The guest room that doubles as the play room is a decorating conundrum (don'tcha love that word?). On a typical day (as in: no guests are coming) if you can manage to walk through without the pain of stepping on a Lego, then you WIN. I wanted to update the window treatments for the room, but let's face it - it's the home to toys for three boys - no designer fabrics required. So here's what I did:
I started with a 12" x 15" canvas drop cloth. The package said that the actual measurements were 11" 9" x 14" 9" (hmmmm?) Anyway, I washed, dried and ironed it and then remeasured to find their exact size.
Based on my window measurements, I wanted the canvas to hang 94", not including the rod and rings. I cut it at 95" to allow a 1" seam (the drop cloth was hemmed all the way around, so that was one less hem I had to do on the top or bottom of each). I decided on 3 curtains as the room has 2 windows side by side.
In the photo below the "bottom" of the curtain has already been cut to 95". You can see I took the measurements of the entire width and divided the it into 1/3's and allowed an additional
inch for the center curtain since it wouldn't be hemmed on either side. (remember, the outer 2 pieces already had
one hem). By doubling the fabric and measuring that distance in from the two outer (separate) edges, I was able to only make two cuts total! (does that make sense?)
Since my sewing skills haven't improved since the last time I claimed I was going to learn how to sew, I bought 2 rolls of Heat n Bond, a no-sew hem tape. I ironed in a 1" crease on any side that didn't already have a hem to make sure that the edges were crisp, then I applied the tape.
With the iron on medium heat, I adhered the sticky side. Once it cooled, I removed the paper backing, folded over the raw edge of the fabric and iron again until the heat penetrated the fabric and the bonding tape. Once it cooled, I was left with nice, clean edges! This method is really easy but it was time consuming based on how large the fabric was.
With the iron on medium heat, I adhered the sticky side. Once it cooled, I removed the paper backing, folded over the raw edge of the fabric and iron again until the heat penetrated the fabric and the bonding tape. Once it cooled, I was left with nice, clean edges! This method is really easy but it was time consuming based on how large the fabric was.
Once the hems were finished, I added a 6" stripe with matte Chocolate colored fabric paint. First I measured and marked 9" and 15" from the top of curtain lightly with a pencil. Then I taped and remeasured. I also taped some newspaper down on my awesome craft table kitchen floor, just in case there was any bleed through (there was).
I started out using just a brush but quickly realized that if I didn't want this to be an all-day project, I'd better get a roller. I used a 2" foam roller and it was perfect!
I started out using just a brush but quickly realized that if I didn't want this to be an all-day project, I'd better get a roller. I used a 2" foam roller and it was perfect!
This entire room is getting an overhaul soon, this is the first step, stay tuned!
Afterthoughts:
- Based on my window size, I could probably have done these with a smaller canvas but I know I'll have plenty of uses for the remaining fabric, so I didn't mind. There are so many sizes available - possibly one that's the perfect size for your windows, so that you wouldn't have to hem at all.
- Definitely wash the canvas before you use it. It was dusty but was just fine once it was clean and dry.
- This project cost less than $40! (I was fortunate enough to already have the curtain rod and rings, stencil, and fabric paint on hand.)
Linking here:
