Sunday, November 13, 2011

Custom Drapes on a Budget

I went shopping the other day at Ballards Back Room.  That is an outlet store for Ballard Designs catalog.  I'm fortunate enough to live close to the one in Roswell, GA.  They also have one in Atlanta.  I was hoping to find some pillow covers that I liked that are no longer sold in their catalog.  You may recall my sister getting some from Ballards in this post.  I wasn't able to find the pillow covers, but found something better afterall.  This is a project involving "thinking outside the box".  I resort to this, when I have no other option, and rely on pure willpower and creativity.  I am very happy how this project turned out.  

These are my new drapes for my family room.

  

These didn't start out as drapes, but as a shower curtain!  You see, a shower curtain is much wider than a curtain panel.  So...........I decided to cut it in half to give me 2 panels.  However, a shower curtain is also too short.  So...............I decided to add some fabric to the end and add trim where the two fabrics meet.  I've seen this done on other custom drapes and love the look!  Here is a breakdown.


I chose burlap to add to these panels.



Now, that doesn't look too pretty.  So I added some trim to give it a finished look.


Ah....much better!

I didn't get a picture of this step, but I also put some cream material behind the burlap so the weight of it would match the upper portion of the panel.  Also, I didn't want it to be see-through. 

Did I mention that I don't sew?  Yep.  I did all of this with fabric glue (Fabri-tac).  It was easy peasy.  I hung the panels on clip rings.  I had everything already except for the trim.  I love how they turned out. 

Here is a close-up of the top of the panel. (It came this way already.)


Here is close-up of the bottom of the panel (that I did).


I like how they look with my new dog portrait over the fireplace too.


So, would you ever guess that used to be a shower curtain?  The fabric is the same as any other curtain panel (just in case you were wondering).  I love the change. 

I found some other great buys there, too, which I'll show you in another post. 

~ Kelly ~

I'm linking to the following parties:



49 comments:

Cheri said...

Way to go Kelly...they look lovely.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Kelly, I love them. Love the burlap and trim added, too. Good job.

Debbiedoos said...

Wonderful wonderful Kelly! You really did think outside the box:) I love the look too.

Melissa Miller said...

Absolutely gorgeous Kelly! I could not like them any better in your family room. :)

Debra@CommonGround said...

What??? these look fabulous, no sewing?? Kelly you did a great job, very smart!! Love the burlap with the giant check! xo

Haven said...

You are so creative! These look perfect in your family room.
Haven

Haven said...

You are so creative! These look perfect in your family room.
Haven

Linda said...

Wow!!! I am impressed!! I am visiting my daughter and she is hanging painters canvas drop cloths. I love seeing things 'repurposed.'

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

Kelly, these look great! What a clever idea!! They look amazing with your decor! Great job!

SHERRY HART said...

Kelly you are a clever girl! They look great!

Deserae said...

Wow,those turned out so fabulous! I can't believe you did it all without sewing too!!!!! They look gorgeous in your living room :o)
~Des

Ann from On Sutton Place said...

Hey Kelly...these are perfect. I love the buffalo check. I am in the process of making panels for my windows in the living and dining room. Should have thought of a shower curtain! Can't believe you did all that with fabric glue. Amazing. Have a great week!

d e l i g h t said...

Those are just wonderful! They look so great with the dog picture. And, no sewing!! Once I bought velvet shower curtains and made them into pillow shams. I like curtains because they are wider than regular decorator fabric. You are lucky to live close to a Ballard outlet!!

Pondside said...

I'm still shaking my head at the 'no sew' aspect. Well done!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Very creative Kelly, I love them!

Judy said...

I did the same thing to a shower curtain in hubby's bathroom a few years ago...it is a white waffle weave that I added a chocolate brown 17" border to....you can read the post I did on July 22, 2008 (here's the link but I don't think it will work on the comment section)
http://gracioussouthernliving.blogspot.com/2008/07/im-copycat.html.

I actually copied the idea from a Ballards catalog!

I love the Ballards Backroom...haven't been in a couple of years but would love to go back one day.

You did a great job on your "shower" curtain curtains...and I love the burlap border!

Judy

Lorna said...

Love that these are no sew. Having just moved, I don't have curtains up on any of our windows except one. Hopefully I can go the no sew route too.

rachel@Acts of Life said...

They look great Kelly, I love the burlap bottom! Good idea!

xoxo
Rachel~

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Hi Kelly, Your new drapes look wonderful! In this case improvising turned out looking better than the original. Love the dog portrait too.
xo,
Sherry

Olive said...

No Sew is the way to go. Love the big check in your room too.

Debbiedoos said...

Thanks for joining the party Kelly, enjoy. This is a wonderful project to share.

Something Nice and Pretty said...

They look just lovely and I didn't think they used to be a shower curtain at all until I read your post! Love that you used the fabric glue too, I'll have to remember that!

