Make It Fit: How to Resize a Shower Curtain for a Small Shower Stall

Today, let’s make it fit and learn how to resize a shower curtain for a small shower stall. This tutorial will show you how to easily alter a shower curtain for a tiny shower space or RV trailer shower.

Make It Fit: How to Resize a Shower Curtain for a Small Shower Stall

Do you have a small shower or camper trailer shower that needs a new shower curtain, but you can’t seem to find a nice one, in the right size?

What about a shower curtain liner that is perfect for your large shower, but it just won’t fit your smaller space’s shower stall?

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Small Shower Curtain Dilemma

When I moved into the My Wee Abode trailer, there was a flimsy liner that had been cut down to fit the shower area, but it flew all over the place when I turned on the water! Nothing like being attacked by a piece of plastic while you’re trying to enjoy a calm (albiet quick), warm shower.

The shower liner that I had purchased while living at MWA 2.0 was perfect. It was truly mildew resistant, made of fabric (not plastic), and it was pretty, too!

When I moved into the trailer, because it was a standard size shower curtain, it was WAY too big for the 2-foot+ shower opening in the tiny bathroom. I wanted to keep this ‘perfect’ shower curtain, so what’s a girl to do?

How ’bout MAKE a shower curtain fit a narrow shower space! Let’s resize a standard shower curtain for a small shower, the easy way! Adding two simple rolled hems without a rolled hem presser foot!

Disclaimer: I am NOT a Professional Seamstress

Not even close!

Oftentimes, I figure things out ‘on-the-fly’ because I need them done.

So, just FYI, this DIY tutorial for resizing a shower curtain will help you finish a rolled hem without a rolled hem presser foot… because I didn’t want to mess with learning how to use a rolled hem presser foot! LOL!

Why Should I Resize a Standard Shower Curtain?

There are several good reasons for tailoring a shower curtain to fit your tiny shower stall.

• Economical: Altering a shower curtain to make it smaller is cost-effective. With a tiny RV trailer shower, you can actually make two shower liners using one standard size shower curtain!
• Aesthetics: Sometimes it’s difficult to find a shorter or narrower curtain for a small shower space, and they often are not exactly what you want if you DO find one! You can resize just about ANY shower curtain using this tutorial.
• Prevent Mold/Mildew: A standard size shower curtain can bunch-up in a small shower and contribute to mold/mildew growing on the surface of your curtain and shower/tub. Tailoring a shower curtain to fit your shower helps prevent this from occuring.
• Enhances Functionality: As mentioned above, having a shower curtain that billows and flies around in the shower is irritating at best. Alter a shower curtain to fit the size of your tiny bath space to avoid this bothersome situation.
• Easy: If you can sew a straight line with a sewing machine, you can resize a shower curtain to fit your tiny shower area.

Tutorial for How to Resize a Shower Curtain for a Small Shower Stall

This really is an easy way to create a custom shower curtain for a RV or camper bathroom
using a standard size shower liner.

It might LOOK difficult, but it really isn’t. And this tutorial includes detailed instructions and photos so you don’t make a mistake. However, even if you DO make a mistake, it’s pretty easy to trim off a bit more of the shower curtain and start over!

One thing I didn’t do, that I SHOULD have done was to first remove all the wrinkles from the shower liner. Simply iron the shower curtain, or pop it in the dryer for a few minutes on a low setting.

Items You’ll Need to Resize a Shower Liner

Here’s the items you will need to alter your shower curtain:

• Fiskars 3-Piece Rotary Cutting Kit (I use this kit for LOTS of projects, not just sewing!)
• Your choice of shower curtain. I use the Clorox 2-In-1 Shower Curtain/Liner. You can use this by itself, or as your liner for another shower curtain. There is also a Clorox acetate liner that I haven’t used, so I’m not sure if this need to be sewn, or can simply just be cut.
• Coordinating thread and bobbin. (I used gray for part of the tutorial, so you could see it better, but switched to white on my second liner because it was still easy to see, and looked better.)
• Sewing machine. I use a simple digital Brother Sewing Machine. It’s easy to understand and works for my projects.
• Iron and ironing board. Use this to crease the fabric and make it easy to keep the hems in place while you are sewing.

