DIY Extra Long Custom Design Shower Curtain

Phew, it’s been a big week friends! Did you catch my post yesterday sharing my big news- I’m excited to be contributing to two excellent sites, Remodelaholic and Honest to Nod! I shared my full bathroom makeover on Remodelaholic yesterday (well, at least Phase 1!) and as promised, today I’m sharing the DIY instructions to make your very own Extra Long Custom Design Shower Curtain! Let’s start with- why on earth you would want a longer shower curtain than normal (if for some reason, you don’t already see how AWESOME that would be).

One of the things that drove us completely crazy with our old shower is that the shower head was SO low. Both my hubby and I are fairly tall, so having to bend down to wash our hair was a pain. We put our shower head higher than average (such a good decision!) and tiled right to our ceiling. We love the way this looks, but a standard height towel bar and shower curtain looked silly with the change. I couldn’t find a longer shower curtain anywhere, so I decided to make one. The longer curtain looks custom and high end in comparison to a standard short shower curtain. I love the way it turned out- the look of the longer curtain pulls the whole bathroom together. Plus- I wasn’t limited in patterns, I could pick from any fabric because we use a shower curtain liner inside the tub.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

• Fabric of your choice (you’ll need enough to cover 5 ft wide by approx. 7 ft long (this accounts for seams)
• Coordinating Thread
• Sewing Machine with Button Foot (this things the best- I can’t wait to show you!)
• Iron
• Scissors

I wanted to do a fun printed shower curtain, but we only have one real fabric store in town, so the options are limited. I was excited to find this fabric that has the navy we are using everywhere in the house plus the cool grey matched the tile shower, and the warm grey the floor- I am so pleased with how well it pulls the room together! If I could have picked anything in the world though… I probably would have picked something with greens like this pillow (which apparently isn’t too popular- there was nothing in green at our store!), or I would have tried out indigo dye (that white and navy looking tie dye pattern). But this was on clearance (score!) and Shane loved it- so we were sold!

You’ll need to buy enough fabric to cover approximately 5 ft wide by 7 ft long depending how long you’d like it- this accounts for seam allowance. This is standard width, and the height is based off of a standard height shower curtain liner being used on the inside. There were no fabrics that were wide enough, so I pieced mine together with a seam at knee height. Just take care to line up your patterns and it won’t be too noticeable. You could also use a contrasting or solid fabric on the bottom bit. Cut your fabric to size, using your old shower curtain as a guide for width. Pin the seams and iron before sewing around the edges (making one big panel with edges turned under). Make a wider seam at the top and bottom of the curtain- the wider seam at the bottom adds some weight so the curtain will hang straight, and at the top you just need enough room to sew the button holes in for hanging.

Once you’ve sewed all your edges under, you’re ready for the button holes. Making a curtain is nothing new- but I am really pleased that I figured out how to use a button foot to make the holes for hanging this baby! I followed this video on using a button foot and lemme tell ya- that thing’s a dream! If you’re keeping track, that’s the second new sewing machine foot I’ve learned to use in the last two weeks! To line up proper spacing of your holes, lay your old shower curtain on top of the new one, and pin it just under your top seam as a guide. You can see mine in the photo above- it’s the black thing pinned under my fingers (with horribly chippy nail polish! Oops). My only tips on using the button foot to make the holes are to practice on scrap fabric first- it took me a bit to get the hang of it, and to use snips to cut the hole open, not a seam ripper as she suggests as you’ll have a few layers of fabric to cut through.

That’s seriously all there is to it! I feel a bit silly leaving you this tutorial- it’s so darn simple. I’m not sure why I thought it would be so difficult to make, it really wasn’t! One evening (and a Friends on Netflix Marathon) later and I have this beauty in my bathroom! So tell me- am I the only crazy person who NEEDS an extra tall shower curtain, or are you the same? I’d love to hear if this is something you’d think of trying out!