I love the look of striped curtains, and I really, really wanted red and white striped candy-cane curtains to go with my red and white Christmas decor. I wasn’t willing to buy new curtains, and I definitely didn’t want to go to the trouble of painting curtains. So what’s a DIY girl to do? Duct tape those babies, that’s what! For decades, duct tape has been the stereotypical fix-everything-go-to-solution for men—and now it can be ours as well.
I had a pair of white curtains already on hand, and I purchased four rolls of red duct tape at Lowes for around $14 total. I have 10 foot ceilings so all of my drapes are long. I think these are 108″ long. You will obviously use more or less duct tape depending on the length of your curtains and the thickness of your stripes. (Tip: I used around 80 yds of duct tape, so you could cut the cost down to around $11 if you buy one 60 yd roll and one 20 yd roll.)
The first thing I did was create a guide for the distance I wanted between my stripes. I just used a scrap piece of paper cut to the length of my stripes.
I started at the top of my curtain and used the paper as a guide as to where to place my first stripe. Move the paper across the curtain as you unroll your tape to keep your stripes level and even.
To make your stripes wider, simply place another strip of tape next to your first. The seams are very forgiving and won’t be noticeable once hung. Once you reach the end of your fabric, fold the tape over the curtain’s edge for a finished look. Continue doing this down the length of your curtain.
That is all there is to it! Once you get a rhythm going the stripes should go on fairly quickly. I will enjoy these curtains for the month and then remove the tape. There is a possibility of some tape residue to remain on the fabric once removed so keep that in mind if you choose to do this! Thanks so much for visiting me. For more fun Christmas crafts, check out my Christmas page.
Hi! Your curtains are just precious! Love the candy stripes! My hubby LOVES red so he is smiling when I showed these to him! Good to see you here and sending a big Colorado hug your way!
Hi Anne! Thanks for visiting me! So good to see you :).
For real….these look like a million bucks. I would have never known you used duct tape!!
Thanks Beth!
You are a genius! I love temporary decorating solutions!
Thanks Heather! Me too :).
Absolutely adorable!! You must have a ton of patience ~ 🙂 I love red anything so glad you shared this!
xo
Pat
Thanks Pat! It actually goes very fast once you get a groove. So much quicker than painting curtains–which I’ve also done before.
brilliant! Love that idea!
Thanks Kim!
That is VERY clever and funny and effective 🙂 !
I have an extra pair of the thin Ikea Curtains. This would be perfect and then I wouldn’t have to stress about taking the tape off. they may even save for next year.
Super cute! 🙂
Thanks Jess!
That is so clever! It looks really pretty!
So pretty!
Thanks Jen!