Friday, April 13, 2012

The Curtain Rises

Half of my projects from the last couple of weeks have not gone according to plan.  Don't you just hate that?  Ah well, trial and error!

Today I bring you one of my successful projects:  a roman shade style curtain made from a bed sheet.  (I made a similar curtain from scratch and that one was less successful as my sewing skills are very basic right now).

In our kitchen we had some of those horrific vertical blinds.  I never closed them and, as a result, the whole thing tilted to the right.  It was such an eyesore!  So, I finally decided to tackle making curtains for it.  This is where my genius struck:  instead of buying all the fabric, which let's face it can be pretty expensive, I'd buy an inexpensive flat sheet!  (Note, this will only work if the size you want for your curtain is close to that of a bed sheet.  I used a full sized flat sheet.)


Because the flat sheet, unlike raw fabric, is already hemmed all around, this project was very simple and straightforward.


Supplies needed:
-Flat sheet larger than the opening of your window/door
-Thread in a matching color
-Sewing needle and scissors
-Ribbon for the ties (I used ribbon that was 1-1/2 inch wide and 2-1/2 yards long)

Process:
  1. Take the top of the flat sheet on the backside and cut a whole from the top of the sheet along the inner seam to the hem.  This will create the hole where the curtain rod will run through.  Picture 2 shows this hole.  Be careful not to cut over the top of the sheet as you don't want the hole visible from the front side of the curtain.
  2. Repeat on the other side.
  3. Hem both of the raw edges by hand to complete the casing for the curtain rod.  I did this by hand and wasn't too worried about how neat and even it looked as it isn't visible from the front of the curtain.  My goal was simply to prevent unnecessary fraying.  Picture 2 also shows the raw edge after it has been hemmed.
  4. Find where you want to put your ribbon ties.  To do this, I folded the sheet in half vertically, and then in half again.  I marked where on the curtain I wanted the ribbons, unfolded the curtain and tacked the ribbon on by folding it in half over the top of the sheet.
  5. This part was the hardest because you have to sew the ribbon on to the sheet without accidentally sewing the rod casing closed.  I suppose you could also glue it on, it's really up to you.
  6. After it's been sewn on, go ahead and hang it up and tie the ribbon to pull the curtain up.  And you're done!
Hopefully these instructions weren't too confusing!

Up next, the pros and cons to the wine bottle lanterns I made and hate.  :)

Happy Crafting!