Don’t you love a simple, quick method to achieve a high-end look yourself? Customizing generic pieces, such as Ikea’s Vivanwhite linen curtains, that everyone has to become statement pieces that fit your space and style perfectly has to be one of the greatest reasons to embark on a DIY project. You can likely find lots of ways to make your own shower curtain, but this tutorial shows you a super easy method that adds instant sophistication at little cost and can be accomplished in less than an hour.

Interested? Let’s do it.

DIY Level: Beginner

Materials Needed:

Two (2) curtain panels of your choice. Note: Tutorial uses Ikea Vivan panels in white. Hard to beat $10 curtains!5-2/3 yards of trim. Note: Your length may vary; this length represents trim required for the lead edges of two ceiling-height curtains for a standard 8’ ceiling.Thread and sewing machine.

Begin by determining how far in from the lead edge of your curtain you like your trim. Hold the trim up to your curtain edge. This photo shows a slight border; you could move your trim in even further to see how it looks.

This photo shows how the trim would look with no border between the trim and the edge of the curtain.

After you’ve decided where the trim would go, position yourself at your sewing machine. Fold one raw edge of your trim over about 1/4″ to 1/2″.

Keeping the fold in your trim, place the fold (right side up) on the top BACK side of a curtain panel. Position the trim in keeping with your pre-determined spacing from the side edge of the panel. Pin in place if you are more comfortable doing that.

With the back side of the curtain panel facing upward, sew a perpendicular seam along the folded edge of your trim to tack it flatly into place on the curtain panel.

Your trim should now be attached to the top of the back side of your curtain panel. Fold your trim over the top edge of your panel.

Choose a logical place, depending on the pattern of your trim, to stitch down one side of the trim. Start sewing it onto your curtain panel, taking care to keep side spacing consistent. Note: Although I find pinning tedious, it may make you feel more comfortable. Do whatever works best for you and gives you the result you’re happy with.

When your seam is about 6” from the bottom of the curtain panel, pull the trim even with the bottom of your panel. Cut your trim about 1” past the bottom of the panel.

You’ll want to sandwich the raw edge inside the trim again, like you did at the top. Fold the raw edge under about 1/4″ to 1/2″, then fold THAT part up behind the bottom of the curtain panel. Make sure the trim is lying flat against the curtain from your seam all the way to the bottom edge of the panel.

Pinch the double folds to hold them in place. Pin them if it makes (a) you happy, or (b) your life easier.

Continue the seam from where you left off all the way to the bottom of the curtain panel. At the bottom, the seam will catch a bit of the folded part of your trim on the back side and hold it in place. Reverse-stitch, then cut your thread.

After one side of your trim has been sewn in place, it’s time to sew on the other side. It might seem faster to avoid trimming your thread at the bottom edge and instead rotate your curtain panel and start sewing the other side, from the bottom to the top of the panel (opposite the direction you just sewed). However, this isn’t ideal because it can make the trim skewed. So position the other edge of your trim at the TOP of your panel on your sewing machine, and sew in the same direction (in this case, downward) as the first seam.

When you’ve finished and reverse-sewn the end of your trim, it’s time to attach your trim to the second shower curtain. With this much fabric, it can be a little confusing to tell which end you’re sewing on and if it’s the right side for your lead edges. (You don’t want trim going down the right sides of both panels; you want one right side and one left.) So, to simplify, simply grab the bottom edge of your second curtain panel and start and sew the trim onto this panel in the same way as the first. In other words, you’ll sew your first trim on the right side from panel top to bottom; you’ll sew your second trim on the right side from panel bottom to top. Doing this will ensure that you have trim on the two lead edges.

Now just hang the shower curtain (check this article on installing a ceiling-mounted shower curtain track and hanging shower curtains for a really dramatic statement). Congratulations! You’re done! So easy, yet so personally stylish. A simple lead-edge trim makes such a high-impact statement, for little cost and effort. That’s a total win-win.

A note on shower curtain liners: If you have a ceiling-height shower curtain track, you will need an extra-long shower liner. Standard liners are too short and will end up with water all over your bathroom floor. These are easy to order online or find in certain stores.

I, for one, am all about simple impactful touches. These customized shower curtains, trimmed out simply, completely fit the bill.

A vertical trim line is a nice way to enhance the vertical emphasis in a small space, which many bathrooms are.

If only installing the tub fixtures was as fast as this job! (Actually, the shower and tub fixtures installation process isn’t too bad.)

I like how this particular trim is dark, colorful, and shimmery all at once. That’s not an easy combination to strike.

It’s a nice visual to break up the white space in this bathroom as well. We hope you have fun customizing your own beautiful shower curtains to personalize and upgrade the look and feel of your bathroom!