curtains!
I like easy fixes. (And I do consider tap tops to be somewhat offensive and a bit horrid.)
Love, love, love the fabric you used for the drapes in your daughter’s room! Do you mind giving me the details on the fabric name, etc. so I can copy you? (I think that pattern would look great in my office.)
Miss Charming- she talks about the type of fabric used here: http://viewalongway.wpengine.com/2012/04/the-nursery-reveal/. It’s Anna Maria Summer Totem in Tart.
Wow, I think I could actually do this and I’ve only ever used my sewing machine to make wax circle chains for a capiz chandelier! I wonder if you could use that iron-on fusing stuff for total non-sewers.
You daughter’s room is gorgeous! I need to check out more of your room makeovers 🙂
Nice! A flash mob makeover sounds like a ton of fun. Can’t wait to see the before and afters!
Beautiful! I would love to have the curtain in your breakfast nook! And that nursery is adorable as well! 🙂 Nice work!
Clever idea! I did the lazy/ non-sew version of this for my son’s closet curtains. I took cute, but too long tab tops from IKEA, cut the tabs off, then used the enclosed hem tape to create rod pockets at the top. Easy peasy…
Wow, you just gave me a reason to keep a couple of pairs of old tab tops! This is brilliant; thank you!
I love the fact that you don’t pretend to know how to sew–just like me 😉 I’m now not as scared of trying a curtain project–thanks! I would LOVE it if you’d link this up to my blog hop–our readers would love this! Thanks and have a great day!
http://carriethishome.com/2013/07/frugal-crafty-home-blog-hop-31/
I’m so curtain-illiterate, I didn’t even know the terms tab-top and back-tab. I blame my husband who doesn’t allow me to hang “real” curtains in our house (anything that will block the precious light). I can hang fabric above and on the sides…so I do a “scarf” curtain look, but nothing that looks this professional. I think next time he’s sleeping, I’m going to pull up this post and place it by his bedside table, and let the idea of these amazing back-tab curtains start to sink into his mind. That’s how it works, isn’t it? 😉
Kelly, these are awesome! Can you tell me if you think I can sew tabs on the back of a store bought rod pocket curtain? Do I have to get out my seam ripper or could I just stitch them right on the back? Thanks for all the inspiration you provide!
I bet you could! My only thought would be that you’d want to make sure to match the thread to the curtain color so you can’t see the stitching on the front. But that’s a great idea!
Yup! I’ve done this too…although I only had to sew one valance. But I get points cuz I didn’t have a sewing machine at the job so I had to sew it all by hand 😉 Hee hee!
By hand?! That’s intense! Good for you! 🙂
I had some tab curtains and also some sheers with just a pocket. I turned the tabs over and made the same pocket with my glue gun! Then used some ribbon I had lying around and made back-tabs for the sheers, also using my glue gun. Much better looking in both cases.
I’m staging our son’s house for sale, and this will be perfect, given my sewing skills and budget deficits. I can jam a machine with the best of them. I’ll be checking the thrift stores, and I will be sure to give you the credits when I post the results.
What a great…and simple idea! I have some of these tab tops sitting in a drawer and think I’ll pull them out and try it!
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I’m soooo glad I found this! I just bought tab-top curtains from IKEA. I needed 6 panels, and these were the best deal I could find. I was just going to deal with the tabs, but not now! Thank you!!!
This my favorite style window treatment. I made them for my living and dining rooms.
I have a random question. What kind of hook is used for the center of the long rod that these curtains are hung on?
It’s just part of the curtain rod hardware that came with the curtain rods.
I have the exact same curtains and I did the exact same thing to them when we moved into our house three years ago 🙂 Great minds think alike!
Fantastic! I had been wondering if this would work!!!
I came across your blog via Pinterest and have been reading about all your little projects for about an hour now. Great blog btw, but more importantly I had to comment to tell you how incredibly hilarious you are. Your writing is so well done and entertaining.
Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this simple fix for those curtains I’ve been storing. I knew they had potential! Thanks!
Good idea! Your sewing machine won’t jam if you always remember to pull both top and bottom threads to the back before inserting your needle and ALWAYS make sure your needle is in its highest position when removing fabric after stitching. Only took me 50 years to figure this out!
What a great idea! I love the fabric of the Ikea “Lenda” curtain panels, but don’t care for the tabs. I was planning to cut off the tabs, sew on pleater tape and add pleating hooks and rings. You just saved me money and time. Thanks!
I like the simplicity of the dark, slim rods you use with these curtains. Where did you find them? Thanks.