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a home + living guide for the post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation

11.19.2001

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DEPARTMENTS
 
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big decorating dreams. tiny little budget. don't be a wallflower! jump on over to the discussion boards and get decorating help.
 
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other recent LOUNGE articles:
o Lazy Decorator's Bag of Tricks
o
Home sweet homes
o
Minor Makeover Miracles: Kitchen
o
CD decor
o
Home/work
o Say it with Spraypaint
o
Painting 101
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Make it Mosaic!
o
Estate Sales 
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Open House 
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Hammock Heaven 
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Makeshift Vases 
o Newlyweds' Nest 
o Variations on a Theme 
o Hanging by a Wire
o
travel decorating on the cheap 
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what goes where?  
furniture arranging 101 

copyright ©1999-2001
DigsMagazine.com.

it's curtain time | 1 2 3 4
continued from page 2

make a curtain
If you need floor-length curtains, use the ever-useful, supremely versatile flat sheet. Otherwise, you can check the sale areas of fabric and upholstery stores for super steals. I managed to pay just $8 for 2 yards of the heavy fabric used for the curtain in my home office.

what you’ll need
fabric of your choice
matching thread (if you don’t have a sewing machine you can use no-sew tape for hemming)
grommets, of a sufficient diameter to accommodate your curtain rings (available at fabric stores and hardware stores, although the former will have nickel-finished grommets in addition to brass ones)
grommet tool
shower curtain rings
pencil
scissors

1. Measure the distance from the bottom of your window to the bottom of your curtain rod to determine the height of your finished curtain panel(s), then add 2" to allow for a top and bottom hem*. Now measure the width of your window. Divide the width by the number of fabric panels you intend to make to cover your window (unless you’re getting funky, that number will probably be one or two)**. Add at least 2" to allow for the side hems. Voila: you have the magic number for the fabric dimensions you’ll require per panel.

*Note: I used a fairly heavy-duty fabric here for my curtain – the better to block out that brutal Arizona sun. If you’re making a lighter-weight curtain – a gauzy sheer, for instance – allow an additional 1" for the height of the curtain. You'll need the extra reinforcement at the top for the grommets.
** If you want some volume to your treatment, double the width measurement to allow for some fullness. A fuller curtain will help block more light, which may or may not be a good thing, depending upon how much sun your window happens to get, and whether you like bright sunny spaces, or prefer cave-like dwellings.

2. Hem the sides of each panel: With the fabric face-down on the ironing board, fold the fabric ¼" and iron the seam flat. Fold the fabric another ¾" – be careful to keep that first ¼" flap tucked under – and iron again. If you’re having problems keeping the crease for the hem, you might want to pin the hem in place.

don't stop: there's more this way!

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