I found some white curtain panels on clearance for $8 each and was excited to take them home and hem them to a shorter length that would fit the girls' bedroom!
The reason they were so inexpensive was that they had been on display in the store, so they needed to be spot cleaned. I hung them to dry after cleaning them and that's when I noticed that curtain panel #1 was NOT the same as curtain panel #2! They had a slightly different style and I hadn't noticed the difference until then.
The curtains were final sale, so I had to figure something out! I chose my favourite panel and turned it on its side. Lucky for me, the panel's width was long enough to be hung sideways and still be long enough for the window! So, I decided to turn it sideways and cut it in half to make two panels!
The curtain panel I used was lined, so I carefully lined up the back & front layers of fabric and pinned them in place before cutting it in half.
I used a cutting board and roller cutter to make the cut, and to help me line it up and keep everything straight.
After I cut it, I needed to hem the cut sides. There is probably a name for this type of hem but I don't know what it is. I turned the fabric ends inward, pinned them together that way, and sewed. I hope you can see what I'm describing in the photos below.
At this point, I just needed to figure out how I wanted to hang the curtain. The original curtain had tabs at the back of the top of the curtain. The top of the curtain was now one of the sides of my curtains though, so that wouldn't work! I thought about ripping the seams to take the tabs off and sew them on at the top, but in the end, that seemed like a lot of work and I was going for quick and easy! So I just left the tabs where they were and found a MUCH simpler solution!
Because my curtain was already lined, I had two layers of fabric at the top already. I just needed to sew a short line to keep the curtain from spinning around the rod! (See below) My line isn't even straight... I told you: quick, easy, simple. ;)
Et VoilĂ ! Now we have two new, white curtains in the girls' room and it only cost me $8 and a little bit of time. I was so glad to be able to salvage this project despite the un-matching panels!
If you'd like to check out the rest of the room makeover, click over to this post: Gold, White, Coral & Mint Shared Girls Bedroom Makeover to see more photos & a video.
You came up with a very clever solution to your problem! And the curtain panels are really pretty!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a great idea! Love that you made them fit the room and saved on not having to purchase two curtains!
ReplyDeleteWow what a great idea. I love being able to repurpose things. This is perfect for when you find an amazing curtain on a clearance rack but only one panel!
ReplyDeleteNice that you got this to work out and saved so much money, thinkI could do this
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job and they look great. I don't do many DIY projects without help.
ReplyDeleteThat looks very easy to do, thanks for the great tutorial.
ReplyDeleteI would have been so frustrated to come home and find out I had the wrong thing. But you fixed it. It looks good.
ReplyDeleteI learnt sewing (hand & machine) at school and from my mother who did a lot of sewing for us. Is it even taught in schools these days?
ReplyDeleteGreat job,I have done with a few times when I have only been able to find the one panel that I really like !
ReplyDelete