DIY Patio Curtains from Drop Cloths (with no sewing)

Are you looking for a simple solution for the summer sun beating down on your patio?  These DIY Patio Curtains from drop cloths may be exactly what you need to add a bit of shade to your outdoor space.  Bonus- you can make these curtains with no sewing!

Our back patio faces west and even though it’s covered, the relentless Texas sun bakes our patio between the hours of 2 and 7 pm.  The heat makes it impossible to enjoy our patio until the sun dips below the treeline.

We’ve looked into a few shade options, but everything has been out of our budget.  We finally decided to give some simple patio curtains made from drop cloths a try.

The curtains have been up for over a month now.  I wanted to fix up the porch a bit before trying to get photos and posting about the curtains, but it’s already well into July and before you know it, summer will be over.  (Plus my hubby brought home that monster of a baby pool you see in the photo, so I figured it really doesn’t matter now anyway…)

What makes these curtains so great is we bought enough of the drop cloths, so when you pull the curtains open, they are wide enough to reach all the way across the open space between the cedar posts.  Blocks every bit of the sun!

DIY Patio Curtains from Drop Cloths

Disclaimer:  As I am sure you know, any cotton fabric left bunched up after being rained on, will mold/mildew.  Drop cloths are made from cotton. To ensure your curtains will last, be sure to open them so they can air dry after it rains.  If you live in a perpetually wet/humid climate, you might want to spring for the special outdoor fabric.

For the curtains I used:

• Six  9 x 12 Canvas Drop Cloths.  ( This brand also comes in a 4 x12 and a 12 x 15)
• Metal conduit from for the curtain rod
• Clip Rings to hang the curtains

(Someday, I hope to get real Sunbrella outdoor curtain fabric.   At $15.00 per yard with a 12 ft tall and 60 foot wide opening, I don’t even want to calculate how many yards I would need… OK, I calculated it, I would need almost 60 yards, ouch.)

To make the curtains, I didn’t want to spend too much time sewing these in case they were a bust, so we simply folded the top over and used metal clip rings to hang them.

I considered using some inexpensive curtain hanging accessories from Ikea, but we were afraid with only one support in the middle, the curtains would sag.  So instead, hubby put together a few metal conduit and brackets from Lowes and spray painted them oil rubbed bronze.  They blend right in!

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