Learn how to create these easy no-sew light and airy sheet curtains on pipe rods as a fabulously beautiful window treatment… in minutes!
Welcome back to the photo studio! This is a little room I have downstairs with lots of windows, perfect for capturing great photos thanks to all that natural light!
You may also know I’ve been doing some improvements to this space lately, most recently painting the concrete floor white. Isn’t it pretty?!
One thing high on the list of to-dos in this room was to replace the original sheet DIY curtains on the pipe curtain rods.
Love this industrial light and airy window treatment which has served this photo studio room well!
Read about the original sheet curtains and how to make pipe curtain rods HERE
However the bed sheet curtains were getting snagged and had some paint splatters.
I also had used mop strings for the ties which I loved, but I desired something easier to clip on and off for easy washing purposes.
And while I loved the curtains puddling onto the floor, the studio had some water challenges, hems of some sort were now desired.
So it was time for a refresh!
Perks of sheet curtains
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- Sheet curtains are no sew curtains, made in just a few minutes! Perfect for beginners.
- White sheet curtains work well for any room where you desire a light and airy feel.
- Sunlight does slightly penetrate through sheet curtains, however you can add blackout curtains behind them if desired. Or choose thicker sheets.
- Sheets are price efficient and wash up beautifully.
- They are easy to customize, just choose a sheet colour you desire!
So here’s what I did a little differently this round…
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No-sew, easy sheet curtains
Choosing the right sheets
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1. You’ll first require some kind of curtain rods. If you love the industrial look, learn how to make pipe curtain rods from THIS POST.
2. Choose some white flat bed sheets that fit the size dimensions of your windows.
Because I desired lots of gathering, I chose queen flat white sheets for my windows. King size sheets would have produced even more!
Most any white sheet will do. But a thicker sheet will block out more light, while thinner sheets will produce sheer curtains, allowing more light in.
My original sheets were from Ikea Canada called Knoppa. They were very lightweight and gauzy so lots of light penetrated through.
However this round, I chose Mainstays Flat White 100% cotton sheets from Walmart at about $18.00 Canadian each. They were thicker and felt smoother than the Ikea sheets, but they don’t allow as much light through due to that.
I didn’t wash the sheets first. They were unwrapped and hung up as-is. I don’t mind the crumply look as I feel it looks rather charming.
Selecting clip-on curtain rings
3. Pick up some drapery clip rings.
I picked up these Home Trend drapery clip rings from Walmart at about $12 each for 1 pack with 7 rings. A galvanized-look was chosen to match up to the pipe curtain rods, but close enough imo.
These are rings with tiny clothespins that will grab onto the sheets. I wanted to try this route so I could easily unclip the sheets for washing anytime desired.
Adjusting sheet curtain length without sewing
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4. Decide how long you wish the curtains to hang. The good news is, the bottom hem is already sewn! Now you just need to adjust the length.
If too long, roll the edges if you don’t wish your sheets before attaching onto the clip rings if you don’t want them to puddle on the floor.
The queen white flat sheets were actually long enough to puddle onto the floor which is a lovely look!
However the photo studio floor leaks sometimes, so I decided to shorten the curtains this round so the fabric cleared the floor.
To slightly shorten the sheets, the the top of the sheet edge was folded over about 3 times before the sheets were attached to the ring clips. It worked great! And didn’t require any sewing.
How to hang the sheet curtains
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Hanging sheet curtains is simple!
Here’s a few tips on how to hang them as well as to achieve two different looks:
5. Put all the rings desired onto the curtain rod for both curtains.
There were 7 rings in each package. I used all 7 clip rings for each sheet.
6. Hang up the two ends of the sheet from the two most outer clip rings.
7. Grab the middle clip ring and attach it to the middle of the sheet.
8. Divide up the rest of the clips to the sheets. I just did this by eye without actual measurements.
Two ways to hang up sheet curtains
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It’s also possible to hang the sheet curtains two different ways! The top of my curtains will have a very different outcome, depending which one is chosen.
The sheet on the left is attached to a folded-over top giving it a valance look.
On the right is attached from the rolled up end, which is a more modern, clean look.
I ultimately chose the right, which ended up hanging more compact as well. Perfect!
However both ways are lovely!
So let’s take the full room tour because we are done!
Sheet curtains complete!
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Because the patio door of the photo studio is off-centre, I hung the pipe rods from wall to wall. This way, I could either sheet the entire wall or move it out of the way, whatever is desired for photos.
Here are the sheet curtains closed. As you can see, the light does penetrate through the curtains however with these sheets, you can actually stare at the sun through the sheets and it doesn’t bother you.
I felt it was perfect!
White curtain sheets also make a exceptionally great way to create that perfect white backdrop for photography as well.
In the above photo for the argyle pillow tutorial HERE, you can barely see the sheets, but you know they are there.
The sheet backdrop in the above photo was overexposed so the sheet completely disappeared. Pretty cool, huh?
