Trimming out the drapes

February 27, 2012

You might remember when I changed out the drapes in the living room. They absolutely transformed the room and brought it from the dark into the light!

Because I was trying to save some cost on the fabric, I ended up cutting each length of fabric in half and used the halves for the new drapes. (Instead of buying double the yardage, I just bought enough for one window and cut the fabric in half length-wise).

But the skinny skinny panels were starting to look pretty…well, skinny. Wordsmith, I know. ;) I hadn’t even lined them yet, so I waited on that to decide how I wanted to change them up.

I went back to Calico Corners hoping to find something that I could use on each side of the panels to beef them up a bit. I couldn’t find a solid fabric that worked, but I did find a stripe that matched perfectly:

Calico Corners fabrics

Every color in the stripes is in the fabric and I couldn't believe how well it worked! Although I must say it had me a bit out of my comfort zone. But I wanted to try a little something different so I went with it.

Six months later. ;)

Turns out my DIY craft table in the basement is a PERFECT sewing table! Up till now I’ve been sewing upstairs in the guest room because it has great light. But I use an ironing board and it’s not exactly the best set up.

This worked great!:

IMG_0213

I only got enough fabric for one window, knowing that I would cut it into four strips – two for each window. (There were exactly four sets of the stripes across the fabric.)

I thought sewing a straight line along straight lines would be pretty darn easy, but. no.

I’m here to tell you the lines that aren’t straight will NEVER be noticed after all is said and done. I promise. If the straight line eludes you and keeps you from trying to sew, please don’t let it!!

I sewed a strip of the stripe (huh?) on one side of print fabric, then lined them all (with lining I’ve also had forever).

I tried the stripe on the outside first, but liked it on the inside of the windows much better:

adding striped trim to drapes

All of the colors on the striped fabric were a bit too much at first, so I just tucked some of it behind and clipped it back there with the drapery rings. I was not about to cut them down and resew them. SO not about to.

I absolutely LOVE the bit of contrast along the insides of the drapes:

white bookcase

The dark blue green color pops, and the lighter green beside that kind of disappears in the light coming through the window.

I still can’t believe how perfectly the colors matched!

I wanted to add a little somethin’ to the windows and it turned out better than I had even hoped:

jacobean hardwood floors

I even notice them more now – that little bit of color made a big difference!

I’ve been changing things up in here over the past year, and there’s still a few more projects in the works. One BIG, one medium one and one kind of easy one. ;)

That’s what I say now anyway.

If you’ve been around long you know I love to look back. Early last year the room was dark with lots of black and red:

Wow, what a difference a year makes!

The room looks completely different now – and the wall color and the sofa haven’t even changed. I’m LOVING all the color in this room now!:

bright living room

The floors don’t hurt one bit either. ;)

Now I just need to find a stinkin’ rug that doesn’t cost a thousand stinkin’ bucks. I was thinking a large print at first, but now I’m leaning toward something very neutral. The colors in the drapes and accessories are plenty!

Stay tuned for more updates…hopefully it won’t take me another six months. I make no promises.

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Comments

  1. I love the drapes paired with the the shades...nice texture. I'm not good at sewing straight lines either. ;0

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  2. Love it - looks great! Someday (when I get my act together), I will e-mail you all of the great things going on in my house that I attribute to your inspiration! :-) Smiling! Susan

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  3. It looks absolutely wonderful Sara! I stumbled upon your blog last Spring and I just have to say that I LOVE you. I love your simple designs that make such a big impact. My favorite that you've done is your office. A job always perfectly done by you, no matter how long it may take, ;o). All the way from Newfoundland, Canada, thanks for sharing your awesome ideas with us all. I always enjoy reading your posts.

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  4. They turned out great, Sarah!

    Thanks for giving me the kick in the butt I needed to think about my front window! I desperately need to get some sort of drapes over it. It's big! Probably 8'x5' or bigger. Honestly, I've never even measured it to see. But we've lived here 6 1/2 with just the mini blind. Enough is enough, I need to get some fabric on the wall. Really they don't even need to be able to close. I just want the "look" of drapes. Know what I mean?

    Anyhoo, lovely job!! The colors are gorgeous, btw. =)
    ~ Catie

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  5. Love the new drapes! Contrasting fabrics R
    arent easy to coordinate(at least for me) but you definitely pulled it off! Beautiful!

