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August 8, 2011

Using Tablecloths as Curtain Panels

Happy Monday!  As I posted here we recently moved into a great house with lots of character and have been in the process of updating and decorating  it to make it feel more cozy.   One of the first things I wanted to do since this is our first "real" house was hang curtain panels.  I have never done this before - we always had blinds - because curtains always seemed like an unnecessary extra expense.  But I knew in this house hanging a pair of bold panels "high and wide" on every window would make a huge impact and transform each room.I began my search for the perfect fabric first on Pinterest (my current obsession - if you're not on there already get on there - so much inspiration!) to see what other people had used.  I found a bunch of options at West Elm but nothing that I absolutely loved. 
Then I saw this photo on Suzanne's blog:

I was in love with the colors, the suzani pattern and how the light came through the material.  I contacted Suzanne to ask if she remembered where she got the curtains or if she knew the name of the fabric and was shocked to learn that they weren't curtains at all but DwellStudio tablecloths that she bought at Target!  Within minutes of receiving her response I was on the Target website (they were only available online at the time -looks like they are currently unavailable) ordering two tablecloths at $21.99 a piece for our dining room.

Once they arrived I loved them so much that I decided to not only hang them in the dining room but the adjoining living room as well.  But before I could do that these 60" x 104" tablecloths needed to be hemmed  - and that's where my Mom comes in. 

Tablecloth to Unlined Curtain Panel Tutorial

My directions are for a 91" curtain panel with a 3" rod hem and a 3" bottom hem.
First cut the fabric to 98" ~ be sure that the prints will be at the same spot on each panel.  Since the width of the tablecloth was perfect (and already finished), I didn't have to do anything with it. 

The directions for the top (rod) and bottom hems are the same.
Make a 1/2" hem by pinning the fabric directly to your ironing board cover.
Iron the hem. This gives it a finished look.

Fold again to make your 3" hem, and iron.  Sew 1/4" from the fold.


Use the same procedure for the bottom hem, and you are finished.

Once I had these back in my hands I hung them on oil rubbed bronze  rods and matching drapery rings from Bed Bath & Beyond. I decided not to use the rod pockets because I love the way the rings make soft waves in the fabric and hang so easily.
Dining Room

Living Room

Living Room
Living Room
I'm super happy with how these turned out and at less than $45 dollars a pair and I am SUPER happy with the price too!




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1 comment:

Erin said...

Just saw your comment on Emily's blog post. And I love those colors. Even though Target isn't carrying them I'm going to hunt them down. Because those are the exact colors I want to incorporate in our new home, which will not be a rental one like we're currently in. Anyway, thanks for the tutorial. My Mom would be the one who would sew (she's done it for me before) mine, also.

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