Adding a magnetic closure to hold your curtains together protects your privacy as it also helps the curtains to hang straight – no matter how much they are fiddled with. Yet another benefit of magnets attached to curtains is it helps prevent a spill of light if the curtains are hanging flush with the wall.
You can close a troublesome gap between curtains and walls by installing a wrap around curtain rod and hanging curtains that are longer and wider than the window they cover. You can attach the sides of your curtains to the walls adjacent to a window using tape, pins, or Velcro strips.
Stick one side of a self-adhesive hook and loop tape dot on the back of a metal rod at the position of each inside edge when in the desired gathered position on stationary panels. Stick the other side of the dot to the inside of the rod pocket of the back side of the drape or the inside of the curtain ring.
Another smart way to achieve a layered look using a single rod is to use double-sided hooks. Though these are often used in bathrooms for shower curtains, they can be adopted in other rooms as well. Double-sided hooks have two hooks on opposite sides, which can be used to hold two curtain panels at the same time.
Fabric staplers shaped like pliers with fine wire staples provide enough support to seam two or more panels together without snagging the fabric. As an alternative, visit a fabric store or hobby shop to purchase iron-on fusible strips that bonds overlapping side edges for a sew-free finish.
Staple the curtain to a 1-inch edge of the board, concealing the staples close to any pleats and creating gathers by making small tucks, if necessary.
Add Vinyl Light Gap Blockers
Light blocking strips (or Light Blockers) are an adhesive vinyl strip that can be attached to your window frame and will obstruct those pesky gaps. These are typically used in tandem with blackout window treatments but can be used to simply reduce the light coming in from the sides.
I recommend using a ceramic round disc magnet 1/8” thick. Simply glue one to the window casing on both sides at the lowest point to which the blind hangs and you should be good to go. You can get these magnets online, or at any home improvement store.
Use Drapery Clip Rings. Yes you can put them directly on the pole but I find it so clumsy to open and close them this way and they hang much nicer when you use drapery clip rings. I used these Amazon Basics Drapery Clip Rings and they work fantastic.
You can hand sew a couple of stitches around the chain at either end of the hem to prevent it from sliding around if you lift the drape up. Because chain weights provide weighting along the entire bottom of the curtain, this is often considered the best way to weight curtains.
The drapes get longer and longer. Drapes may stretch. Fabric is made of threads woven together, and there is no glue holding these threads in place. Knowing how the fabric may react after hanging will help you choose fabrics that should not stretch.
Some curtain rod manufacturers sell a curtain rod connector designed to fit inside the rod, allowing you to join two or more matching rods together to create one long piece. These inner tubes screw into place, requiring holes drilled at the ends of the curtain rod pieces to secure the entire structure together.
There are two great ways to attach fabric without sewing: fabric glue or a fusible bonding tape like Dritz Stitch Witchery. If you have a sewing machine, sewing is often still the fastest and most reliable method for many projects, but fabric glue or Stitch Witchery are great alternatives.
Zebra Shades are a very modern alternative to a horizontal blind. Zebra Shades are Roller shades that allow you to transition between sheer and privacy. The blinds can be adjusted so that the 3" zebra stripes line up-offering privacy, light control, and insulation.