Easy-Peasy New Curtains

Here's my entry to this week's CSI Project: Pottery Barn Challenge.

I have to admit, I have a thing for the Pottery Barn.  I love the way those catalog rooms look, but I'm too cheap to actually order from the catalog.  So, whenever I can find or make a good Pottery Barn knock-off, I'm a happy girl!

Recently, I recreated the look of PB's canvas curtains in my dining room.  As you can see, my version saved me quite a bit of money (85%), and I didn't have to do any sewing!

I found my fabric at Home Depot.  Yes, I did say Home Depot.  In the paint section.

Canvas drop cloths are cheap (this size was about $10), machine washable, and already hemmed.  When you take them out of the plastic packaging, they look like this:

Canvas drop cloths have a very nubby, natural texture.  They have a neutral tan base color, with tiny. occaisional runs of thread in faint colors.  They are heavy enough to block bright sunlight and offer moderate privacy, but light enough to allow some light to stream through.  They come in a variety of sizes.  Perfect for my dining room!

It took only two simple steps to turn the dropcloths I found into canvas curtains a la Pottery Barn.

When I purchased my canvas dropcloths, I opted to get a little more fabric than was necessary.  I wanted to have a faux valance for a little added detail.  I folded the extra fabric over, making sure that the fold was fairly even, and clipped the panels onto my rod.  (I found the drapery hooks for 50% off at Joann's.)  I didn't even bother to iron the panels--by the time they had hung for 24 hours, most of the wrinkles were gone.

 As you can see, my curtains accent a door to our backyard deck and playscape--very high traffic!

While I love the way the curtains look hanging from either side of the rod, during the day I move them into the center, so that they won't interfere with the back door opening and closing.

I simply tie them together with a length of burlap ribbon--love the way burlap and canvas go together!

I'm so pleased with the way these turned out, that I plan to use a similar window treatment in the adjoining family room.  Thanks for the inspiration, Pottery Barn! And thanks, Home Depot, for the easy, no-sew materials!





I'm linking up here: