ruffle me up

This weekend's project involved curtains! I've coveted the look of ruffled curtains since I discovered Anthropolgie's ruffled ombre $120 shower curtain. Not to mention these "energy-saving" curtains I hung in my guest/craft room were seriously fugly. See? Yuck. They were just a cheap quick fix so no one could see inside-- they barely even fit the window.

Since every window in the house has these type of window treatments, I went with it and hooked the pretty curtains in front of the ugly ones on the same hook like I did with the master bedroom and the living room. They're still "energy-saving" & light-blocking for sleeping guests, but wayyy more attractive. One side done:

Total cost for these ruffle curtains was $12. TWELVE DOLLARS. Three twin sheets at only 4 bucks a pop. The cheapest ruffle curtains I've seen are nowhere near as cute, and are $20 for each panel. Pottery Barn has incredibly similar ones, same size, for $90 a panel. Holy cow.

I got the idea of using bedsheets from this chick. Although I did not use her measurements because I needed mine to be a different size, the concept was similar. Since the fabric was limited and I didn't want to make another trip to Walmart, I had to make darn sure I didn't make a wrong cut and ruin the whole thing. After coming up slightly short, I improvised and used the 'scrap' fabric to add a different kind of ruffle to the top. In the end, there was not a single piece of scrap fabric. Ballerrrr.

I thought about not hemming the edges, letting the ruffles fray, and going the shabby(er) chic route. It would have cut the labor way down and given me a few extra inches of fabric to work with.

I eventually decided to stick with the clean & polished look and hem all of the raw edges. I'm glad I did, because they do look more polished, and because I have a feeling that they will eventually need a go in the washing machine... I'm looking at you, cat who loves windowsills. P.S My newly made-over nightstand makes a cameo appearance in the above picture. I'm still letting the paint fully cure before setting anything on it.

I love these curtains. They're light and airy and pretty. They give the room a whole new feel. Plus, I think it's fun making ruffles on the sewing machine. [Longest stitch length + highest tension = instant ruffle.]

By the way, I don't think I've introduced you all to my guest room/ craft room. It's still a work in progress. Here's a shot with the rug. I love that rug. I think it was 40 bucks or so at Garden Ridge.

On that note, it's after midnight and I have no idea how it got so late. I'm going to go stand in that room and admire my curtains for a minute. :o)