- When choosing fabric for your shower curtain liner, it is important to pick one that has been waterproofed. Look in the outdoor fabrics section of a fabric store for this type of material, like that used in the construction of tents or windbreakers, making sure that the fabric will not absorb water in any way. Absorbent materials are likely to breed mildew in much the same way as the decorative curtain you are trying to protect.
Consider the weight of the material. The thinner the fabric, the easier it will be to sew. Thicker material will be more difficult to hem, and may require special needles for your sewing machine. - First, measure the length and width of your fabric shower curtain. You want your homemade shower liner to fit perfectly behind it so that it gives full coverage but does not show too much around the edges. When you have your measurement, add 2 inches to the width and 3 inches to the length to allow for hemming and finishing the edges. Cut your chosen shower liner fabric to these measurements.
Depending on the width of the fabric that you chose, it may be necessary to sew two or more panels together to get the final width needed. This can be easily accomplished by putting two lengths of the fabric face-to-face--in this case the right side of the fabric is the waterproof-treated side--and sewing a seam one-half inch from one edge. This can be repeated more than once if more than two panels are required. - Sew a 1-inch hem on each of the vertical sides of the liner. One way to do this is to simply fold the edge to the backside of the liner by 1 inch and sew a straight line about 3/4 inch from the fold. However, if you would prefer an even more finished edge, you could fold the edge in by 1 inch as before and then fold the raw edge of the fabric under by 1/4 inch so that the raw edge ends up inside the hem itself. Then, sew a straight line an 1/8 inch away from that inside fold.
Once your vertical sides are hemmed, use the same technique to make a 1-inch hem on the bottom of the liner. Along the top, sew a 2-inch hem. This will allow room for the holes that are needed to hang the liner. - Make marks across the back of the top hem that indicate where the holes should be placed. This can be accomplished by measuring the placement of the holes on your fabric curtain and then transferring those measurements to the liner. An even easier way is to lay the hemmed liner out on an expanse of bare floor, then lay the fabric liner on top of it. Make your marks through the holes in the fabric curtain, and you will have holes in your liner that will line up perfectly when you hang it.
If you have a grommet machine and grommets large enough to accommodate your shower curtain hooks, you may choose to create the holes using them. Using grommets would allow for the most finished and professional looking final product. However, if you do not have grommets, you may want to use the buttonhole function on your sewing machine. This way, the fabric edges of the hole would be finished with stitching. Alternatively, you could use a single-paper hole punch to create uniform holes, though this would result in unfinished edges that could lead to fraying. - Thread your fabric liner onto the shower curtain rings so that the front of the curtain will face the outside of the shower. When the fabric curtain is in place, thread your new shower curtain liner onto the same rings so that the front side of the liner will be facing the inside of the shower. Attach the rings to the rod of the shower and let the liner fall to the inside of the tub or shower and the fabric curtain fall to the outside.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -