Get Rid Of Ugly Curtain Grommets With A Hidden Tab Hack

"Grommet" is a fun word to say. Using them, however, is not as much fun. Curtains hanging from metal grommets can be a pain to open and close. The rings tend to stick at points on the curtain rods, and their metallic sliding is far from silent. Plus, their time on the list of home fashion trends has run out. It's time to ditch this once-popular curtain trend. If you have a sewing machine and can stitch a straight line with it, you can update grommet curtains pretty easily.

The crafty YouTuber behind the channel, Weekends with Winnie, inspired us to share this simple upgrade, and we added a few of our own touches, too. The fabric between the metal rings will become tabs to sew to the back of the curtains. These hidden tabs slide with a whisper along the curtain rod and allow the curtains to hang in consistent folds when they're open.

You can pull off this possibly intimidating yet surprisingly simple curtain makeover, even if it's your first sewing project. Grab some scissors, a sewing machine, straight pins, and a spool of thread that matches the color of the curtains. If losing the inches from cutting off the strip of grommets makes your curtains too short, find a fabric in a similar weight and weave that coordinates with the curtains' color.

With scissors, snip away the grommet panel from your curtains. Follow the seam of the panel, cutting beneath it. You can remove the grommets and save them from becoming waste. Like old shower rings, you can repurpose them instead in a wealth of ways. Hold the ring, pull the layers of fabric from the ring, and it should pop right out.

To make tabs, cut away the sections between the holes, trimming the fabric as closely to the edges of the holes; save as much material as possible, since you'll be losing some width for a hem to finish the edges. Each cut should be a loop still connected by the original hem.

To finish the edges of the tabs, open the loop, fold the cut edges inside, and pin them in place. Sew the pinned edges for a durable no-fray seam. Repeat this for every tab. On what was the bottom hem of the curtains, pin the tabs at regular spaces along the row of stitching for the hem and its fold. Sew the tabs along the original line of stitching for the hem. To make where you sew the upper part of the tab less visible, sew an additional seam along the fold, stitching over the tabs as you go. Finish the lower edge of the curtain with a double fold hem about three to four inches wide. If you're adding fabric for length, sew on a strip that matches the curtains' width and hem it like above.

You can even pull off this curtain renaissance without a machine! Sub a Singer for a needle and thread, a thimble, and peel-and-stick fusing tape like YONGJIN Double Sided Fabric Tape. A product like this is great to have on hand since it's the easiest way to hem curtains without any sewing. Essentially, follow the directions above, substituting tape for every instance of sewing. If you trust it, you can avoid needle and thread by adhering the tabs to the curtains with the tape, as well. However, for a longer-lasting hold, stitch them by hand with a trusty thimble on standby.

If you're attaching additional fabric to make up for lost length, you'll want a nice crease on the finished side of the fabrics after you've joined them. Reviewers of YONGJIN Double Sided Tape share that the bond lasts through washings, but there's no news about its ability to withstand heat from drying or ironing. To get this crisp crease without threatening the adhesive with an iron, you can fold and iron a 1-inch crease on the cut edges of both the curtain and the additional fabric before using the tape. Make sure you're folding the cut edges toward the side of the curtain where you attached the tabs.

Simply apply the tape to the folds you've created, placing the tape as close to the crease as possible on each fabric piece. Hang your curtains, open and close them, and enjoy a silent swish instead of a metallic clatter.