Curtains are one of those things that can really help complete a room and tie everything together, yet they are always last on my shopping list because they are so darn expensive! Especially when you are purchasing them purely for decor and not for function. Do I really need all that fabric when I'm never planning on actually closing the curtains?? Well, when I was working on Cade's nursery, I came up with a solution!
Actually, I was worried about buying curtains for his nursery because one of the windows is right up against the wall. I was worried about not being able to mount a curtain rod and worried about so much fabric being bunched up in the corner. That's when it dawned on me... why not make the curtain panels thinner so that they fit in the space? And then I realized how much money that could save me in any room... I was totally sold on this idea.
At the time, I was 36 weeks pregnant and wasn't super excited about hunching over my sewing machine to hem curtains. So, I decided to try hem tape for the first time ever. And guess what? I fell in love with it. I love things that are easy but still get the job done. Perfection.
Affiliate links included for convenience. See my disclosure policy.
So, I waddled my big pregnant belly around Target and bought two navy blue curtain panels. Then I bought this hem tape at Michaels (also sold on Amazon).
I laid the panels out on my dining room table. My husband helped me hold them taut, and I cut them in half lengthwise. It doesn't even need to be perfectly straight, because that edge will be folded under.
Then, I followed the directions on the hem tape. I cut a strip the length of the curtain panel and pinned it along the cut edge, paper side up. I used pins just to help hold it in place momentarily (why didn't I take a picture of that?? Sorry, I had major preggo brain at the time!! ...which has since turned to mommy brain mush!).
I used a warm iron to lightly adhere the tape to the fabric. At this stage, you only need to apply heat for a few seconds. I removed the pins as I ironed each section. Allow to cool completely, and then remove the paper from the tape. You should be left with clear tape.
Then, all that's left to do is fold that edge over so that the tape is hidden, and then iron down the now folded edge. Depending on the thickness of the curtains, you may have to hold the iron on for longer.
At the top of the curtain panel, I cut a slit next to my newly hemmed edge to allow the curtain rod to get through (another thing I forgot to take a picture of... you're welcome. Oops!).
I had to use these plain metal bracket rods instead of cute curtain rods because of how close to the wall the window is, but I'm hoping to DIY something to make them look a little more craftsman style. Despite the simple rods, I think it all turned out great!
(Shameless plug for the photo above... tutorials for the book crate and height chart!)
I love the navy curtains tie the room together! And I love that I only spent $20 instead of $40 (and what could have been way more if I had bought them somewhere other than Target!).
In hind sight, I probably could have just bought one panel and cut it into four for this particular space. Then I would have saved even more! I definitely plan on using this technique again... we still have three rooms that need curtains! Here's to saving money!
*This post may contain affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy.
No comments
Post a Comment