Put a pin in it - No Sew Striped Curtains

Admittedly, no sew striped curtain tutorials are nearly everywhere you look.

I first fell in love the notion of no sew striped curtains, thanks to The Yellow Cape Cod.  Then and there I pinned it and, shortly after, I made another pin a reality.

I couldn't wait to make my own no sew striped curtains BUT I had relatively new burgundy curtains and I couldn't justify investing a lot of money in replacing them.

So, I used what I had and transformed them instead. 

Fortunately, the burgundy curtains were lined with a white backing...so, I just turned them around.

Using my impressive work space, my floor, I laid my curtain down and tried to figure out how many stripes were needed, what size stripe worked best and how much space was required between each stripe.

With my stripes cut and uniform, I grabbed some Heat n Bond {ultra hold}. This is what allows you to create custom curtains without sewing.

I ironed a 1/4 of an inch hem to both sides of my stripes.  This folds over the raw cut edges, so when the stripes are ironed into place, the edges mimic what a sewn hem would look like..

On top of the folded over 1/4 inch hem, iron on the Heat n Bond {Heat n Bond will be applied to both the top and the bottom of each stripe}.

Once the Heat n Bond is ironed on, simply peel off the paper backing of the Heat n Bond.

Based on the measurements you determined for placement, flip the striped piece over and place onto the curtain.  The adhesive side of the stripe facing the curtain.

Run the hot iron over the top and bottom of each stripe.  The heat from the iron will fuse the adhesive left behind by the Heat n Bond on the stripes onto the curtain. 

Another pin has become a reality.  And, now, I can go spend a few hours on pinterest, a little less guilty, and convince myself that I am not just finding great ideas but trying them too :)

*If you noticed, I still have the bottom right stripe to finish.  I ran out of Heat n Bond.  In efforts to maintain full disclosure, I ran out of Heat n Bond months ago.  My curtains have been hanging nearly finished ever since.

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Time for new curtains

Have you ever noticed, sometimes redecorating is sparked from the addition of something new. In this case, when I added my grandma's framed recipe to my kitchen, I was inspired to make some other inexpensive changes. I figured, the best place to start would be with my kitchen valance.

I've had this valance since my first house. It's cute but I wanted to update my kitchen from cute...

to classic. When I saw this fabric at Joann Fabrics, it was love at first sight. I bought a yard for $6 and 2 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon, to add as trim, for $1.50.

I knew I wanted to double the fabric so you could design not only in the kitchen but also from the back of the window. When I held it up to the window, though, the material was so thin, you could see the design from the back showing through the front. In order to make the curtain denser, I decided to line it with muslin. I realize, I probably sound quite knowledgeable at this point {don't let that fool you}. Though I knew it needed a lining, I just couldn't figure out how to add it.

My first attempt, I carefully layered the fabric so the right side of my materials were together and then I placed the muslin in between the material. Fortunately, I only sewed one side together when I realized how wrong I was. {Done like this, I ended up with one side being the design of the fabric and the other side being muslin, leaving the second piece of fabric stuck in the middle for no one to see at all.}

Thank goodness for seam rippers!

My second attempt went much better. With the muslin now on the outside, on top of the two pieces of material {facing right sides together}, sewing recommenced and I was able to complete my new curtain.

I had incentive to finish my curtain quickly, since it was one of those rare occasions I had fresh flowers.

Even from the back, I adore my new curtains.

I guess the moral is, if at first you don't succeed, try try again. I am definitely not an expert at sewing but I'm having fun learning.