DIY Wednesday: Revamp Rod Pocket Curtains

Hi There,

This project is quite simple but can really change the look of a plain curtain panel.

Curtain heading is the terminology for the top of a curtain. The most popular is a rod pocket. It looks like this:


(Picture from Target.com)

I don't particularly like the rod pocket look. I think it's a bit more traditional than I like. I am more of a modern type of girl. So, the wave heading is exactly what I love. I had it on a different pair of curtains. It looks like this:



So, I found curtain panels that are the perfect color, inexpensive but were rod pocket. How do we fix this? Well it's pretty gosh darn easy!

Materials:

Scrap Fabric
Curtain Panels
Sewing Machine (HOWEVER, you could use hem tape for this! No sewing required)

Instructions:

Step One: Cut

First you will need to cut your tabs. I had this brown canvas material left over from other projects. The good thing is you can use whatever scrap fabric you have sitting around.

You will need to cut the tabs to the following dimensions: length: 3 inches, width: 2 inches.



Step Two: Sew on Tabs

I placed my tabs six inches from each other. This meant that on average I had 7 tabs on each panel. (I say on average because I have the habit of eyeballing things)

I then did a simple straight stitch along the top and the bottom of each tab.



Step Three: Hang Those Curtains!



So, there is modern fun curtains in just a few simple steps!

Just Had To Share: Baby Quilts

Hi There,

I had to share the craftiness of my sister-in-law, Tessa, and my mother and late grandmother, Myrtle. I should also mention that while I don't have a photograph taken yet, my friend Sarah did a fantastic crocheted blanket for our baby as well. It's really soft and heavy (and usually I steal it to use when I'm rocking our baby).

Tessa made this awesome quilt for our little baby. I'm pretty sure that I can't even attempt a quilt now because it will look so silly next to this masterpiece. Her quilt manages to be 1) For a baby 2) Modern and 3) Features owls (our nursery theme). The pictures don't show off the details like our baby's name hidden in the stitching along with her birthday.

This baby blanket was first started by my grandmother Myrtle. Once she got weak from chemo and radiation, she handed off the blanket (and others she had started) to my mother. My mom worked very hard to finish this blanket. I took some of our baby's personal information out, but you can see all the hard work and love that went into the blanket. (Not to mention it traveled from Missouri to South Dakota and survived a house fire!) While our baby might not remember meeting her great grandmother in the hospital after she was born, she will have this blanket to remember her by.

DIY Wednesday; Shower to Window in 2 Easy Steps

Hi There,

This is a simple project for those who need cheap window treatments. Curtains are expensive especially when you have lots of windows! I got basic panels for downstairs (we have lots of windows downstairs) but I wanted something with a bit of print for the bedroom. We don't have a headboard yet and the dressers are white. There needed to be something.

Now, I've made a decision to work with the colors already in the house which means purple in the bedroom. Purple isn't my favorite, but I found some inspiration pictures that pair purple, brown and blue. So, I decided to go with brown curtains.

Printed curtains will probably end up costing you about 20$ a panel. I needed three. I instead got two fabric shower curtains. 1 shower curtain is the width of two panels. I cut it down the middle and hemmed the cut edge. Now, you don't even need a sewing machine for this! You could easily use hemming tape and an iron.



Target Shower Curtain: $21



Curtain cut down the middle. I took an iron and folded over the exposed edge by about an inch.



Final product. Turned out pretty good! I used book rings to hang the curtain. Don't use the rings from the shower department. They are way over priced. Head over to a Hobby Lobby and get 12 rings for a couple of bucks. (compared to 6 for 6 dollars at some stores!)

Now I should say that I did add some white fabric I had hanging around to the back of the panels to add a bit more privacy. You could skip this step if you have a blind hanging behind it, or grab an old sheet and attach that to the back. I don't personally care much what the back of a curtain looks like.

Enjoy your fantastic curtain!

Gone Junkin': Filing Cabinet

Hola!

As you know, we have recently moved. When you move, especially into a bigger place, you discover things you need. For example, I had tons of built-ins in my last house, so I need things like bookcases and a media center. I had a filing cabinet but it had broke, so I didn't move it and I needed a new one. I always try to check out places like the Salvation Army or Goodwill for furniture. Usually you can find cheap furniture that just needs some TLC.

I found this filing cabinet at Goodwill for $4.00. It was a dull blue color with a bit of rust and dings. I couldn't do much for the dings, but I sanded out the rust and spray painted the entire cabinet brown. I think the brown is nice, however our current rental has brown walls, so I kind think I should have gone for it and done a fun color. Ah. Oh well. It will be a nice neutral color when we move in four years.

Before:



After:

Fabric Finds

Hi There,

I am posting my super fun new fabric purchases. (Got to love 20% off coupons from JoAnn's!) I have a few projects planned for them (diaper clutch, swaddle blankets to name a few).



The castle fabric, the owl fabric and the pink fabric are all knits. I think I'm going to use these fabrics for a tight swaddling blanket.



I'm thinking the last pink and brown fabric is going to be my diaper clutch fabric.

I have 3 Gone Junkin' finds and a super easy DIY project all to post this week. Don't forget to fan me on Facebook to get the latest posts!