Homemade kitchen curtains.

I’m excited for this post. {Does that make me a dork? Probably.} Anyhow, last night I sewed like poor Cinderella before she got the pumpkin carriage and finally finished all the curtains for the kitchen/dining area. I still want to add some ribbon trim to the curtains over the sink and covering the microwave, but for now I’m pleased as punch with how they turned out.

Here was my original inspiration for the dining area curtains:

{image source}

And here’s how my version turned out:

And in case you’re wondering the method to my madness, here goes…

1) I washed & ironed all my fabric {remember the purchase back in March?} while my annoying needy interested pup insists on laying on the excess fabric.

2) Then I measured the inside of my windows. I added extra fabric for a 2” pocket at the top and included about a 1/2” extra to fold the raw edges under first. I added an extra 1” on both sides of the fabric to fold under for the raw edges again, and I added enough for a 2” seam at the bottom of the shade. I’ve found ironing down the seams before you sew is a HUGE help. {Highly recommend it!}

 

So once I cut and sewed all the seams & the top pocket, I simply slid the fabric panel onto a tension rod and fixed it to the window.

 

And this gave me two fabric shades, if I feel the need for a bit more privacy or less light in the dining room.

 

But I really wanted more light & a slight view of the back yard, so I purchased two 4 yard rolls of blue ribbon {$4.00 each} to tie up the shades, transforming them into more of a roman shade. I used an accordion fold for the fabric, as recommended by Making it Lovely {my original inspiration source} and simply tied a knot in the fabric. I tried bows, but nixed that quickly.

I have to be honest, the more I look at ‘em, the more I like ‘em! I like that they’re a bit unique, ever slightly country, somewhat classic, retro-ish, but still give nice clean lines - all those things wrapped up in one {if that’s even possible}, in my opinion!

Looks a tad bit better than the ivy, lace & apples from the past…

Oh, and remember the curtain I made to cover the hole where the wall oven used to be? Well, I sewed a basic curtain for over the sink pretty much exactly like this one.

 

Here’s the top of the kitchen curtain, which you don’t really see because of the scalloped trim piece {which I don’t really love.}

I’m not thrilled with these two, and I want to add a ribbon border or something to make them look a bit more finished, but for now, I’m excited with the fact that they’re up & pretty. :) I really think they’ll look great with the planned backsplash & the butcher-block countertops {that’s what we’re thinking, as of now.}

So here’s some more pics of the curtains all together. They’re not the best pics because it was still dark when I took them this morning before work.

I got the fabric discounted to $3.59 a yard {see here for details} and I used less than 7 yards {$25.13}. Plus my two rolls of ribbon {$8} & 4 tension rods {$10.50} brings my grand total for four curtains to…$43.63 including the rods! I feel pretty happy with that price & the final product. :)

And I have to wish my awesome sister-in-law a happy & super sweet 16th birthday! I’ve known her since she was eight years old, and it’s been such a blessing to watch her grow into such a beautiful woman!

 
{2008}                                                                  {2011}

I’m so thankful to have her for a friend & a sister. Happy birthday, Heidi!

UPDATE: for an update on the DIY curtains, see this post: http://janeandeugene.blogspot.com/2011/06/small-fixes.html :)

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