This will guide you through the beginner-friendly task of sewing tab-top curtains for your patio door with the options of hidden tab-tops, visible loop tab-tops and tied tab-tops.
Five Steps To Make Beginner- Friendly Tab-Top Curtains For A Patio Door
- Choose your type of tab-top curtain.
- Measure to see how much fabric you will need.
- Choose your fabric.
- Buy your fabric and pre-wash and dry it.
- Cut and sew your curtains.
| Curtain Type | Top of curtain starts above, on or below rail? | Level of difficulty |
| Hidden tab-top | Above | Easy |
| Tab- top | Below | Medium |
| Tied Tab-top | Below | Medium |
What will I Need To Make Tab-Top Curtains?
- Curtain pole and fixings
- Sewing machine ( not absolutely necessary but sewing curtains by hand is a long job)
- Sharp fabric scissors or shears
- Fabric- a heavy fabric at this width will need very secure fixings so I would recommend using a lightweight fabric such as muslin or voile
- Thread
- More time than you think- allow time for careful calculation and preparation before you start
How To Calculate Fabric Needs For Patio Door Curtains
This is an important step because whilst you don’t want to waste money on excess fabric, you want to be sure to get it right. Take your time and double-check your calculation.
Calculate The Drop Length Needed For Each Panel
- You will need to know the width of the fabric for the calculation.
- Since the curtain will extend beyond the frame, ensure that you measure the length of the curtain pole or rail rather than the width of the door or window.
- Measure the length of the drop required and add 15 cm or 6 inches for hems. Add another 5 cm or 2 inches for shrinkage if using cotton.
- This will be the adjusted drop length.
Worked example for a patio door 3.5m wide
- width of fabric = 137 cm (1.5 yards)
- length of curtain pole = 365 cm (3.99 yards) (note that the pole is wider than the door)
- length of drop = 216cm (2.36 yards)
- adjusted drop length = 236 cm (2.58 yards)
Calculate The Number Of These Drops You Require
- Decide how full you would like your door curtains. Although you would usually use at least double the window width for windows, curtains for patio doors are probably better at 1.5 times the width.
- Use a fullness factor for your fabric of 1.5 or 2
- The number of drops you will need is calculated by this sum: length of pole x fullness factor / width of fabric
- Round the number of drops up to the next whole number (unless the number is extremely close to the lower whole number) e.g. round 2.4 to 3.0 but 2.1 to 2.0
- If this number is odd, unless you are making one large curtain for a sliding door, you will need to split one drop top to bottom to make the two curtains even.
- This number is the adjusted number of drops
Worked example
- fullness factor = 2
- length of curtain pole = 365 cm (3.99 yards)
- width of fabric = 137 cm (1.5 yards)
- length of pole x fullness factor / width of fabric = 365 cm x 2 / 137 cm = 5.32 drops (or 3.99 x 2 / 1.5 yards = 5.32 drops)
- I will use 5 drops as my adjusted number of drops
Add The Fabric For The Tabs And Calculate The Total Length Of Fabric Required
The length of fabric you will need is calculated by multiplying the adjusted number of drops by the adjusted drop length.
Add extra fabric for the tabs – 15cm or 6 inches length will make about 12 tabs if your fabric is 130 cm or 50 inches wide. This will make more than enough tabs for 1 panel.
You should now have a figure for the total fabric required. Recheck your calculations (just like your maths teacher told you to do!).
Worked example
- adjusted number of drops = 5
- adjusted drop length = 236 cm (2.58 yards)
- adjusted number of drops x adjusted drop length = 5 x 236 cm (2.58 yards) = 1180 cm or 11.8 m (or 12.9 yards)
- to be sure I have enough fabric for the tabs, I will add 5 x 15cm (5 x 6 inches) = 75 cm ( 30 inches = 0.83 yards)
- this makes my total fabric needs in metric 1180 + 75 cm = 1255cm or 12.55 m I will round this up and buy 13 m since I have chosen to buy fabric that I know I can use in other projects. I would rather buy more than I need , just to be sure I have enough.
- this makes my total fabric needs in yards 12.9 + 0.83 = 13.73 yards I will round this up and buy 14 yards
Since I have chosen to buy fabric that I know I can use in other projects, I would rather buy more than I need , just to be sure I have enough.
Decide If You Will Join Panels Or Leave Them Separate
Separate panels will give you more flexibility and you can always join them later with a few hand stitches if required. Door curtains contain a lot of fabric as they are so long and wide . Therefore think carefully before making one large curtain from panels.
There is a particular point to consider if your sliding patio door opens very near to an adjoining wall. Sometimes there is only a very narrow length of wall between the door opening and the corner. This makes it difficult to pull the curtain out of the way. I would suggest that you use the minimum number of panels to cover the opening and fix a tie back. This will keep the curtain from blowing out of the door when it is open.
On the other hand, depending on your door placement, you may prefer to be able to slide the whole curtain away from the door opening. Bear in mind that you cannot slide tab-top curtains over the pole fixings. This applies to tab- tops of all designs including hidden tab-tops. This means that for a very wide door with fixings along the length, you will not be able to pull the curtains right to the edges of the door. If this is important to you, I would suggest that you use a header tape and hooks with a curtain rail rather than a pole.