I overexpose using the adjustment brush in Lightroom.
This pretty white photo studio has come a long way, thanks to the white painted floors, and now those pretty white sheet curtains on pipe rods!
And the best part of all on using sheets for curtains?
What sewing machine?
Aren’t they pretty? Think you’ll give them a go to lighten and brighten up a window in your home?
Other window treatment projects:
Create pipe curtain rods with sheet curtains
Learn how to build barn door screens as a window treatment
How to build farmhouse window moulding on any standard window
Visit many other creative window treatment ideas HERE
View other photo studio improvement projects HERE
Love the window treatment and the industrial rod. You are right a thicker sheet is a better sheet. The lighter ones have their use, but I have found thicker ones hang a little straighter as the weight of the fabric makes it so. And sheets are an excellent choice. Recently hung some up and stenciled a large flower design here and there and hubby liked them. I love them. They give shade from the glaring sun, which our room gets, but the room is still bright. The pipes used for a drapery rod is a change I would love to do. Add it to my list. Your room in its finished state is lovely Donna and the lighting is excellent. Thanks so much for sharing your work.
Thanks Joanne! The pipes are a really cool idea if you can make it work! I’d bet your stenciled sheets look amazing with your eye for design! So nice when the hubby loves it too!
Hi Donna, great job as usual! As someone who recently changed up a lot of my room colours from dark to light, including my new IKEA curtains, I totally understand how exciting your new room is! I never would have thought to use sheets as curtains and I totally love them. And your painted floor, gobsmacking! Great inspiration and thank you for sharing, enjoy your new photo room! ?
Thanks Jeannie! That floor sure made a dramatic difference, huh?! What took me so long! And thanks for the kudos on the sheets. They really did work out amazing!
And your own changes sound so pretty! Goodness that IKEA is dangerously awesome, is it not? haha
I love it, Donna. In fact, I’m soooooo envious of all that beautiful light streaming into your studio and I bet the sheet curtains (brilliant no-sew idea BTW), the walls, and the floor treatment all contribute. We have so many huge trees in our garden that block out all the bright, natural light. I wouldn’t chop them down for all the money in the world but I would love just one light-filled room to stage photos in.
Thanks Michelle! And that’s a tough one. I’m a tree hugger myself but I do need my sunlight… hope you can find a fix although by the looks of your photos, I don’t think you need a thing different! Always stunning!
Love the look of the pipe curtain rods. It also eliminates the need for a middle support hook because the pipe is so strong compared to regular curtain rods. I’ve tried regular curtain rods on extra wide windows before and I hate it that some type of support bracket or hook has to be put in the middle to support the rod. Brilliant idea! Your studio looks great too! (I love the accent kitty too:)
Thanks Sharon! Although the pipes do have abit of a sway in the middle as they could use a support. But I need the curtains to travel all the way across, so I’m ok with it!
Bravo ??
What a awesome redo with minimum out of pocket expense.
And the view outside those windows ?. I could see a snippet of your little shed you’ve been working on for quite a while and it’s adorable.
Thanks Dee! The view is really incredible. I sit here every AM with coffee first thing now. Something I never bothered to before the floor was repainted!
I love this idea, but most of all I love your bright airy room! A perfect studio for photos.
Thanks Carlene! I’ve been looking at houses this past year and can’t commit to anything that doesn’t have a copycat of this room. Guess I’m staying put… haha Can’t give it up!
i have white curtain panels made from sheets in my bedroom and guest room, and although light control isn’t a consideration there, i love the way they soften all the hard lines. now you’ve not only inspired me but TOTALLY solved a big issue i have in my own studio!
my office/studio is located at the front of the house. it has two windows that face the street, and those have limited light for half the year (northern exposure), so the light in the room is very gray in fall & winter. add to that the problem that the bright sunlight coming from the south reflects off of my neighbors’ house windows and vehicles parked in the street & driveways – right into those windows. so i get big flashes of too-bright light that utterly ruin photos. i have blinds for privacy control, but they don’t help with the light issues.
thanks to you, Miss Donna, i now know that i need to hang white curtain /sheet panels to cover the windows and diffuse the light! i’ll get on that asap, too! thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Yay to solutions! And the cheaper the sheets, the better for photography to allow that light in! Can’t wait to see your updates!
Changes the whole studio, so fresh and airy!
Thanks, I think so too! Now to keep it this clean…
What a pretty studio! Love this curtain treatment!
I did the same with drop cloths for my living room. I can’t/don’t sew so it was the perfect option for me. 🙂 I need a light filled studio in my life, lol.
Donna that room looks amazing! It is so light and bright! I not only love the curtain rods and curtains but painting the floor white was a great choice too! You’ll have many hours of taking beautiful photos in there!
Thanks Susan! It really is the perfect room for photography thanks to the diffused light and bright atmosphere! However I will admit it’s a bit of a challenge keeping a workshop floor white… haha! Nothing a quick roll of paint won’t cure though! I have no regrets.