I've made floor length curtains out of quilting cotton, but they had a horizontal band of heavier-weight, almost canvas-like, fabric about 2/3 the way down. In that horizontal band, I embroidered stars, hearts & boxes...then, on the seams where the cotton joined the top & bottom of the band, I stitched wide (really wide) red rick rack. They were lined with a light-blocking fabric, and then I put grommets across the top for easy hanging. Turned out really nice...I'll see if I can't find a picture.
Best thing I can tell you, is make sure you do the original math & calculate yardage properly - once you cut, there's no going back. To be truthful, after I cut them the proper length, I hardly measured again. How they all lined up properly, I'll never know - I was darned lucky!! I did the embroideries prior to inserting the band in the cotton, and I serged all the seams. I attached the lining to the drapes only at the top & sides, leaving the bottoms free from each other. I don't know why, but that's how I saw them in the stores.
The grommet insertion was easier than I'd thought it would be - there are directions included in the grommet package, and a template to cut the fabric...but, I was still hesitant to cut circles out at first. Here's one place you DO need to measure - so that your grommets are evenly spaced, and all line up in a straight row.
For a nice, gentle drape, you'll need fabric to be at least 1.5 times the width of your window. To be tightly gathered, you'll need at least 2-2.5 times the width.
Sorry, apparently I didn't take (or keep?) any pictures.
Good luck!