How to make a decorative shower curtain without buttonholes or grommets

If you can sew a straight line, you can make this diy decorative shower curtain. You don’t even have to make buttonholes or add bulky grommets!

While everyone seems to be installing glass tub and shower enclosures, I love a decorative shower curtain to add charm to a bathroom. We recently did some budget-friendly updates to our guest bathroom (you can see the updates here). This small renovation did not include a new tub or surrounding tile, so no shiny new glass enclosure.

I opted for a new shower curtain to tie the bathtub nook to the rest of the bathroom. I knew what I wanted: an extra-long shower curtain in an English country style pattern that featured a pretty shade of green. An extensive search of ready-made shower curtains didn’t turn up the perfect option.

I’ve made lots of window drapery panels (you can read about that here), so I figured I could make a decorative shower curtain. 

Determine the length and width of your custom shower curtain

The first step is to determine the size of the shower curtain in order to know how much fabric to buy. A standard shower curtain is pretty short, in my opinion. A lot of space above the curtain is visible, and the curtain doesn’t extend to the floor, allowing the bottom of the bathtub to show.

Completely customizing the size of your shower curtain is a great benefit of making it yourself. My bathtub and tile are in good shape, but they’re a dated almond color. Since I wasn’t updating them with the rest of the bathroom, I didn’t want them to be front and center. I decided that the shower curtain should extend to the floor to help disguise the tub. While starting it at the ceiling would hide even more of the tub area, too much shower curtain might overwhelm my small bathroom.

To determine the length, mark the spot on the wall where you want your shower curtain to start at the top and measure down to the spot where you want the bottom of the curtain to end. In my case this was about nine inches from the ceiling down to the floor.

Note—extra long shower curtain liners are typically 84 inches long. You may want to match your shower curtain to the length of the liner. Add 1 inch for the top hem and six inches for the bottom.

A standard shower curtain is 72 inches wide. My bathroom has a standard-size tub, so the standard width seemed good. If your tub area is wider, you would need to account for extra width.

Choose your fabric

A lightweight fabric such as cotton or a linen blend is best for a shower curtain, since you will be sliding it back and forth on the shower curtain rod. I chose a cotton fabric from Spoonflower.

Tip: Before I go any further, I want to tell you what I did wrong in ordering my fabric, so that you can learn from my mistake. I wanted to make sure I liked the fabric, so I only ordered half of the amount I knew I would need. Once I decided I loved it, I ordered the other half. Guess what? The color of the second batch is slightly different than the first. I contacted Spoonflower, and they very kindly explained that their fabrics are made to order and they can’t guarantee that two separate orders will be exactly the same. This is explained in an article on their website, and I should have known better anyway. Even if you’re buying from a company that stocks lots of fabric, it’s a good idea to purchase the full amount all together. Most fabric sites (including Spoonflower) sell samples. Spoonflower did send me another order that was a better match, but still not exact.

Make sure you buy the full amount that you will need to avoid reordering and chancing a different dye lot.

Sources for fabric

If you still have a local fabric store, that’s great! There is no longer a local fabric store in my town, but Walmart and Hobby Lobby both have fabric sections. I typically use online sites for fabric since the selection is much larger. Here are some sources that I’ve used:

• Fabric Guru
• Decorator’s Best
• Fabric Depot
• Spoonflower

Determine the amount of fabric

Once you have determined the length (the top spot that you marked to the spot where you want the bottom edge of your curtain to land) and the width (72 inches for a standard tub), you can figure out how much fabric to buy. Most designer fabrics are 54 inches wide. The cotton fabric that I bought was only 42 inches wide. In either case, two panels will have to be sewn together to get to the perfect width. Since my fabric is 42 inches wide, I made up the additional 30 inches by cutting down a 42-inch panel. For the length, add 1 inch at the top and 6 inches at the bottom. For my curtain, I needed a length of 86 inches plus 7 inches. Since the fabric will be cut in half to make two panels, I had to add 14 inches to the total length. This came out to about 2 3/4 yards, so I rounded up and decided on six yards of fabric.

Make the shower curtain

Once you’ve determined the amount of fabric needed and purchased your fabric, you’re ready to make your curtain. In addition to the fabric, you will need some other supplies. Since a water resistant shower curtain liner will hang behind the decorative shower curtain, you do not need to line the curtain.

Supply List

• Fabric in the amount determined
• Plastic 1/2-inch plastic rings (12)
• Thread to match your fabric
• Scissors
• A tape measure or a sewing mat and rotary cutting tool (preferred)
• Iron-on fusing tape
• Steam iron
• Shower curtain rings with hooks 

Cut the fabric

Cutting the fabric is always the hardest part of sewing. I use a sewing mat with a straight-edge ruler and a rotary cutting tool for cutting the straightest lines, but measuring with a tape measure and cutting with a pair of scissors will work, too.