If you do want to join panels, use this method:
- To join panels: Pin the two lengths together, along their length, and sew as straight a line as you can, approximately 1cm or half an inch from the edge (or slightly wider to hide the selvedge).
Making A Hidden Tab-Top Curtain
This gives a pleated effect with the top of the curtain sitting above the pole.
- Measure the length of the drop from the top of the pole to the floor and add 15 cm or 6 inches for top and bottom hems.
- Cut your pre-washed and dried fabric.
- Sew panels together if required.
- Turn over 1 cm or half an inch at the top and press.
- Measure a further 9 cm or 3.5 inches and turn over and press.
- Turn over and press 1 cm or half an inch for the bottom hem.
- Repeat the turn and press for the bottom hem.
- Sew the top and bottom hems close to each fold line. You may prefer to leave sewing the bottom hem until you have tried hanging the curtains to make sure they are the correct length.
Making And Attaching The Tabs For The Curtain
- Decide how many tabs you will need: Use clothes pegs attached along the top hem to help you decide: Clip a peg at each end of the curtain and then spread out pegs about 15cm or 6 inches apart between them until you get the effect you like.
- Cut 7 cm or 3 inch lengths of wide white satin ribbon or 7 cm or 3 inch wide fabric for the tabs. For ribbon, stop fraying with a zig-zag stitch, a small hem, fray stop or use a lighter/match held carefully to melt the edges. For fabric, stop fraying with a zig-zag stitch or narrow hem. Cut a small trial piece to investigate the fraying before you commit to cutting all the tabs. ( If you are hemming the tabs, make sure you add enough ribbon or fabric for hems before you cut them.)
- Position the tabs vertically along the middle of the wide top hem, using the pegs as a guide.
- Securely stitch the top and bottom of each tab about 1 cm or half an inch from the edge.
- Thread the curtain pole through the tabs to give a pleated effect.
Making A Visible Tab-top Curtain
Use small strips of fabric doubled over and attached to the top of the curtains. These strips go over the curtain pole and suspend the curtains.
- Measure and cut your curtain as shown for the hidden tab-top curtain, but use a narrower top hem if you like. Bear in mind that the top of your curtain will start between the pole and the doorframe.
- Sew panels together if required.
- Hem the top and bottom. ( Alternatively, you may prefer to leave pressing and sewing the bottom hem until after you have hung the curtain. Then if you find that the curtain is going to be just a little too short, you can make the bottom hem a bit narrower.) Some people prefer a hand sewn hem.
Making The Tabs And Attaching Them To Your Curtains
- Decide how many tabs you will need using clothes pegs attached along the top hem to help you decide. Try clipping a peg at each end of the curtain and then spread out pegs about 15cm or 6 inches apart between them until you get the effect you like.
- Tabs that are too long will cause the top of the curtain to hang below the top of the glass , whereas shorter tabs can cause friction. Although this will make opening and closing the curtains difficult, you can tie the curtains back rather than opening them at the top.
- A good rule of thumb for deciding how long to make the tabs: hook a tape measure from the top of the door, up, over and around the pole and down to the top of the glass.
- Use this measurement to cut out rectangles of fabric this long and about 10cm or 4 inches wide. Fold the fabric in half lengthways and sew with 1cm or half inch seam.
- Turn inside out and press flat with an iron, either putting the seam to one side or the middle of one side which will be hidden when the curtain is hanging.
- Neaten the remaining raw edges at each end with a zig-zag stitch through both layers, forming a loop
- Pin these loops with the zig-zagged seams pointing down and lying just within the top hemline and at the positions you marked with pegs earlier. Sew a small rectangle to join each tab to the curtain as they need to be secure.
Making A Tied Tab-Top Curtain
These are a useful type of tab-top curtain to make as they are adjustable and can alter the height of the bottom hem.
- Measure and cut your curtain as shown for the hidden tab-top curtain, but use a narrower top hem if you like. The top of your curtain will start between the pole and the doorframe.
- Sew panels together if required.
- Hem the top and bottom.
- Decide how many tabs you will need – use clothes pegs attached along the top hem to help you decide. Clip a peg at each end of the curtain and then spread out pegs about 15cm or 6 inches apart between them until you get the effect you like.
- Cut out rectangles of fabric approximately 30 cm or 12 inches long and about 10cm or 4 inches wide. Fold the fabric in half lengthways and sew with 1cm or half inch seam along the side seam and across one end.
- Turn inside out and press flat with an iron.
- Carefully fold the raw edges under and inside the tab and either hand sew or machine stitch across.
Attaching The Tabs
- Sew the middle of the tab to the top hem.
- Tie the tabs around the curtain pole so that the decorative knots sit above the pole.
- Adjusting the length of the curtains can be achieved by tying tighter or more loosely.
Hanging Your Curtains
Decide if you want to ensure that your curtain does not pull along the pole , away from the edge of the door. In this case, position at least the first tab onto the pole to the outside of the first fixing.
Position the rest of the tabs along the pole. Remember that tabs will not pull over a wall fixing. Tabs will not easily pull over the bump of an extendable pole.
Alternative Styles For Curtains For Patio Doors
For further information on alternative curtain styles, see this post https://handgsolutions.com/sew-curtains-for-your-patio-door/ which includes a very easy channel method.
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The methods listed above can easily be altered to make beginner -friendly window curtains.