Tutorial: Curtains/sheers with hidden top-tabs

Today I tackled yet another project, and I thought I'd write it up as a tutorial.

I purchased sheers from Ikea recently for my kitchen; they were much too long, as a matter of fact long enough so that if I cut the pair in half, it made for enough curtain coverage for 4 curtains (2 windows).

The sheers came with hidden top-tabs, so I decided to mimic that style on the rest of my self-manufactured/altered pieces. 

1. Measure out the length you'll need for a finished at the window in question. Make sure to take into account the frame, how high the rod will sit and how far below you want the curtain to fall past the ledge. For me, I wanted the finished sheers at 42" long. I was using pre-fab'd sheers from Ikea with hidden tab-tops. But the instructions are the same whether you're starting from scratch or doing the same as I did.

2. To your finished measured length, add about 1.5" for hem and seam allowances - so, for my 42" long finished sheers, I cut a piece that was 43.5" long. If the sides of your curtain fabric are unfinished, fold fabric twice to create a small 1/4" hem and sew to finish edges

Construct the Curtain Top:

3. From a separate piece of fabric, cut a 3.5" strip the width of the curtain/fabric. I had excess from trimming up the sheers, so I used this excess to create this 3.5" strip.

4. Iron a 0.5" hem on one of the long sides of the strip, turning towards the wrong side of the fabric.

5. Pin the un-ironed side of the strip, right sides together, to the top of your curtain piece. Sew a scant 1/8" seam.

6. Fold over wrong-sides together and press. 

7. Pin the curtain-top strip to the wrong side of the sheer, ensuring that the sheer and strip both lay nice and flat. Set aside.

Construct the Curtain Tabs:

7. Cut a second strip, 5.25" by the width of your fabric. Sew, right sides together along the long side of the strip. Turn right sides out. Press. You now have a finished strip 2.5" wide.

8. From strip, cut tab pieces 4.5" long. For a 56" wide curtain, I cut 8 tabs.

9. Fold under both unfinished edges of strip and press, finishing the tab size at 3" (see below)

Attaching the Tabs to the Curtain Top:

10. To the wrong side of your sheer/curtain, pin tabs to the curtain top strip you attached earlier, ensuring the top of the tab sits nice and flush with the curtain/strip seam. Space tabs evenly across curtain, ensuring that one tab sits flush with each edge/end of curtain. For a 56" wide curtain, I used 8 tabs, spaced as evenly as possible.

11. Sew a scant 1/8" top seam, attaching the tabs at the top of the curtain while simultaneously top stitching the curtain top strip.

12. Press.

13. Carefully tuck bottom of tabs under pressed side of curtain top strip (keep your pins that were holding your curtain strip in place to ensure it remains lying flat against the sheer). 

14.Pin tabs in place.

15. Sew along bottom of strip and tabs, again using a scant 1/8" seam. Press. 

16. You're done!

Can hardly tell the difference between Ikea's tabs and my tabs! 

The finished products in place:

Happy sewing everyone!