Labor Day weekend was a chance for Bryan and I to work on some projects around the house. While Bryan focused primarily on the exterior, I was inside (in the A/C) sewing away at our new curtains for our master bedroom. I'm not an expert at sewing, but I am thrilled about how well they turned out! The best part is that I only spent $45 on fabric for the entire project! To put that into perspective, a single curtain panel at Pottery Barn runs close to $100. That's a huge win for me so I thought I would share how easy it is to make curtains out of drop cloths.
There are several drop cloth curtain tutorials out there so I won't go into too many details. I found that the drop cloths at Home Depot were better for this project, mainly because they have less seams and the quality was slightly better in my opinion.
I also really liked their neutral color. I think it goes great with our paint color (BM Revere Pewter).
The first thing I did was inspect the material for holes and any random seams. Then I washed and dried it to get rid of that "store smell" and also make the material softer. It's amazing how different it feels after you throw it in the laundry. Next I ripped the seam at the top so that I could make sure it would be even when I hemmed it. This is important because you want the material to hang straight.
This next step is what dressed up my drop cloths and made them look more expensive. I pinned some pleater tape along the top which easily creates the pleats for me and also helps to achieve a more custom look.
Here is a picture of me sewing on the tape...
And here I am inserting the pleater hooks. You can find these at your local Hobby Lobby or Joann's. See how easy it is to create the pleats?
Next I hung the curtains on the rod to see where they needed to be hemmed at the bottom. To do this I used clip rings and then placed the pleater hook onto the ring.
I wanted the curtain to be just a hair above the floor.
Once I hemmed the bottom the curtains were done and they look fabulous! You would never know they were drop cloths (unless you read my blog!).
I hope this inspires you to get creative and think outside the box. Drop cloth curtains may not be for everyone, but for this DIY girl they did just the trick!