Debra from Bungalow said...

You did an awesome job on the curtains! They look lovely.


Please come on over on Tues. and link up a post to the everything Thanksgiving link party. I would really appreciate it! : )

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly! OH, how gorgeous and no, I would never have thought this was a shower curtain! How smart of you to add the trim at the bottom. They really do look so pretty! Great job.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Kelly, they turned out great! I need to find that fabric glue thingy!

Tanna said...

GREAT job, Kelly!! I love that material and it looks great with the burlap and the trim! Amazing. blessings ~ tanna

Amy Chalmers said...

Kelly they look fantastic! Using the burlap adds weight as well, so they hang even better! I have used shower curtains and cut them into valances for a room that had a million windows. good tip!

Robin said...

I love the way these came out. I made a panel for over a transom window above my front door using a shower curtain. And, just like you, I glue everything with Fabric Glue. You are so lucky to live near those outlets!

Robin
Robin Flies South

All That Glitters said...

I just love your house! pretty curtains!

Gillian Layne said...

Burlaps and buffalo plaid. Does it get any better? Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful project!

At The Picket Fence said...

Those are just gorgeous Kelly! I'm thinking Ballards is going to be knocking those off soon. LOL! I love the burlap at the bottom and the plaid is perfect. Way to go!:-)
Vanessa

Tammy@Beatrice Banks said...

Beautiful! I do this with curtains all the time but have never used a shower curtain. Clever! Your room is so pretty.

Unknown said...

Your drapes turned out great ! I like a girl who thinks outside the box . The outcomes are alway more interesting . I am a new follower .

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

Your curtains are so pretty. Beautiful room too!

Dee :-)

Christine @ Stonehouse Living said...

Hi Kelly,

You are a clever girl! Love the shower curtains they are beautiful with that large buffalo check...
I have done the same thing in the past.
Sometimes the fabric choices for the shower curtains are a lot better than the ready made curtain panels.
Love how you made yours custom to your home!!
All the Best,
Christine

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Great idea to use a shower curtain, Kelly! I think you did a great job lengthening it with the burlap. I am in the process of adding onto store bought panels to make them a little more interesting. I love the look, too!

Anonymous said...

You never cease to amaze me! I love the curtains, and I love your home.

Sharon @ mrshinesclass

Chrissy said...

What a great idea, with the burlap and fabric. They look very custom and blend right in with your room.
I am visiting from the Newbie party and am a follower.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful new drapes, Kelly! I've used sheets and drapes as shower curtains but never thought about shower curtains for drapes. Thanks for the fabulous inspiration!

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Nice job Kelly. Love the added trim. They look great in your room. I'm all about outside the box. I've used shower curtains as tablecloths.

Janet said...

Beautiful job and a lovely room :)

Chatty Crone said...

I love that room and thought you did an excellent job. The day we met I had no idea how talented you were!

sandie

laxsupermom said...

Love your new drapes! That's incredible that it was a no-sew project! Love the addition of the burlap and trim - great idea! They look amazing and complement your room nicely. Thanks for sharing.

I'm hosting my monthly Before Blogging Throwback Thursdays Party and would love for you to drop by and share something you made / did / bought sometime Before Blogging. Can't wait to see what you bring to the party.

Unknown said...

Your drapes look absolutely adorable in your living room..It is such a warm and inviting room...love it!!!

Unknown said...

Even though you’re thin on budget, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative! That curtain is something that you can actually see in several stores. But what I love about it is that it truly complements the room. The dark brown shade makes the whole area very warm. I would definitely want to be in that kind of room, especially in winter!

Roxie Tenner

Katie said...

Remember: You can transform the look of your window without having to spend a lot of money on the materials. You just really have to let your creativity flow and don’t limit yourself from doing the things that you want; be open to the limitless possibilities of your imagination. In the end, you’ll feel happy working on something as wonderful as this! :)

Katie Nicoll

Lida Swisher said...

Yeah, I have to agree with Roxie! The room really looked warming and inviting. I’m pretty sure your family will always want to spend their time there. I love how you decorated your home! From the fireplace, to the cabinet, books, and down to the pillows and curtains you used really made the area look so traditional, yet so elegant.

Lida Swisher

Karollin said...

Great job Kelly. You are really genius in your decor creativity. The new drapes look so beautiful and the overall look of the room was excellent to stay. Again, using a shower curtain and adding a burlap to the panel ware really brilliant idea. Love your Custom drapes project very much. This is so cool and gorgeous.

Shasa said...

Really a fantastic tutorial you gifted to us. The new custom drapes you created were very elegant looking and the fabric you used was indeed gorgeous to fall in love with. I love the color of those. I also would like to share an online place to make a new choice for cheap shower curtains for the readers here and it's pushplinen. BTW I totally enjoyed your lovely stuff.