ok today's the day I try my hand at window treatments

[NMDemDist2]

I'm gonna start easy, I'm no seamstress for sure

I have a king sized sheet and I'm making two panels for a window with casual tie backs and using the rest for a topper above the sliding glass door

I'll get out the sewing machine so it's just a matter of measuring carefully and hemming right?

wish me luck!

[KarenS]

1. Good Luck !!

Post a picture for us when you are done

:)

[NMDemDist2]

2. before and after pics

I found the comforter, pillow shams and a king sized sheet in this pattern last week at the thrift store ($14 for all of them). We liked the colors and wanted to help our bedroom which I have been working on "decluttering" for feng shui for the last couple weeks (for more about Feng Shui, see these DU threads http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=245&topic_id=4747&mesg_id=4747)


I really took my time with making the curtains and am very pleased. What do you guys think? We are planning on painting the room a warm cafe au lait like the lightest tan in the pattern piece.


before



after





before:



after:



before:



after:

[eleny]

3. Good work on your windows!

And the new bedroom wall color will be great with the colorful bedding.

It was ditch cleaning day around here so our bedroom is still waiting. We got some spakling done the other day. But the irrigation water will start running soon, so leaves needed clearing out. I've been looking for new bedding online and no mater wehat, it can get pretty pricey. You have a terrific thrifter's eye for ferretng out all those matching pieces. Nice for Arizona decorating!

[NMDemDist2]

4. "thrifter's eye" LOL

hubby was with me cuz I wanted him to be happy with the piece/colors

he stood there patiently with the big duvet while I went thru all the bedding/curtains/bedskirts to find the shams and sheet

he's such a good doobie :pals:

I still need to "antique" the tall boy dresser white so it "matches" the other furniture and paint the walls but I feel like I did a lot on the process today :bounce:

[KarenS]

5. Beautiful,,,,

You did a wonderful job on the curtains !!

The whole thing,,,, comforter, shams & curtains look great!! Very nice that you could use the same window shade, huh?? (perfect match) AND for $14 !!
What a deal,,,,

You did good

:applause:

[NMDemDist2]

6. thank you so much! I am amazed how nice the shade looks now

before it was just a sad orphan now it's a rich accent

life is good LOL

[Longhorn]

9. Great job!

Everything looks really tied together and I've always loved the Southwest prints and colors. Enjoy! :toast:

[NMDemDist2]

10. thanks LHorn

i just keep saying "WOW"

i really didn't think they'd come out that well (me of little faith hehe)

[Cerridwen]

11. Beeeeeutiful!

I love the warmth you've introduced with the colors - I can "feel" the changed chi in the room just based on the pics.

May I offer up a decorating suggestion? I'm gonna anyway :D

We all seem to forget about switch plates and electrical outlet covers - sometimes we think to make them the same color as the wall - another way is to highlight them, make them an "architectural feature" - their color and/or texture can be used to introduce some of the five elements from feng shui into the room and can be inexpensive, i.e., paint existing, or relatively inexpensive to buy new.

They can be nice little accessories to a room with little effort.

You've done a great job with this! Thanks for sharing.

[NMDemDist2]

12. funny you should mention that about the plate covers

i picked up some the other day, 3 plate covers and a double switch cover in a pink and white (which is perfect for my :love/marriage" space)

I'll put the plate covers in today and add the switch cover to the master bath which is on the wall just to the right of the window

when I paint I'll find something for the three by the door for sure

i love those cute little plate covers and they have so many clever designs theses days, thanks for reminding me :bounce:

[Warpy]

7. I remember the good old days

before we had to "treat" our windows and the typical hippie bedroom had a mattress on the floor and a spare sheet thumbtacked over the window.

[NMDemDist2]

8. i had many of those bedrooms,

my old bones wouldn't appreciate the floor these days

and heck, I have a sheet with seams instead of thumbtacks

not much has changed :D

[AlCzervik]

13. Nice job! What a big difference.

good on you.

[NMDemDist2]

14. amazing what a couple bucks worth of fabric can do huh?

i guess all those hours watching HGTV weren't wasted after all LOL

[Lugnut]

15. Not at all

Your improvements look great. I love the earthy Southwestern colors.

I've learned a lot from HGTV and have applied some of that learning to projects I've done. I watch HGTV more than any other network these days. :)

[NMDemDist2]

16. me too, it's HGTV rather than CNN

since about November 5th

my blood pressure and house are both better for it :)

[Lugnut]

17. Truthfully

I can't remember the last time I watched CNN. Sometimes I put MSRNC on just for noise but I end up screaming at the television. HGTV is definitely much better for the BP and the house. :)

[NMDemDist2]

18. the last project went so well, I just picked up some pillow shams to tear

apart to make a curtain for DH's office

he has a pretty print with the blue background and gold moons and suns and stars already and the fabric is a close match

since he's an amateur astronomer, I think he'll really like it :bounce:

[Pathwalker]

19. For the future, you might want to try

Liquid Stitching or Heat 'n Bond, a webbing that you iron on for hems, much easier than sewing!

[NMDemDist2]

20. iron? use an iron?

hmmmmm I think I own an iron... somewhere... now where would it be?

actually that's a great suggestion. I wonder if the products are better these days? the last time I tried them, they'd let loose in the dryer when I washed the items. My climate is very dusty and I usually wash the curtains 4-5 times a year, so them holding up to a run through the dryer is pretty important to me.

i was just teasing you about the iron, I did find it so I could press the hems before sewing them, I wasn't kidding about having to think for a minute exactly WHERE the iron was however :P