I have such a beautiful view of the Ohio River Valley from my classroom, and curtains are the perfect way to frame such a lovely scene! I love the home-like feel they give the classroom.
Cutting
I purchased the Dr. Seuss fabric from Robert Kaufman Fabrics via Amazon. I cut a yard of fabric in half to make two rectangles that were 44″ x 18″. I used these for the side panels of the curtains. To make the valance I cut a yard into thirds (because I have three windows in my room I was making three sets of curtains). I ended up with three rectangles that were 36″ x by 14.5″. Overall I used 4 yards of fabric to make three curtains.
Sewing
I sewed the side panels to the valance panel on my sewing machine with a basic straight stitch. From there I tacked the edges back a quarter of an inch and hemmed them in place with decorative topstich. Then I turned the top down an inch and a half and stitched it to make a tunnel for the curtain rod.
Hanging them up!
Once the curtains were finished I ironed them. I threaded spring rod curtain rods through the curtains and adjusted the length until they fit snug in the window frame. Then I tied the curtains back with some red ribbon.
How do you make your classroom warm and inviting for your students?