Hi brendainnj:

I have a couple of suggestions. I wouldn't cut them in half. They will always be gaping in the center. Put them right across and then you can access the closet from either end instead of the middle.

I would mount a rod above the closet. Tension rods have a tendancy to slip, especially when the curtains are constantly being moved. They have nice wooden rods with wooden rings and clips that you can clip onto a straight piece of material. Another option is large grommets on the top of the curtains. Both would move easily on the rod.

Since these curtains would hang straight you could use double bed sheets, but get a good quality so they have some body to them. I would also suggest you sew in some curtain weights in the hem. They will help with them hanging straight. If the sheets have a selvedge edge then cut off the selvedge and hem the sides or you'll end up with a wonky hem.

A queen sheet is 90x102 and a double is 81x96

Thanks oilpainter...I hadn't really thought about the middle gaping, I was just trying to make the closet more accessible. And I did consider the rods for overtop the doors; it's just that these large rods tend to be out of my price range--I'm trying to do this very inexpensively or my DH would never agree to it (he thinks it's "weird" to have curtains rather than doors). So I really can't spend $40 or more for each just because I don't like the doors. We have little cups(?) inside the closet that the clothes rods sit on (they're screwed into the wall) but I'm not sure if they make them anymore. BTW, are the weights difficult to sew in?

No the weights aren't difficult. You sew them to the part that turns up and just do an x over them. You could use wooden dowels for the rod and just add a finial and paint or plain cottage curtain rod.

If the only reason you are doing curtains is because you don't like the doors there are many things you can do to camoflage them.

The easiest is to paint them the same color as the room. They will blend right in and you'd scarcely notice them.

Investigate wall paper. There are some different ones out now that look like fabric or tin.

If it's a plain slab door you could add 1/4 inch trim to make them look like panel doors.

Investigate the art of trompe l'oeil.

Google camoflauging a closet door. I'll bet there's lots of ideas on the web

Sorry, I should have been more specific--I don't like how the doors restrict the access to my closet. I'm constantly closing one side to get to the other, which is why I want the curtains to open in the middle. My son took his off and it's wonderful to be able to access the whole closet. But my closet is not as neat as his so I need a cover!

Thanks for the idea about the rod; I didn't really consider making one.

Lots of good suggestions. I have another one that will make it even "less sew" if you do use sheets. Use the top hem of the sheet as your bottom as it probably already has a a nice hem. Then cut the top and hem it to get the right length. Clips or grommets would make it almost "no sew".

I did this with a tension rod on the closet of my sewing room. I have had no trouble with slipping or anything like that. Sheets are great to work with making these. you might also want to consider tie backs. Some people do that.

If you do split the sheets then overlap them by an inch or 2 on top to avoid gaping. A tie back hook on the wall would allow you to slip the curtain behind it while you are searching through the closet. They can be as simple as a large knob or the hooked ones

I use them all the time...I just open up the top part and use it for the chanel.....I sew a small place for gathers above the rod. Yes they still make the little 'cups'. You can get them and metal closet rods at the local hardware store such as Lowes and Home Depot. The nice thing for me is that I can take them down and wash them.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I think I will try the tension rod first, and if it slips, I'll go to the standard closet rod w/cups. The nice thing is that there is a small piece of moulding that will cover the rod part so it's OK if it's not beautiful at the top.

I used a shower curtain tension rod, it holds really well.
Kathy G in MI