DIY Duo: Call for Curtains

"BABE, IF YOU DON'T KNOW how to install a curtain rod, you definitely shouldn't do a DIY column."

Ah, the nurturing words of my fiancé, Tom, the ex-carpenter. Doubts about your sweetie's craftiness surface even in a renovating duo like us.

The best feature of our cozy condo? Big windows. Except on Sunday mornings after late nights out. Our lazy solution? Tack up a bedsheet. But this isn't a dorm, so we thought we should graduate to something grown-up. Here's how we took our windows from bare to bodacious by making curtains.

» STEP ONE: PICK THE FABRIC They are called "drapes" for a reason. To ensure curtains hang in flowing folds, buy two equal-sized lengths of fabric that are 3 to 6 inches longer than you want 'em and at least one and a half times as wide as the window.

Heavy fabrics with light-blocking cred like canvas or velvet make the best bedroom window covers. Save gauze for dens. You want fabric with enough texture to drape nicely, but not so much body that it says sportcoat. Step away from the twill aisle!

» STEP TWO: SEW THE CURTAINS (OR FAKE IT) Sewing patterns for all sorts of window dressings lurk online (try hgtv.com). For basic panels, i.e. two pieces of fabric that slide on a rod like shower curtains, start by hemming the sides and bottom for a clean edge.

No sewing skills? Buy iron-on hem tape at a fabric store, then fold the cloth over the tape to make a clean, straight edge. Run a hot iron over the fold — it should stick together as if you had used a needle and thread.

Then, to form the top of the curtain, fold the top edge of your curtain fabric over to make a 3- to 4-inch tube and stitch (or use iron-on tape) it together. Or simply buy clip-on drapery rings — Crate & Barrel sells them — and clamp them on the top, no home ec ability required.

» STEP THREE: BUY HARDWARE Home-improvement stores and shops such as Restoration Hardware sell drapery kits with a rod, brackets, screws and finials (decorations that screw onto the rod's ends) that you'll need to hang your creations. Expect to pay from $25 to more than $100, depending on swankiness.

» STEP FOUR: INSTALL THEM Brackets can be installed on the window trim or on the wall above it. The latter is more difficult — you'll need to put the bracket on a stud — that's the wooden beam your drywall is attached to. You can find a stud by knocking on the wall until you hit the less-hollow sound.

Hold the bracket up to the window trim or wall. Use a pencil to mark where you'll drill holes for the screws, using a level to ensure that both brackets are at equal height.

Use a drill bit smaller than the diameter of the screw to make what's called a pilot hole. (The wood can split if you screw directly into it). Screw the bracket into the hole. Slide the curtain onto the rod, screw on finials, and place the rod in the bracket. If hanging curtains across a window wider than 60 inches, consider installing a middle bracket to carry some weight.

» STEP FIVE: ASK, "IS IT WORTH IT?" Curtains aren't difficult to whip up, but fabric is pricey. We fashioned a slightly drab pair of navy curtains for our boudoir, partially because the fabric was cheapish ($17 a yard). But since we needed 4 yards, it still wasn't a budget project. I probably could have saved a wad of cash and time by just going to Ikea.

A DIY columnist can't take that sort of shortcut. But at least this girl is dreaming better between projects, resting up behind her new, sunblocking curtains.

Julia Beizer and her fiance, Tom, guide newbies through basic home-improvement tasks in our pages a few times per month.

Photo by Larry Morris/The Washington Post