Hand Sewn Curtains for Homeschool Learning

One of the greatest gifts of homeschool is the freedom to turn everyday life into meaningful learning. Some of our most memorable lessons have come not from textbooks or worksheets, but from real work done with real materials and a real purpose. Making our own hand sewn curtains became one of those homeschool lessons to treasure. It was a project that brought history, maths, practical skills, and family teamwork together in a way that felt both natural and deeply satisfying.

This particular project grew out of our Little House on the Prairie unit study. As we read about Laura Ingalls and her family sewing, building, and creating what they needed with their own hands, it felt important to try something similar ourselves. Prairie curtains were simple, practical, and entirely achievable. And as they required a pole, it was something that Thomas could get in on as well!

Catch Up! If you haven’t read all about our first week on the prairie, I would encourage you to go and read my Little House in the Big woods post. This covers everything we did from making nightdresses, to prairie cooking and making button strings. It also gives you a good idea of everything we achieved with our own little house on the prairie renovations!

Why Make Hand Sewn Curtains in Your Homeschool?

Prairie families didn’t run to the shops for home furnishings. Curtains, like clothing and bedding, were made by hand using basic tools and simple techniques. Including a project like this in your homeschool helps children understand just how different daily life was in the past.

Making hand sewn curtains in your homeschool offers children a tangible connection to history. They will have a chance to practise patience and perseverance, real-world maths skills as well as developing their fine motor skills. But best of all, they will be able to take pride in a (useful) job well done!

As part of a Little House on the Prairie unit study, this activity moves learning off the page and into real life.

A True Family Homeschool Project

What made this project especially meaningful was that everyone took part.

The girls each made one curtain by hand, sewing from start to finish. Meanwhile, Thomas made the curtain pole for the top floor window. It became a collaborative homeschool lesson that reflected how families once worked together to meet everyday needs.

This wasn’t about speed or perfection. It was about learning through doing.

Materials Needed

For the Hand Sewn Curtains

• Fabric (cut to twice the width of the window)
• Needle and thread
• Pins
• Scissors
• Iron (optional, but helpful)

For the Curtain Pole

• Plain pine dowel
• Brown wood preservative
• Paintbrush
• Cup hooks
• Screws
• Screwdriver or drill

Step 1: Measuring and Cutting (Homeschool Maths in Action)

The girls began by measuring the window carefully. To achieve the gentle gathering typical of prairie curtains, each of the girls cut one panel each to two times the width of the window.

This step naturally reinforced measuring accurately, doubling numbers, understanding proportions and seeing why extra fabric matters. And because this was a homeschool lesson, we were able to take the time to pause, discuss, and correct mistakes without pressure.

Step 2: Hemming the Fabric by Hand

Once the girls had cut out the fabric they hemmed each of the four sides. TThey did this entirely by hand: no sewing machines, just needle, thread, and patience.

The girls learnt to fold the raw edges, tack them carefully in place and sew neat running stitches along each hem.

Learning to tack before sewing was an important part of the process. It slowed everything down and taught them the value of preparation — a skill that goes far beyond sewing.

These hand sewn curtains were already becoming a homeschool lesson in perseverance.

Step 3: Sewing the Curtain Pole Panel

At the top of each curtain, the girls hand sewed a small fabric panel to create a sleeve for the curtain pole.

They needed to make sure that they stitched everything evenly, with consistent spacing and careful measuring.

Sometimes the girls made a mistake and needed to unpick their hardwork. But this was part of the beauty of the lesson. Homeschool allows children to learn without fear of failure and projects like this thrive on that freedom.

Step 4: Making the Curtain Pole

While the girls worked on their sewing, Thomas took responsibility for making the curtain pole.

Using a plain pine dowel, he measured it to fit the window, painted it with brown wood preservative and left it to dry thoroughly.

This simple task opened the door to discussions about wood types, preservation methods, why untreated wood needs protecting and how people in the past made do with simple materials

It fit perfectly alongside our Little House on the Prairie unit study, where practicality and resourcefulness were essential.

Step 5: Hanging the Hand Sewn Curtains

Once the dowel was dry, Thomas screwed simple cup hooks into the area above the window. These held the pole securely without modern brackets.

The finished curtains were then slid onto the pole and lifted into place.

Seeing the hand sewn curtains hanging at the window was a wonderful moment — one filled with pride, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment.

The Finished Result

Before being hung, the curtains looked plain and understated — just two rectangles of fabric stitched by small hands.

But once in place, they transformed the space completely.

The front and reverse sides showed the care taken with each stitch. And knowing that these curtains were made entirely by hand as part of our homeschool made them far more special than anything shop-bought.

Check out week two! Last week we focused on Farmer Boy. This is the second book in the Little House on the Prairie book set. During the week we did lots of prairie cooking (hasty pudding, making a sour dough starter and some prairie bread) and also made some button lamps, a prairie ladder, and some peg hooks. Gary and the little ones did some gardening in our prairie garden and we tried to make some more of our rag rug.

Making Hand Sewn Curtains in our Homeschool: Lessons Learnt

This project went far beyond sewing.

The children learned:

• How everyday household items were made in the past
• Why careful measuring matters
• How patience leads to better results
• That mistakes can be fixed
• The satisfaction of useful work

As part of our Little House on the Prairie unit study, it deepened their understanding of pioneer life in a way books alone never could.

Reflection Questions for Your Homeschool

Use these questions to encourage thoughtful discussion:

1. Why did families in the past need to make their own curtains?
2. Which part of making the hand sewn curtains was hardest for you?
3. How did measuring carefully affect the final result?
4. How do you think daily life was different for children in prairie homes?
5. How did it feel to use something you made yourself?
6. What would you change if you made another pair?

If you’d like a book chock-a-block full of prairie activities, do take a look at my review of My Little House Craft Book.

Hands-On Extension Activities

To extend this lesson in your homeschool, consider:

History

• Study pioneer homes and compare them to modern houses
• Look for references to sewing and household work in Little House on the Prairie

Maths

• Calculate fabric needs for different window sizes
• Compare the cost of handmade versus shop-bought curtains

Art & Design

• Design curtain patterns using pencil and paper
• Explore natural dyes used historically

Practical Life Skills

• Learn decorative embroidery stitches
• Practise mending small tears or hems

Writing

• Write step-by-step instructions for making hand sewn curtains
• Create a journal entry from the perspective of a prairie child

In my last post, I wrote about how Thomas learnt to tie different knows in order to make a hammock for his little sister’s rag doll. Click here to read about it!

Final Thoughts about our Homeschool Hand Sewn Curtains

Making hand sewn curtains as part of our homeschool reminded us that learning doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful. This simple project brought together history, maths, craftsmanship, and family cooperation in a way that felt authentic and deeply satisfying.

If you’re working through a Little House on the Prairie unit study or simply want to add more hands-on learning to your homeschool, this project is well worth the time.

For more activities please do visit my MEGA Little House on the Prairie Unit Study page. This contains all ten weeks of our summer building our own Little House on the Prairie!