Make Your Own Blackout Curtains

Instead of paying $50 and up for blackout curtains, just go through old clothes and find opaque large skirts, t-shirts, or button-up shirts and sew them all together to fit your window. It helps if you have a sewing machine, but it can still be done by hand.

I actually went to Goodwill and bought a king-size sheet that is folded on one end, which leaves a small flap of sewn fabric to put the curtain rod through. I cut the sheet in half, vertically and then I sewed all my husband's old XXL dark blue and black t-shirts and extra fabric to the other side.

Mine could have turned out better, but I was in a rush and wanted the curtains that night so I could finally get some sleep. A bonus is that they were almost free, and they also insulate my room in the summer and winter. In the summer, it keeps the hot rays of the sun out and in the winter it keeps the cold draft out.

The picture shows the other side of the curtains with the sewn shirts on it. If you have time, you can buy two sheets so you can have a decorative curtain on both sides, so that the opposite side of the curtains looks better than sewn-together shirts.

By shooshine from Los Angeles, CA