Length

If your fabric is solid or has a very small print, you can simply cut the fabric in half lengthwise to get started. A larger print (like mine) will require some figuring. Measure halfway down and see where the pattern lands. The top of the fabric that is cut off will have to match the pattern at top of your original piece of fabric. You may have to purchase extra to ensure that you have enough fabric to make this work. Most fabric sites show the measurement for the pattern repeat. If the repeat is six inches, purchase six inches of extra fabric. Keep in mind that you will have to allow 1/2 inch on each panel for the seam allowance, so the match will be at that point. 

Width

Now you have two pieces of fabric. If your second panel needs to be cut down, determine where to make the cut. In addition to the extra width, you will need to allow for seam allowances all around. A half-inch allowance is needed on each panel where the two panels are sewn together. The outside edges will require a one-inch allowance for a total of 3 inches. Since my panels were 42 inches wide, I needed 30 inches to get to my completed width of 72 inches, so I cut my second panel to be 32 inches wide. 

Note: You may lose some width in matching the patterns on the two fabric panels together. It’s a good idea to check the match before you cut down the width.

Sew the panels together

Once you have two panels in the correct length, place the right sides together, being very careful to match the pattern.

If you are using a fabric in a solid color or one that features a very small pattern, matching the pattern won’t be too difficult. The pattern on the fabric I used is large and a mismatch would be noticeable. I tried pinning the pieces together, but the pins make it hard to see if the pattern matches perfectly.

I came up with a system that worked great. 

Steps for a perfectly matched pattern

Place the first section flat on an ironing board. 

Next, hold the right side of the second section up to the flat section and carefully match the pattern. You can flip the second section back with the outside edge folded under to make sure it is matching perfectly.

Insert a section of iron-on fusing tape between the flat piece of fabric and the folded fabric.

Press in place making sure that the pattern is matching. In this step, it’s important to iron in a very sharp crease.

Do this in small sections until the pieces are fused together. 

Because one piece is folded, the fusing tape will not hold together, so the next step is to sew the pieces together.

Carefully flip the folded piece over so that the right sides of both pieces of fabric are together.

Carefully sew along the crease that you ironed in. This is the spot where the patterns meet. I found that if I kept my needle at the right edge of the crease, the pattern match was perfect when sewn.

Once the pieces are sewn together, you can cut of the exc

Hem the sides and top

To finish the sides, create a double fold hem by turning the fabric to the wrong side 1/2 inch, ironing it in place and then turning it a second 1/2 inch and ironing again. Sew the flap down on the sewing machine. This can be done by hand if you prefer, but I don’t mind the stitching showing on the sides of a shower curtain.

Finish the top just as you did on the sides with two half-inch folds ironed in place. 

Add the rings

This is the process that avoids button holes and grommets. Shower curtain hooks are sold in packages of 12. The easiest way to determine where to place the 12 rings that will go over the shower curtain hooks is to place your liner over the the shower curtain and mark the spots where the liner holes match up on your shower curtain.

Next, hold your shower curtain ring against the fabric and determine how much of the hook you want to show above the shower curtain. I wanted the hook that holds the shower curtain to be covered, so I positioned my rings at the point where just the hook that goes over the shower curtain rod was showing. Mark the distance from the top at each spot where you previously marked for the location of the rings.

Sew the rings by hand on the bottom and the two sides. I made about five loops at each point on each ring with my needle and thread. I tried just attaching the ring at the bottom, but the shower curtain flapped out too much, and only attaching the sides didn’t work either. The two sides bunched together with the weight of the curtain. All three spots are needed in order for the curtain to hang properly.

Hem the bottom

At this point, I put the shower curtain rod in place and hung up the shower curtain. You’ll want to create a double fold hem at the bottom, turning the fabric up three inches twice and ironing in between folds. but to get the perfect length, you can fudge that a bit. Conversely, you can create your bottom hem and move the shower curtain rod up or down to get the perfect length, but I was more concerned with the perfect place for the shower curtain rod.

Add the liner

I used shower curtain rings with hooks on both sides so that I can change the shower liner without removing the shower curtain.

Admire your custom shower curtain!

With its perfect size and fabric, a custom shower curtain creates an elevated look in a bathroom!

Shop supplies

Note: I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means a small commission is earned if you purchase via the link. The price will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link. Read my full disclosure policy here.