I spent several months this summer trying to find some curtains for my kitchen windows.
I knew that I wanted floor length panels, but I wasn’t sure what type of material I wanted. I thought about black and white buffalo check, but was afraid that would be too bold.
I wanted something more subtle.
I had in the back of my mind some curtains I had seen in blog land. They were made of drop cloths, and I thought they were beautiful.
The first ones I saw were at Layla’s blog, The Lettered Cottage. You can read about her curtains HERE.
She got her inspiration from a picture she saw in Pottery Barn…
Then I saw them appear again on Judy’s blog, Gracious Southern Living. You can see how she made her beautiful curtains HERE.
Don’t you love the black detail on the bottom?
So I decided to give them a try and see if I liked them.
I made many trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot to find just the right drop cloths (yes, I have analyzed drop cloths!), and you can read about my discoveries HERE.
One of the many things I learned was that not all drop cloths were alike.
See the difference between the top drop cloth and the bottom drop cloth in the above picture? I got these at the same store!
Many of my followers asked me which drop cloth package to get? Honestly ladies, I found that drop cloths wrapped in the exact same packaging were sometimes still made of different materials.
So I spent about 20 minutes in the store comparing the drop cloths, holding them up to the light, opening the packages, etc. The Home Depot guy must have thought I was CRAZY!
I could hear him thinking, “Come on, lady, pick one already! It’s just a drop cloth!”
I liked the drop cloth in the bottom half of the picture best. It had a lot more texture and beautiful brown flecks in it.
But YOU can choose whatever type you like best! (The variations are very subtle.)
Here are the things I love most about drop cloths…
1) They are 6 feet by 9 feet,which means they are super long and perfect for curtains to go from the ceiling to the floor.
2) All four sides are hemmed. Saving you some time when making your curtains.
3) They are a super heavy canvas material which requires no lining. Saving you another step!
4) And most importantly…They are Cheap! About ten dollars a piece. That’s a little over 3 dollars a yard!
Now, I chose the simplest way possible to make my curtains.
I have made window treatments before that were a lot more time consuming. These are the curtains and roman shades I made for my previous home. (It was Christmas time…)
But for my drop cloth curtains, all I had to do was hem the top and bottom of each panel, and I was finished.
I simply ironed the top of the panel down 2 inches, and sewed a straight stitch all the way across.
I did the same thing for the bottom of the drop cloth because I wanted mine to puddle in the floor.
If you didn’t want yours to puddle, you could do a bigger hem.
To find the correct length, create your two inch hem on top first, hang the curtain up with the rod and clips that you want to use, then let the drop cloth drape on the floor. Next, pin the bottom up to the length you want it. Take the curtains down and iron the hem the length you chose, then stitch. No cutting required.
If you do not own a sewing machine. simply hem your drop cloth using an iron and some hem tape. You can get hem tape for a few bucks at Walmart or just about anywhere.
I bought my clips and curtain rod at Hobby Lobby.
Though I love the “look” of the clips I chose, they are not as strong as the ones I got for my den curtains. The drop cloth is very heavy and has slipped out of the clips.
Then I took some black ribbon from Walmart and a couple of tassels from Hobby Lobby to create my tie backs.
To attach the tie back to the wall, I got real fancy and used a curtain clip. Could this be called a Window “Mistreatment”?
I love the finished look!
I had a very difficult time getting a good picture of my curtains. During the day, the sun is so bright that I get a huge glare in the picture. And of course at night, the picture quality is not as good.
Here are my curtains through my buffet mirror…
I also made drop cloth curtains for my den…
And a drop cloth slip cover that I will be sharing in a future post…
Blessings to everyone,
Traci
Gorgeous!! You did a great job. The window treatments complete your pretty room.
I can't wait for your slip cover post.
Rhonda
I LOVe these curtains! Thanks so much! I think I might be giving these a go. You are such a dear!
Love the curtains! They look amazing!
Your room is stunning.
Nice work you do!
God bless,
d
I LOVE these curtains … I've also seen them in other blogs … but I REALLY do appreciate your photo tutorial and am excited to get some in my house! Thanks a bunch! My prayers are with you and your family.
Your curtains look wonderful.
Thanks for the heads up on the subtle differences in the drop cloth. Who would have thought.
Your panels are beautiful…you would never know that they were made from drop cloths. I'm praying for you and your mom today.
These look great, Traci! Thank you for showing us how even those of us with very elementary sewing skills could end up with beautiful window treatments.
You must have been a great teacher: you do wonderful tutorials!
Your window treatments turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing tips about the differences. Still praying for your family!
Enjoy a great week!
~Michelle :)
(Treasure the Moment)
It is so funny how something as simple as a drop cloth an make so many women go crazy. I am sure there are many confused men in home improvement stores across the country..LOL!! Beautiful job!! I can't wait to hear about the slipcover!
