How to Lengthen a Curtain Without Sewing

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We’ve been making some changes in the family room and one of those changes was getting new curtains.  After 10 years of the same ones, I was ready for a change to something a little lighter and brighter.  I found these perfect subtle striped ones HERE but they were just slightly shorter than I needed…

So I decided to go with a quick and easy no-sew method of lengthening.  This requires a small tool called a seam ripper which is clearly a well-used tool in my box!  (Find a better version HERE!)  For this method, it’s best if you have the curtains already hanging and work with an ironing board set up where you can work with the hem easily.

The first step is to remove the original hem.  Using the seam ripper, gently hook and pop the stitches every inch or so and open up the folded hem.

Once the original stitches are removed, iron the fold to smooth it out.

If there is a small folded-under raw edge, leave it so the new hem will have a clean edge on it as well.

Once the fold is ironed out, let the curtain hang to the floor to get a measurement for the new hem.  This is a good time to steam the panels to remove any wrinkles so the curtains are at their full length.

I wanted mine to just barely brush the floor, so I measured accordingly.

Then, I proceeded with making the new hem by using another of my favorite tools:  iron-on hem tape.  Find it HERE.  (affiliate link).  To use this, simply cut a strip of the hem tape, place it inside the fold of the fabric measured to the correct length for the new hem, and iron it well.  Be sure to use the appropriate iron setting for your fabric.  

And that’s all there is to it!  This is a much faster way to hem than sewing, but of course you could still sew if you preferred!  The hem tape is meant to withstand washings and should last for the life of the curtains.  

I love how these curtains are looking in our family room!  I’ll share more of the changes we’ve made coming soon. Can you spot any??