Archives for October 2012

The lack of privacy my front doors afford have always been a problem. When a visitor comes to the door they look directly into our living room. I don’t mind this if I’m fully dressed and ready to be seen, but when I’m just hanging out in my bathrobe and looking like something has made a nest in my hair, it can be quite embarrassing to look up to see someone peering in at me.

We used to have frosted glass, but when one of the windows was accidentally broken we realized we liked the view out that side of the house and chose to replace both doors with clear glass. For privacy we found some pull down accordian window coverings which seemed to be perfect . . . for awhile. However, after a few years of up and down, they didn’t seem to spring up quite as easily anymore, and with three dogs who like to nose them out of the way to peek outside, they didn’t hold up too well, as you can see.

When I started seeing full curtains over double doors in my Pottery Barn magazine I was inspired. I especially loved the look of their Fat-Tie Drape. What I didn’t love was that they were fairly light-weight cotton and that I would need four panels to cover my doors. That brought the cost to $300 without the hardware! Think, think, think . . . why not make my own? I found some wonderful fabrics online but when I thought about the work of sewing panels together and lining the draperies I thought there must be an easier, quicker and cheaper way. Lightbulb moment!!! Why not use painter’s drop cloths? So I started with two 6′ x 9′ drop cloths at a cost of $10.98 each (at Lowe’s) and went to work.

The 6′ widths would cover the doors nicely and the 9′ lengths were long enough to cut out strips to make the fat ties and also to make a valance. I knew these were going to look just as good as Pottery Barn’s but I decided to take an extra step. Since I like things kind of “fancy” I decided to use a stencil I had on hand to dress them up a bit.

Now stenciling can be tricky, especially on fabric, so to avoid “bleeding” I decided to stencil with a Sharpie pen. The bonus of this is that it is permanent ink so it won’t wash out!

I didn’t use a heavy hand on the Sharpie, as I wanted a little bit of a faded look, and I turned the pattern over each time I moved the stencil.  As you can see, I also decided to edge the valance with lines, some thick and some thin. No perfection here for sure.

So here you have it! What I like most about these drapes is that, due to the thickness of the material, no lining was needed. I also like the nice oatmeal color and how the fabric, when ironed, resembles linen. I would have loved to leave the drapes flowing across the floor but again, with three dogs, I would have been taking them down to wash away dog hair far too often. So I hemmed them after they were already hung in place. Sooo . . . easy.

Here are a few close ups of the “rustic” stenciling. After hanging them I decided they needed something more, so I took out my pen and added some quick dots across the top of the valance.

I chose oil rubbed bronze drapery hardware with simple clip rings, and some pretty crystal looking tie-backs (Lowe’s).

And here is the final view looking out my front door. The curtains frame the door nicely and actually make my entryway appear larger. I’m happiest about the price and I’ve already purchased more drop cloths for future projects! Now, where to find the time . . . ?

Blessings to you!