DIY Grommet Curtains

When we were laying tile I linked to my Bathroom Inspiration Pinterest page.  I ended up selecting the Strada panels from ZGallerie (which, sadly, are no longer in stock!).  They were rod pocket panels, meaning the curtain rod slides through the entire top of the panel not showing any of the pretty bamboo, which isn't my favorite look.

As I mentioned, we ended up reusing our old bamboo rods, spraypainted silver, so we needed something that would easily slide over the uneven parts of the bamboo.  Enter: grommets.  Here are the supplies I used.

You can buy packages of grommets from any fabric or craft store.  I picked these up a Jo-Ann's, which I've used before and felt comfortable using again because they are so easy!  Included in the package is a little plastic guide that you use to trace an outline that you'll then cut around (I recommend small scissors for this part!).  

Let me just show you the steps, it is pretty self explanatory!

Once your circles are space out, drawn & cut, you just pop the back side of a grommet on the back side of the curtain, the front on the front & press them together - instant grommet!

 

Since these are essentially "dummy" panels - i.e. just there to make the bathroom look pretty - I only bought one panel and cut it in half.  A full panel on each side definitely would have been too much, but looking back I wish I had bought two and just trimmed off a few inches from each.  They are a bit narrow, but overall I am happy with the outcome!

You might notice we also installed a new vanity light fixture as well - it's peeking out from the upper right corer of this picture.  Good riddance, apartment standard, globe bulb, Hollywood makeup style lights!

Hello pretty, modern, cylinder lights!

There's only a couple of things left to do - new vanity & mirror (coming up next!) and ceiling light fixture (which we still haven't done).  

It's hard to believe that we started with this!

Master Bedroom Curtain Makeover

A month ago, I finally got around to switching out our fall/winter bedroom for our spring/summer version.  I always love the dramatic change that occurs when simply swapping out a duvet & lampshades!

Fall/Winter SpreadThe things I never really loved about our summer look were the curtains.  They were a basic, light khaki, linen-esque fabric that hang from tab tops.  Nothing glaringly wrong with them, but just kind of blah.  They blended in with the walls and I really wanted something with a bit more impact.  

I always thought crisp white curtains would look great as well, but since I've been having so much fun with pattern lately I decided to go bold. I ordered this gorgeous chevron fabric from fabric.com for under $8/yd.  

Since our balcony doors face east, we get a ton of early morning light.  I wanted to make sure we had a bit more light coverage so I used the old curtains as a backing & the chevron on the front.  I sewed them inside out like a giant duvet, straight lines made easy by the zig zags.  

I had some puckering/gathering issues which MADE ME CRAZY, but you can't see them unless you inspect each seam.  No biggie (I need a new sewing machine or perhaps a walking foot?) I hung them with dark clips to match the current rod and love the results! 

Then I hemmed them in place so that they just touch the floor.  I like the look of curtains that softly gather on the ground, but the two layers were pretty thick and didn't pool very well.  Plus, we are regularly in and out of these doors and the fabric sweeping back and forth would get dirty.

In all, I spent under $50 for the new window treatments (fabric, clips).  We have really tall ceilings & doors so buying curtains would have been a lot more expensive! I am happy that I took the effort to DIY.

 

I absolutely love the new window treatments.  It's darker in the morning & more visually interesting all day.  Now I need to get working on those pesky living room curtains, of which I have narrowed it down to approximately 47 fabrics.  Give or take a few.

Potential DIY Curtain Fabric

I have always loved this dandelion fabric & Kelsey's comment yesterday made me revisit the idea of a pattern with color for our living room curtain panels.

There is a yard of the outdoor version of this fabric sitting on the chair next to me.  One thing to always pay attention to on fabric websites is the little ruler at the bottom of the picture.  I wasn't paying close attention & when the fabric arrived, I saw the very large scale of the dandelions & that it probably wasn't the best choice for small chair cushion covers...

I think I'd like a smaller, wispier flower but I can only find that fabric in the reverse colors.  I think it might be too much green!

Though look how gorgeous the fabric in yellow looks in this nursery.  So fun, bright and sunny - it works & I love it! 

Alas, goldilocks can't make up her mind so this project may just be shelved for a couple of weeks...