Our recent road trip to see Katie and her amazing house gave us that tickle to get down to business when we got back home. You know how your DIY momentum is up and you’re moving right along ticking things off your to-do list and then the dust clears and you’re just spent and need a little break? Like, mehaps, a road trip? That seems to be the way it goes with us. When it comes to house progress, we tend to work in fits and starts. But then something sparks that get-back-to-business excitement and suddenly we’re done with our four-ish day Hammer And Paint Brush Hiatus and are refreshed and ready to go. Yeah, so that happened.
I guess being on the road produced that absence makes the heart grow fonder effect. Not that we were mad at our house, but we just weren’t raring to go when we left like we were when we got back. So the morning after our 9.5 hour drive I woke up early, sorted through a million (ok, a thousand) photos, wrote that shopping post that went up in the afternoon, caught up on comments/Facebook/Twitter/email, wrote this house crashing post for the next morning, and then it was dinner time. Then I up and made dining room curtains. And they might just be my favorite things in the whole darn house.
Seriously, I love them.
You guys know we’re into our hallway frame gallery a little too much (along with our giant bedroom light fixture and humongous gray sectional). And I adore my weird horse art and miscellaneous ceramic animal menagerie. But you’d think I carried these curtains for nine months and went through 48 hours of labor to bring them into this world – that’s how much I love them. And it only took me about an hour and a half – two tops – to make them. Wham, bam, thank you Katie (for the kick-in-the-pants inspiration that your gorgeous house provided).
Here’s how it all went down. We already mentioned snagging this deeply discounted Robert Allen curtain fabric from a local fabric outlet called U-Fab (for any non locals, here’s an affiliate link to the same fabric on amazon). It was fancy schmancy designer fabric that I’d been in love with forever, but it was marked down to $12.99 a yard (as opposed to the original cost of $40+ a yard!) thanks to a bit of an irregularity in the fabric (a white stripe that ran down one side, which I knew I could work around).
Since I wanted two 90-ish inch panels for either side of the big picture window in the dining room I calculated that five yards would do the trick, which factored out to $32 a panel (still not dirt cheap but a whole lot cheaper than the regular price of that fabric, which would have run me $100 a panel). Score.
We’re just not really curtain closing and opening folks (except in the nursery since we close the blinds and draw the curtains – anything for five more minutes of sleep) so we don’t plan to draw them shut (we add white faux wood blinds or bamboo shades when it comes to actually gaining privacy, although since we usually hang out in the back of the house when it’s dark enough to see into the windows, we’re not in any rush to add privacy blinds or shades just yet). But we do love hanging curtains high and wide to let the light stream in and add height and drama. Which means we didn’t have to worry about the width (since we’d need a lot more of that than what we had to cover the long picture window). And boy are these babies a fresh little slap in the face compared to the white Ikea Vivan curtains that we embraced in nearly every room of our last house.
But on to how I made them. First I rolled out the fabric on a 5 x 8′ rug in our office (one of my completely not patented ways to get straight cuts since you can line up the fabric with the corners/edges of the rug to be sure it’s square before snipping away). Then I just pulled out my tape measure to see how long I wanted them (90″ each before hem allowances, which would make them about 87″ long after hemming – but then I add ring hooks which make them 90″ again):
It was as simple as lining up the end of the fabric with the 90″ mark on my tape measure and then cutting the other edge against the rug at the 0″ inch mark, for a nice straight cut (sure enough, I was left with a nice 90″ long rectangular swatch of fabric).
When it comes to the width, I just usually go with the width that it comes right off the bolt (which is wider when you get upholster fabric like this- ours was 57″). But remember it had that defect running along one side of it, so I just cut three inches or so from that side (again I used the edge of the rug to get a straight cut). But I didn’t completely cut off the white part since I knew once I hemmed it, it would be completely invisible (even from the back). You can see the normal white edge that comes on fabric on the right of the swatch below and the irregular white defect on the bottom half of the left edge below:
So there I had one 90 x 54″ curtain panel cut out, and just needed one for the other side of the window. So I laid the freshly cut one on top of the uncut remnant of fabric and used it as a template to create another panel of exactly the same size:
Then I washed both curtain panels so they would be “pre-shrunk” and easy to launder from here on out (one of our main goals is to have as many “washable” surfaces in the kitchen and dining room as possible). Oh but it’s always smartest to preshrink fabric before you cut it, I just knew I only had enough fabric to make two panels of this size so whether I washed or cut it first (or cut and washed it later) I’d end up with the same sized panels in the end. I grabbed them fresh out of the dryer instead of letting them sit there to keep them wrinkle free for the most part.
