A Fairway Home Companion: DIY Curtain Panels

If you're a Pinterest person you've likely seen a million posts about things you can do with Painter's Drop Cloth.

Source: Lowes

"What's the big deal with drop cloth anyways?" Well I'll tell you what the big deal is-- it cost about $9 per drop cloth at your local home improvement store, the fabric is appx 9ft x 6 ft and it's a blank, neutral canvas for whatever you want to create!

Drop Cloth Curtains:
The problem- our ceilings and windows are both pretty tall and regular 84-inch curtains just wouldn't work. I either needed to make a trip to Dallas for Ikea curtains or make my own. So I jumped on the bandwagon and used Drop Cloth to create drapes for our living room! Excuse the photos- as I've said before, photography is not my forte.

I was able to make 6 curtain panels for a total of about $18. I simply needed the panels to frame the window and did not want to actually pull the drapes closed. So I purchased 3 drop cloths and cut each in half (from top to bottom) for a total of 6 panels. I hemmed the raw edges from where I cut down the middle and also hemmed the bottoms of the curtains to the length I needed. *NOTE- after hemming all the curtains length-wise I got really lazy and used the iron-on hemming tape to hem the bottoms of the curtains. I used curtain rings to hang them- but you could also sew a pocket at the top for the curtain rod or even purchase and install grommets. Just depends on what look you're going for. I myself was going for quick and easy!

A few tips:
1. You need to launder the drop cloth 1-2 times before working with it. Otherwise it will be really stiff and a little stinky. Once laundered it looks like beautiful linen, but way less wrinkly.
2. Drop cloth packaged to look totally the same may be a little bit different. Just compare what's inside the packaging to make sure the fabric is the same.
3. One of my drop cloth panels had a weird seam in the middle of it. I honestly didn't notice until I had already cut it. Had I noticed earlier, I would have tried to exchange it. So- inspect your drop cloth before cutting!
4. If you're cutting the drop cloths down the middle, just fold the drop cloth in half and cut. It doesn't have to be perfect. I'm somewhat of an idiot and the thought of folding down the middle and cutting didn't even occur to me. I sat on the floor with my tape measure and a level, like a fool.

I've been really pleased with how they turned out. They were easy and inexpensive!

You could trim your curtains with colored fabric or ribbon or even add a ruffle detail to the top, bottom, wherever. Katie at Creative Outlets of a Thrifty Minded Momma stenciled her curtains. How cute is this?