Love the curtains, you did great, both sewing and tutorial. The pic in the mirror looked so good. Love your house too, it looked so nice. I'm going to look for that candle and stop by your sister's blog.
Have a wonderful week.
Smiles,
Pat
Hi Traci,
What a fabulous job girl! They look wonderful and your tutorial is super! I love the part about you spending all that time at Home Depot comparing drop cloths. I can just see all the ladies heading there for their drop cloths and holding them up to the light! So cute! Hugs, Cindy
I've just recently started following you (since you were featured on Just a Girl) and simply love your blog and ideas!! I am so doing the drop cloth curtains when my daughter and I move – which will be very soon.
I love that look and can't wait to try it out.
I've read your posts about your mother and all I can think to say is I'm sorry she and your family are going through such a horrible time. I do think of y'all often.
Thanks for sharing the curtain idea. I love it and it looks wonderful.
Willow
Great job on the curtains! It is such a GORGEOUS room!! I want to see more :-)
I love your curtains Traci, and I linked to you today on my Met Monday post. I painted a shelf black like your Ballard inspired ones. One day soon I'm gonna buy the supplies to make some!
Great job!!! I have also read about the drop cloth window treatments and planned to get my done this next weekend!!!!
THey look great. I love them. I bought some drop cloths a few weeks ago, but still haven't made curtains. I guess I better get busy. Thanks for sharing.
Traci, your drapes are so classy! Love the black and neutrals!
Hi Traci! Oh, the drop cloth curtains look awesome. You've really done a great job! I'm very impressed!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
I LOVE those drop cloth curtains. Of all the photos I've seen in blogland, I like yours best because the window size and room color is similar to where I want to use them. Thanks for the all the great tips! Saving this page for future reference… = )
Love the window treatments!!!
Hey Tracy! Its Brittany Watts from church. Mom just told me about your blog and I love it! You are so creative and talented! Oh mom and I have decided we would like to come live in your guest house and we will take really good care of your beautiful boys! HA! anyway I just wanted to leave you a note to encourage you and let you know that I/ we are praying for you and your family. See you Sunday. If you ever need anything please let us know.
God Bless
Brittany Watts
http://www.bwattsthecraftypirate.blogspot.com
Your photos of your drapes are just stunning! I truly love the entire look of your home. Thanks for letting us know about the giveaway. I just love candles…and Fall!
Beautiful Job. Love the black touches.
Love them! You've inspired me to do this! I think I'm going to add a different fabric to the bottom. They just look so nice. I've got lots of makeovers in progress on my blog, you should check it out! :)
wow–thanks so much for sharing that –what a great idea!
Oh and ps. the guy at the store must have thought you were really ditsie!!
Love the curtains, and I think I may have to try it out! Also, that candle is my absolute favorite!! Have you tried the potpurri? I am going to have to go out and buy one soon to put me in the fall spirit.
Your ideas so so awesome!!! Just found your blog today and am scrolling through like a kid in a candy store.
http://unpredictablebliss.blogspot.com/
I just bought a drop cloth to cover my pink wing back chair. I can't wait to see how you did it. The curtains look great!
These curtains are great… at $3/yard, you get a customized look. Can't wait to see the slipcover… please include lots of details or tutorial as this is something a lot of us might want to try.
Very nice. I like your hooks too. The funny thing is, I can picture myself studying fabric at Lowes… I know what you mean about different products in the same packaging.
These look great! I love how you brought black into them with the hardware and your tiebacks!
What a gorgeously stunning room for starters! Your version of the drop cloth curtains looks so high end the way you have them against all the blacks! WOW!
I often wonder when I hold drop cloths up in my own home if it's 'enough'. Along with your wall colour and accessories, you've achieved the PERFECT balance! They truely are gorgeous!
This one room alone makes me want to peek throughout your entire home. You really have a great eye.
Thanks for linking up to SNS #4's window treatment party!
Funky Junk Donna
This post is fabulous enough to be featured on my SNS #4 highlights. :)
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2009/11/highlights-from-sns-4-window-treatments.html
FJ Donna
I'm including this in my post today. Hope you're having a great day…
Great details great work.. well done
Well hello amazing! This looks great I might have to snag some after work for my bedroom!
This has got to be my favorite burlap project yet! I love burlap and that is just the most adorable curtain ever… I will be trying that soon! Thank you so much for sharing you idea!
Wow what beautiful curtains, and I agree I think the black and white buffalo check would have been too much for these rooms, but would look great in a den or office area in your home. I also love the way you created the tie back with black ribbons and tassels!
Do you know the name of the paint color? I love it!!
I’d also like the name of the paint color, pretty please? Thanks!
I am so thankful for finding you page. We are selling our home and this has saved us a lot of money. Thank You Thank You
Thank you!
These curtains panels are beautiful and a very rich color. It is a good value for the money.