Measure and Trim the Shower Liner

• After measuring your shower opening, decide how wide and long you will want your curtain. Add one inch to the width measurement and 2 inches to the length measurement. This will give you enough wiggle room for your rolled hems. Then, mark the shower curtain with your measurement (Photo 1).
• Using your rotary cutter, guide, and mat (Photo 2), and align your shower curtain with the lines provided on the mat (Photo 3). This will ensure a straight cut.

• Placing the guide along the measurement marks on the shower curtain, trim the liner using the rotary cutter (Photo 4). Repeat these steps for both the side and bottom of the shower curtain. (You’ll only need to trim one of the sides, because the other side will already be hemmed!)

Sew the Side Rolled Hem

• To sew the side rolled-hem of the shower curtain, line the raw edge of the wrong side of the curtain on the 5/8″ guide line on the sewing machine (Photo 5). Sew a straight stitch down the whole side of the shower curtain (Photo 6). (Ignore the mark shown… it’s nothing.)

• Iron the stitch flat (Photo 7). Fold the fabric in, leaving about 1/8″ between the folded edge and the stitched line and iron again (Photo 8).
• Place the fabric under the presser foot and straight stitch again, directly on the original stitched line (Photo 9). I find that when I line up the original stitch with the edge of the clear part of the presser foot, it sews exactly where I want it!

• Take your hem and trim the extra fabric away from the stitch. Cut as close as possible, but be sure to not cut into the stitching (Photo 10).
• Next, fold in the fabric again and press with the iron, creating about a 1/4″ fold (Photo 11).
• Sew a final straight stitch along the edge of the inside fold (Photo 12). Press one more time, and your side rolled hem is complete!

Sew a Bottom Rolled Hem to Resize a Shower Curtain

• For the bottom rolled hem, repeat the steps above, but make the folds a bit larger. Sew the first stitch aligned with the 5/8″ guide on the sewing machine, then fold in about 1/4″, press and stitch on the original stitched line (Photo 13a). Trim away the excess (Photo 13b).
• Fold in one more time, about 1″ inch and press. Then, closely sew along the outside edge of the curtain, starting from the bottom hem of the shower curtain (Photo 14). Sew down to the edge of the “top” of the bottom hem (see arrow on Photo 14) and prepare to turn the shower curtain to finish the bottom hem.

• With the needle down (inside the fabric), lift the press foot and turn the curtain clockwise to complete the bottom rolled hem (Photo 15). Straight stitch as close to the edge as possible all the way down the bottom hem. This will create a finished stitch across the bottom hem (Photo 16). When you get to the opposite side of the shower curtain, repeat this step (as in Photo 15) to complete the second corner of the bottom hem. (Note: When sewing/creating the corners of the bottom hem, I use a backstitch to reinforce this area.)

And that’s it!

Resize TWO Shower Curtains Out of One!

A standard shower curtain actually makes TWO small resized shower curtains for my small space! The width measurement was exactly HALF of the shower curtain!

And I will say, making the second one went much quicker than the first. Though both shower liners came out looking great, the second one looked more finished than the first, because I had practiced on the first one! 😉

Now, I KNOW this is NOT a beauty shot… but since the bathroom has a long way to go, and I needed the shower curtain NOW, well, I’m keepin’ it real! So, above you can see the finished side rolled hem and bottom rolled hem, both done with out a rolled hem presser foot.

Pretty nice, if I do say so myself! And, I do! ;-D

Want more shower curtain options? Check out these 35 neutral shower curtain choices!

Hopefully this tutorial is helpful to you! If you have any questions, please let me know if the comments!