Next I had to decide between my trusty curtain-making method of using iron-on hem tape or the slightly scary idea of using Oh Brother (my new sewing machine) to attempt to do what I used to use hem tape for. After a decent amount of out-loud debate with myself, I decided to try my hand at sewing curtain panels- just to see if I could do it (but you can find full curtain making tutorials with hem tape here and here). Even without my hem-tape security blanket, I did break out the iron to make a half inch “seam” down one of the short sides of the curtain. It just seems like now whenever I dabble in sewing, I find myself trying to iron instead of pinning – just to see if it’ll work. Am I a rebel or what?
The ironed seam definitely stayed put while I dragged the giant fabric swatch back into the kitchen to sew the hem, so I happily skipped the pinning step and even boldly (well, maybe that adjective is a stretch) decided to try another hemming technique that some of you have commented to tell me about in previous I’m-a-shaky-little-sewing-novice posts. I took the ironed seam and folded it over one more time, then I sewed down the seam to create a nice finished looking hem (even from the back). That extra fold hid the raw cut edge of the fabric, if that makes sense. And even with my extra folding step, there was thankfully no pinning required. Sweet.
See, here’s what it looked like completely folded over as I sewed down the seam.
And this method surprisingly worked on all sides (I worried the long 90″ sides of the panels wouldn’t take to ironing and would need to be pinned, but it went just as well as the short sides). And as for the defect, you can see how when I folded the hem over one more time, it became invisible and I was once again left with a finished looking edge from both the front and the back.
Here’s how the back of a corner looked once I was done with my quickie ironing-then-folding-then-hemming technique:
Then I clipped seven oil-rubbed bronze ring clips to each panel (from Target) and slipped them onto a super long oil-rubbed bronze rod. Oh how I love not having to sew a rod pocket or anything complicated thanks to the magic of ring clips. I ended up getting the curtain rod from Lowe’s since the ones at Target weren’t long enough – I ended up needing 144″ of length (that’s what she said).
Our curtain hanging method (also not patented or even endorsed) is for one of us to then stand on a chair (in this case, John) while the other one steps back and looks at the length of the curtains and how they hit the floor while the chair-stander raises and lowers the rod ever so slightly until the floor-stander screams “perfect- don’t move an inch or I’ll kill you” and then runs up to hold a rod bracket under the perfectly held rod to measure the distance from the crown molding or ceiling that it should be hung to keep the rod right where it’s being held.
Of course this only deals with the height of the rod and not the width, but we typically like to go as wide as we can with the curtains so they drape in front of the wall instead of blocking light and hanging in front of the window. In this case we went as wide as our extra long rod allowed (19″ outside of the window molding on each side). See how the panel just kisses the window and blocks wall instead of light?
Oh and notice how the curtain also seems to just graze the floor ever so slightly? Poor John raised and lowered the curtain on that chair fifteen times until it was juuuust right. We’ve tried measuring the wall or the panel instead of doing the by-eye real-test (involving two people, a chair, and some serious arm strength and balancing skillz) but you just can’t beat the result. At least we can’t. So we keep going back to it. And I tell John he’s my Atlas when he’s up there holding the rod up. Gotta keep team morale up.
Here’s another rod shot for you. You can also see how the curtains just hang slightly in front of the window trim here as opposed to blocking the whole side window, which is only 20″ wide. Since we mentioned that we hung the panels 19″ wide on each side of the window trim, you can totally see how if they were hung flush with the trim they would block all but one inch of that 20″ side window. Which is definitely not what we were going for.
You’ll have to excuse all of the wide shots of the room in this post. Things like the curtains and the room in general are coming off greener/yellower than they are in real life (the green grass/trees/bushes outside were casting a yellow-green tint through the big light-filled window, and I was too lazy to photoshop it). John will definitely be in charge of photos of this room next time around. As for the true color of the curtains, it’s best depicted in the closer shots without a lot of window going on, like the ones above.
