What is it?

No-sew curtains, partitions or doorway hanging for any room made out of cheap fabric.

Usefulness factor

Rather than buying expensive drapes from Urban Outfitters or Pier 1 Imports, or somewhere equally trendy and pricey, why not make your own? After all, it's just a large piece of decorative fabric, right?

Items needed:

• Measuring tape

• A few yards of fabric

• Scissors

• Iron-on hemming tape, found at any craft or fabric store

• Strings of beads, ribbon, lights or anything else you want to drape across the top.

• An inexpensive curtain rod, or make your own using PVC pipes found at any home improvement store.

Get started:

1. Before buying your fabric, measure the windows or door to be covered to make sure you buy enough fabric. Any fabric will work, sheer or opaque, depending on how you want your curtains to look.

Look through fabric store clearance bins for the best deals. Buy a little bit more than you need and leave room for hemming.

2. Cut the fabric the length and width needed for your project.

3. Follow the instructions on the hemming tape and hem around the fabric.

4. At the top, fold over enough fabric to leave room to stick the curtain rod through, and hem again.

5. Pull through your curtain rod or PVC pipe and hang in front of your window or door.

6. Drape beads, ribbon or small Christmas lights over the top for an extra touch.

Total cost

About $5-$7, depending on how much fabric you use and whether you buy embellishments.

Challenge level

On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the Martha Stewart Challenge, this is a 2. This craft doesn't require a needle and thread, or any fancy crafting techniques.

Our thoughts

These curtains are perfect to dress up any apartment or dorm room, without spending a lot of money. They can be as creative or as simple as you desire; add a border, sweep them across your window with a decorative hook or leave the fabric as is - it's up to you.