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  6. Awesomeness! I like the combination of the stripe and print fabrics. I brought some drapes with me when I moved from my old house that I made out of tablecloths. (wide and long fabric for cheap) To make them work at the new house I needed to add....something... I cut them in half and sewed three pieces of fabrice in the middle. I also was lucky enough to find fabric that coordinated perfectly. I get MORE compliments on those drapes than almost anything in my house! I usually don't reveal their modest (tablecloth) beginnings. :)

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  7. Wow! Looks great, what a difference a little color makes.

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  8. Look for a rug by a company called Kas, the rug name is Bliss. It is super soft and luxurious and comes in great neutrals. Best rug ever!!

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  9. They look so PRETTY!!! I can't believe how much the room has changed in just a year. Love the fresh new look, and your new drapes are the icing on the cake! Another great job!
    xo-Lisa

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  10. I love the drapes, they look great. I like the contrast to. The overall look of the room is simply gorgeous!

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  11. Costco has wonderful and large indoor/outdoor rugs for cheap-o. I got a giant one for $100 and it's dang sturdy. Have had it for two years now, and love it! (I just use it indoors).

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  12. overstock.com has uh-mazing rugs for cheap. shipping costs like $2 on everything & they usually arrive in less than a week...and no I do not work there :)Ive bought 3 & have loved all of them.

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  13. LOVE the drapes. Especially with the wood floor. :)

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  14. WOWZA! You are right, a year makes a big difference. You've put in some work and man has it paid off! The curtains are FAB!!!

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  15. I love all of the changes you've done in this room! (And I'm so jealous of the floors) I voted for you, good luck! You are my favorite blog!

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  16. This looks so fabulous! I cannot get over the before and after of the room! If you had not made the comment about the wall color and the drapes I would have thought they changed too!

    I am headed over to vote for you! How wonderful to be nominated.

    Thank you by the way for hosting the most recent link party, your readers are the best, they actually come over and look at the links. That is actually pretty rare.

    Have a great day, Elizabeth

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  17. I love those wonderful drapes. Looks like your ready to welcome spring time! The room looks so homey. Really really good job on the room changes!

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  18. Very pretty! Lucky find! To find fabric in the same colors on 2 sperate trips. Those drapes really lightened up your room.

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  19. Very nice; I like green around a window; it brings the outdoors in; I can see a nice seagrass rug that is neutral but textural to bring it all together

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  20. This fabric looks very pretty with the toile. I have this same fabric in my livingroom and I posted about it this week and last.

    It is a pricey fabric so we have to make the most of it.

    I have such a difficult time with rugs! LOL!

    Can't wait to see yours.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  21. These look fantastic! Yay for coordinating fabrics! You've done such a great job transforming this room, and I can't wait to see the other projects you have lined up.

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  22. Love you blog! FYI - there is a Pottery Barn look-a-like rug at Sam's Club which my girlfriend bought for her living room. She paid $300 for it and it is HUGE! I think it might be worth a look-see for your room. You should see it in person, if you can because the picture doesn't do it justice. Check it out: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod4160005

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  23. If you have a Lowes near you go look at their Wooly Bully rug. I think the 13x10 is a bit over $620, but it also comes in 8X10 for around $324. It's pretty, and it's shaggy and soft under the feet. Comes in a ivory or brown color. Just a thought. :-) Love the curtains!!

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  24. I would have never thought to put such a bold stripe with the patterned drape but it works & looks great! :-)

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  25. Nice job...very creative solution to thin drapes! I love the colors, too.

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  26. So, I think I've asked this question before but it was on a very busy blog post and I wasn't able to find my comment again to see if you commented... but where did you get the wooden/bamboo (i'm guessing) shades that you have in your windows? I love them! Thanks!!

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  27. Looks great! I have only made seasonal valences for my home so far (for Halloween and Christmas). Actually, the Christmas ones are still up in the bathrooms -- I will take a photo and post them on momhomeguide.com. (Then take the valences down!) Thanks for the post!

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  28. I like the stripes. They really add a punch to the color to the room. What is the nname of your wall paint? That looks like the color I want for my bedroom.

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  29. That extra strip of color really does make the drapes stand out. Well done :) Speaking of large, relatively inexpensive rugs, I know IKEA has some natural fiber rugs for a good price. I think you can get a large (6.5 x 9.5 ft) jute one for about $150. Definitely worth a trip to an IKEA, if you're interested in a natural fiber rug!