Actually this shot is probably the most accurate to what they look like in real life. I’d describe them as mostly blue with hits of green, chartreuse, white, and brown. Crazy busy but also crazy gorgeous if you’re me (and miracle of all miracles, John loves them too). Who ever would have thought that two white curtain fiends like us could branch out and embrace curtain color and pattern? I wonder if my mom will like these or they’ll finally be a choice that she won’t endorse. What say you, mom?
Here’s another wide shot where they look more yellow/green than they really do in real life (they’re more like a teal blue color when you glance at them from afar) but you get the idea. Oh and the dark rod ties into the other deep tones in the room (the chair legs and dark dining table, the deep color on the back of the built-ins, etc). So that’s why I chose it over stainless or white. I always think a dark rod hung high and wide is like eyeliner on a window.
Mmmm, here’s a good shot of my favorite detail in the fabric. See those smeary turquoise blobs? They tie so deliciously into the slightly darker teal on the back of the built-ins. Yummy. Even the little yellow-green knobs that we added to the base cabinets of the built-ins relate perfectly to the pops of bright yellowy-green chartreuse in the curtains. Hooray for happy accidents like that (we had no idea what curtain fabric we’d pick when we snagged those babies at Hobby Lobby).
Oh yeah and I had some fun setting the table. Not that anyone’s coming over today. Or tomorrow. I just wanted to pull out a runner and some plates and cups and clip some random branches from outside. Why? I don’t know. Why do birds sing? I guess the colorful curtains got me hot and bothered enough to break out Sue the Napkin (times seven) and add some fun to the big empty wood table.
And guess what? I’m leaving everything there tonight. Just because I’m weird and I can’t wait to wake up in and morning and pad in there and smile. Kind of like how I paint a room and the next morning I run in and look at it again. Just grinning at the wall like a fool.
Isn’t it amazing how much of a difference curtains can make? Well, that and some rich color on the back of those built-ins. Here’s a little flash back to the room as it looked when we moved in:
And here it is now (albeit a little side-heavy with that bare wall on the left- for now):
Thought I was done? Nope. One more thing. Here’s a terribly rendered depiction of the doorway that we can’t wait to add that will connect the dining room to the kitchen (we plan to mirror the size of the picture window so the whole room feels nice and balanced). And of course adding a big chandelier over our giant table will add a lot more function (the room doesn’t have any ceiling fixtures!):
It’s so funny to remember that this room was a formal living room when we toured this house (and the office was the dining room). In fact we dug up these old shots that we took during our first walk through:
Gosh, that feels like a million years ago and it was less than six months back. As soon as we walked in we were struck by three things: we reeeally wanted the house, we wanted to change up a few of the rooms, and we reeeeally wanted the house. Yup, we were sold upon entry. I don’t think we ever got into the specifics, but the sellers weren’t 99% sure they even wanted to sell. In fact the night after we walked through the house for the first time they took their stuff out of storage. A sure sign to the realtor that they might take it off the market. Thank goodness it all worked out and they ended up accepting our offer.
As for looking past the way a room looks when you’re house hunting to see “the real space” we just completely discount furnishings and wallpaper and paint color and even entire room functions. That’s how we could look past the dining table and the sofa to almost immediately proclaim that converting the dining room into an office and turning the living room into a big spacious dining room would work more for the way we live. You know, since we have a huge family that we couldn’t cram into the former dining room, a giant living room in the back of the house (no need for two), and a penchant for open living and big wiiiide doorways. We just can’t help ourselves. Anyway, have you guys made any curtains lately? Knocked down any walls? Set the table for nothing but kicks?
Pssst – Soooo not a sewing person? I wasn’t either. Here’s a tutorial for making no-sew curtains with iron-on hem tape (and here’s another one for good measure).
Update – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Just click on this button:
Janette says
Love the fabric but you really need to line them in white. A house’s windows should all have white or creamy color facing the street for a clean look. Check out houses whose curtains aren’t lined. They don’t have good curb appeal.
Karina says
Those panels are just lovely!!! The whole dinning room looks great! You guys are such an inspiration to me! You have become my go-to-resource site! Much love!
Martha says
WOW! Love the transformation. I want that room.
katharine says
Do you have any specific brand of curtain rod you like or place you like to buy them? I have an extra large window and have not had good luck with my extended rod.
