Because the lighting in that home was better, I took the new summer fabrics with me to Las Vegas to photograph them. However, I didn’t have time before I left to sew a sample curtain or pillow cover, so I made them there using a couple rolls of fusible iron-on adhesive tape (find it at any sewing supply store or Hobby Lobby).

With the help of iron-on tape, you can quickly and easily create a simple curtain panel or pillow cover without the use of a sewing machine. You’ve probably seen this before in lessons posted online, but I felt it was still worthwhile to mention, particularly for those of you who don’t own sewing machines or aren’t familiar with sewing. Using this technique, you can still create your own pillow coverings and rod pocket curtains!

ROD POCKET CURTAIN PANEL DIY WITHOUT SEWING Using only an iron, an ironing board, and iron-on adhesive tape, I created this curtain panel using my Watercolor Leaf print (in the Peacock blue). Make sure you have enough fabric to complete the top pocket and bottom hem, in addition to the length needed to complete the length from the pole to the floor.

It resembles a roll of tape, but for those of you who have never used it before, it is soft and malleable, and the adhesive is only triggered by the heat of an iron. Each packaging will explain how to use it, and a roll typically costs $2 to $3.

Make the vertical hems down both sides first. The fabric’s raw edge will be visible on the back if you choose to fold the edge over just once, which is perfectly acceptable. To fuse the edge to create the vertical hems, use the iron-on tape as directed on the box.

It’s not a big problem if the edge is raw, but if you want completed edges as I do, roll the cloth under twice before using the fusible web to make the hem look neater. As I make my way down the length of the fabric, I iron-on tape in 8 to 10 portions.

After finishing the two vertical hems, make the upper pocket that will dangle from the rod. Fold the top of the cloth over to create the top pocket where the curtain will hang, leaving plenty of space for the rod to pass through. In order for the curtain to comfortably travel back and forth on the rod, I normally allow roughly 3 for a single curtain rod.

To create the pocket, fuse the fabric pieces together using the iron-on adhesive. To make the corner at the edge neatly tucked away and unnoticeable, I prefer to fold it under and bind it with a small piece of iron-on tape.

There should be several inches of extra fabric for you to work with and select where you want the bottom hem once you’ve done the top pocket, the two side hems, and the top pocket. Hang your curtain on its pole in place. To avoid cutting too much fabric and producing a curtain that is too short, I advise using a pin to mark where you want the curtain’s final edge to be.

The benefit of this technique (in comparison to sewing) is that you don’t have to remove the curtain panel in order to sew the bottom hem; instead, you can simply cut the panel in place on top of the ironing board and adhere the hem there using iron-on adhesive tape.

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Using the iron-on tape, create the bottom hem in the same manner as you accomplished the side hem and rod pocket.

If you’ve never used this tool, you’ll be surprised at how simple it is to manufacture your own curtains from any amount of cloth yardage. It’s a whole new world for people who don’t sew:)

PILLOW COVERS WITHOUT SEWING
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The same iron-on adhesive tape was used to create the above envelope pillow covers, which feature the Watercolor Leaf print in Spa blue.

I previously shared a simple DIY envelope cushion technique, and since there occasionally are inquiries about the fabric layout, I believe it’s beneficial to demonstrate how this works. This is the picture. You require a piece of fabric wide enough to completely encircle the pillow insert (whatever size youre using, I typically use a 20 pillow insert). Additional fabric should extend a few inches above and below the top and bottom of the pillow insert, as seen here:

Observe how the fabric completely encircles the pillow insert while leaving room for a small amount of overlap to form an envelope opening, as seen below:

Remember that you’ll flip the cloth around and fuse the fabric together inside out when you piece the cushion cover together with iron-on tape. The illustration above is merely intended to demonstrate how the envelope opening on the back of the pillow cover is created.

The first step is to use the iron-on tape to make the hem of the envelope. Repeat this procedure for both sides of the envelope.

The top and bottom seams should then be fused together to make the envelope by turning the fabric inside out. To illustrate, I used the following diagram from my prior tutorial on envelope pillows:

The cloth has the appearance shown below from the inside out. Place the pillow insert on top to confirm the width of your pillow cover before sewing the fabric together.

To create the seam, layer the tape internally. Although it isn’t depicted, I advise stacking two layers of iron-on tape on top of one another to strengthen the bind and reduce the chance that the cloth may come loose.

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Iron-on tape and seams are fused together to create the cushion cover. Allow the tape to cool completely after finishing to guarantee a solid binding.