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Drop Cloth Draperies for my Front Door

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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!

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  3. They turned out fantastic!! I’ve got some drop cloth curtains myself I love how they look when they’re ironed, I just hate the ironing part! 🙂
    Great job!!!

    Jeannine @ The Concrete Cottage

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  6. You have done a fabulous job! I love, love your drapes! They look just beautiful! I am a huge fan of drop cloth and stencils, so I am really admiring your project! Very well done!

    Reply

  8. Very nice. I have seen these before. Yours are great and great tips. Lowe’s is on my list of places I need to shop. I have been wanting to do these kind of drapes. Hopefully soon. Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great day,
    Sherry

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  10. Love your drapes. I especially like how you did the valance. I have to go back up and reread if you detailed how you did that. I know yous stenciled them, but I like the way you tied them. Very unique.

    Reply

    • Cheryl – Thank you so much. I didn’t do a step-by-step tutorial but I think you can see from the pics that the valance was just a straight piece that I stenciled and hemmed with fusible web tape and my iron. The bows were strips of fabric that I folded in half lengthwise, sewed together and turned inside out before tying the knot. I think they would also look nice without hemming. Drop cloth material has a great frayed look when it goes through the washer but doesn’t continue to fray like some other fabrics. I hope that is helpful to you. Patti

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    • Thank you Tracy for the compliment. I really didn’t sew anything on these drapes. I “hemmed” them with iron-on fused webbing fabric and used clips to hang them. So easy. I do hope you’ll try it. Patti

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  14. I think the stenciling you did was harder to work on than installing the curtains on your door. Anyway, I think you did a good job using clear glass for your entry door. It somehow connects the outside to your house. And it’s just fun redecorating doors, especially if you often invite visitors into your house!

    Marla Hinds

    Reply

    • Thank you Marla. The stenciling was really quite easy with my Sharpie pen and the clear glass entry was an accident! When one of our frosted glass door was broken and the view revealed, we decided to go with the clear glass. I’m so glad you stopped by my blog. Patti

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  15. You have such a wide door! I would love to have a wide door at home, but it just wouldn’t fit our house. Well, I think having draperies would definitely provide more privacy in your home. Plus, it will make your living room much more stylish.

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  17. Having read this I thought it was very informative.

    I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together.
    I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting.
    But so what, it was still worth it!

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    Reply

  18. Brilliant idea, Patricia! I shared this with my sister who had the same problem about lack of privacy with her glass doors, and she wishes she’s creative and talented as you, so she could come up with what to do with her archway glass door.

    Mary Martin

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  19. love the stenciling! And I’d (maybe) have glass front doors if my front view was as gorgeous as yours!!
    Question: Are you using both clips AND the fat ties?

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  21. ELEGANT! I have been wanting to do this too with our French doors in the dining room – So open to the public….I love what you did – they do look perfect! Pinning and saving – will let you know if I do this and will surely credit you.
    Blessings,
    Kathy

    Reply

  22. love these. Are the bows attached to the curtains. Do the glide easily when opening and closing the curtains. Thank you.

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  23. Finishing a linen and lace nursery for my granddaughter and love these drapes, but I have a few questions. How wide are your finished tabs? Are they sewn to the valance or just attached to the rod as a decorative enhancement? It looks like you used 8 tabs per 6′ drop cloth, is that correct? Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

    Reply

  24. These are by far the most stunning drop cloth window treatments I’ve seen! So elegant & I can’t wait to make them for my quadruple pocket sliding glass doors in my great room. I’ve been looking for a solution for 3 yrs now for a way to dress up this 8′ x 16′ “wall of windows” w/o spending thousands of $ for custom made ones. I’m thrilled to have found your post!! These are exactly what I’ve been looking for & will be a perfect match w/ the all the iron scroll decor in the room!
    I too would like to know the size of the ties & how you attached them. Also, can you please tell me exactly what kind of rods you used to hang everything? Is it a double rod? Or 2 separate ones? Any additional info you can give would be greatly appreciated so I can get started right away!

    Reply

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