Faux Roman Shades from Shower Curtains

One problem we had upon moving in to our new house was that the former homeowners took all the window treatments with them. All of them – including the shades in the master bath. To prevent giving the neighbors a little show every day, we had to get window coverings and fast!

I have used this easy tutorial for no-sew faux Roman shades from Imparting Grace before (in our old kitchen), but the tutorial wouldn’t exactly work with these windows. Why? Because the shades would be hung in the bathroom, I wanted to use shower curtains for the shades. I knew they could stand up to the moisture and they can be washed. Because I wanted to use shower curtains, which measured 72 x 72, and the windows were 44 inches long, I couldn’t double-up the fabric the way the tutorial required. I needed another plan.

So here’s how I took some shower curtains and made no-sew faux Roman shades.

First, I measured the width of the inside frame of the windows. Each is 21 1/2 inches wide. I doubled that, because I didn’t want the back of the shower curtain visible; I wanted the pattern to be visible on both sides of the shade. (If you want a solid backing, you can use blackout fabric or white fabric for the backing instead.) I added two inches to that measurement to account for the hem. So, for those of you doing the math, we’re up to 45 inches for the width.

I cut the curtain to that measurement. I then folded over the edge of the cut side to create a hem. (Another great benefit to using a shower curtain is that it is already hemmed. If you only cut one side, you only have to create one hem. Score!)

FYI: I found these shower curtains at Target (<–affiliate link – see disclosure policy HERE).

I used Fabri-Tac fabric glue to hem the side, but you could use any no-sew fabric glue or fusing tape. If you use fabric glue, and your work surface is wood, make sure you cover the work surface. The glue will take the finish off the wood.

Run the glue along a line about a half-inch to an inch in from the cut side and then fold the fabric over onto the glue to create the hem. Try to do this in a straight line, although, if it’s not perfectly straight, it won’t matter too much because of how you’ll fold over the sides in a bit.

Once the glue dries, fold the curtain in half and join the hemmed side and the finished side.  Glue them (or fuse them) together.

So now I’ve got a rectangle that is 43 inches wide by 72 inches long (the original length of the curtain).

Next, you need to create a pocket at the top for the curtain rod. First, glue the top edges together. Then, fold over the top of the shower curtain – where the holes for the rings are – to create a pocket for the hanging rod. You can eyeball how big the pocket should be, or fold the fabric over a yard stick to ensure the pocket will be big enough.

Eyeballing it.

Using a yard stick.

Just run a line of glue along the width of the fabric where the edge of the pocket will be. Then stick the edge of the pocket down. If using a yard stick, pull it out now.

You can glue the bottom edge of the curtain, too. It’s not required, because you should have a rectangle that will stay in place with the other hems glued. Either way – you decide.

Now it’s time to hang the curtains. You need some tension rods for this. I got mine at Target.

Tension rods come in different sizes, so (duh) make sure you get one that fits the width of your window. You are going to hang it in the inside frame of the window, so go by that measurement.

Extend one rod so that it is one inch longer than the window frame is wide. Then place that rod into the pocket you created at the top of the curtain. Squeeze it into the window frame.

Take the next rod, extend it to one inch longer than the width of the frame, and hang it in the middle of the window. Then pull the shower curtain over it to create a fold – like a Roman shade.

You can use more than one other rod to create more than one fold. I only wanted one because I wanted a simpler look.

Lather, rinse, repeat for all windows.

Sorry, neighbors. Show’s over!

I might have done a little happy dance in the shower after hanging these, but I’ll never tell. After all, no one saw me!