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  30. I'm lovin' your lighter look compared to the darker version. I just found some pics of the living room in our former house in its darker look compared to the lighter look we had before moving. I'm in love with light! Great draperies! Yeah..sewing long lengths can be tricky ;-)

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  31. love the drapes!! and soo glad im not the only one who cant sew (and doesnt really care) a straight line to save my life

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  32. I love the transformation! Spring is in the air for sure. What a great idea for me to try and make the house a little more homey. Thanks for the pic, I love it!!

    Katheryn
    www.outoftheboring.com

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  33. Sarah,

    The drapes are go-jus! I love how the room has lightened up so much over the year. It has been so fun to watch the transformation.

    Remember those cheap jute rugs that were on clearance at Lowes at the end of the summer?? I bought a brown zebra-striped one and the green quatrefoil one. Well, they have turned me into a definite lover of jute rugs. We have a dog that sheds like no one's business and a cat that does the same, and the jute rugs just let go of that hair so easily when the vacuum rolls over them. I think a large natural jute rug would be great in that room and you could stencil a pattern on it in a light color (maybe white or off-white). It would keep the room light and they sure stand up to the beating that your family may give them in that busy room.

    Have a great day and thanks for your never ending inspiration!

    Jenny

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  34. I saw the pic of the two fabrics and I wasn't sure what to think! The two together on the window look wonderful - couldn't have matched better! You've opened my eyes to possiblities for my first floor windows. Thank you for being a risk taker! What an honor to be nominated over at Apartment Therapy; your vote button has been clicked!

    Guerrina in CT

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  35. So so amazing! I'm redecorating our house and today I started our master bedroom, and these are the colors I'm trying to use the most. I love the creativity with your drapes! Your blog has been inspiring for the last couple months and I am finally starting to love my house after making some changes and making our house our own!

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  36. It's like a combo of contemporary n country style loved the texture n colours of the drapes :)

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  37. Did you ever get the name of that great fabric?

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  38. The drapes look great! Try JC Penny's for rugs, I am always able to find a large selection at their website. Good luck!

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  39. That's a great idea, Your livingroom look's beautiful,Love the new floors.Thanks for sharing.

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  40. Love a light a clean feeling living room; those drapes provide the perfect splash of fun color (and you used what you already owned, awesome!)

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  41. I love how you added the striped drapes . Gives great texture! I will never never never be able to sew a straight line :)

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  42. Looks great. You make it seem easy but mine would not turn out like that. I just found a Company C rug at TJ Maxx for $300. It's a 6x9 $1200 rug!!! There are quality rugs at great prices out there.

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  43. I found out a long time ago that straight lines are not normally essential to the final product... of course, there are exceptions, but this is definitely not one of them. Your drapes look wonderful - never would have thought to add a stripe on one side. Brilliant idea! And you're right - it adds a lot to the whole look.

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  44. I never would've thought to pair up the stripes with the print. Turned out fantastic! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  45. The drapes look great, I have some pale blue ones and I keep thinking I should jazz them up a little. My favorite part of your new room is the nail head chair, it makes me drool when I see it!

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  46. You have very noisy fabrics!

    The end results looks amazing ... love your solution.

    And I've found some really affordable rugs at Rugs USA (www.rugsusa.com). And no, I don't work for them or anything. Just like to share a good bargain ...

    And someone nominated me for The Homies DIY category. A bit embarrassing, really, since I only have 9 votes. I just don't want to end up in last place. The horrors!

    :)

    Linda

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  47. Lovely blog; I'm a new follower!
    Anne ♥

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  48. The new drapes look fantastic! I love the new look.

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  49. The curtains look fantastic! I love the colors, and they look great against the beautiful wood floors!!

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  50. Try looking on surya.com for an area rug.

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  51. Just an idea. I recently had two big areas to lay rugs. Area rugs were around $600 each for the large areas. But I just wanted a neutral rug. So I went to my local cash and carry. I picked a large leftover remnant had it cut in two and binded. Both LARGE exspensive rugs from remants cost me only $400 for both! Good luck, Kim

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  52. LOVE the look of patterned drapes with stripes, fabulous job:)so pretty!

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  53. I'm SO in love with those curtains, can't you just make me a pair so I don't have to learn to sew!?! LOL That fabric is exactly what I've been looking for for our naked window in the living room, do you know the name/manufacturer of it so I could look it up? Thanks so much and the room looks so wonderful.

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