YoungHouseLove says
We usually get our oil-rubbed bronze rods from Target, but we needed something even longer so we got this one at Lowe’s. Love it!
xo,
s
Sara says
I can’t believe how much the curtains pulled it all together. I was skeptical on the chair covers color. The brown just seemed a bit incongruous. But with the curtains the room looks just fantastic! I love the fabric
anu says
first of all, they are gorgeous! it’s coming together so nicely. but second, don’t you worry about the functionality aspect of the curtains? recently, i’ve been lining my curtains to help slow the fading of furniture, rugs and art in my light-filled house.
YoungHouseLove says
Nah, I guess we don’t mind the light (blocking it to save furniture seems less exciting than letting it stream in and actually allowing us to see/enjoy the furniture). Haha. But it’s definitely a personal choice thing. I think a little soft fading over the years gives things a chance to age and get that sweet and charming patina that makes them look layered in over time. Maybe someday we’ll go back and re-line them if we change our mind…
xo,
s
Cassidy says
I’ve been in love with that fabric every since I saw the “Khandar Jewel” colorway made into curtains in this Southern Living spread: http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/holidays-occasions/den-do-over-00417000070053/page7.html
I kind of like your curtains better, though :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s really pretty too!
xo,
s
karen says
thanks a lot sherry…now I’m going to go spend more money! i want a runner.
i’m not as resourceful as you are..yet ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh you could get a cheap-o white or tan one on clearance and use $2-3 worth of dye to make it any color you want (possibly to save some money). No sewing required!
xo,
s
karen says
you are too cute sherry!
Rachel @ We Heart Minnesota says
The curtains look amazing. I’m not brave enough to attempt any sewing projects yet, but I’m considering taking a sewing basics class to get started. So thanks for sharing the non-sew version too.
I love that you kept the table set. I set our table the other day just to showcase my new placemats to myself and remind myself how awesome they are with our confetti recycled melamine plates. It’s the little things in life.
Sam says
The room looks beautiful! I cant wait to see the doorway.
As to sewing and ironing as opposed to pinning I am a firm believer in ironing. I am in the process of sewing the table runners for our wedding and the idea of having to pull pins out of 12′ long runners and not being able to just zip them thru my machine makes me cry. This sewer fully supports you ironing and thinks you are getting along rather well with Oh Brother. Congrats :)
the S's Beach House says
L O V E it! The look amazing. I am so proud of you and your new sewing skills, I took a class and still end up with lines that look like a windy road. I adore your new dining room all the colors look great!
Erika says
This is probably one of my favorite posts yet! I love everything that you have done with that dining room and the curtains are simply marvelous! Well done Petersiks :)
Holly says
I just got my first sewing machine for Christmas and didn’t use it until last month – I was scared. My first project was curtains for our living room and they turned out great! I was soooo excited- giddy actually. I have pictures on my blog. Anyway, if you’re a rebel for ironing the seams, I don’t know what I am- I ironed the seams AND pinned them. Overly cautious maybe? LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re Captain Careful. Wear that label proudly. I do most of the time. Haha.
xo,
s
Nora says
Love the color scheme and the new curtains, but *please* switch out those brown slipcovers. They do the whole room a disservice.
Peggy says
Love this room! Those curtains are the icing on the cupcake! Any plans to do something with the brass chandelier in the office? What about painting it a fun color from Sue the Napkin?
YoungHouseLove says
That actually hangs so low John hits his head on it constantly (I’m too short for that fate) so we need to switch it out for something flush mounted I think- just because people walk under it instead of having a table there. We’ll definitely share the light switching details when we get there!
xo,
s
Jaime says
OMG!! That room…I DIE!!! It looks so great and it just proves that you guys made the right choice with the brown slipcovers!! Green would have been overkill. I have bookmarked your no-sew curtain tutorial for our move in September….we have a wall that has four windows taking up the majority of the wall, so I see 5 curtain panels in my future!! LOL!! :)
Emily says
Nice job! You got a great deal on the fabric! Ironing, rather than just pinning, makes your curtains look more professional. :)
Jaime says
Ooh I forgot I had a question….how do you determine how many clip rings you need per panel?? Do you divide it up by a certain distance between rings to keep it consistent or is it just by “look”?? Thanks! :)
YoungHouseLove says
They came packaged with 7 per pack, so we always use 7 per panel and just space them out evenly by eye (one on each end, one in the dead center, and two between the center ring and the end ring on each side).
xo,
s
Audra says
I also use the ironing method, pinning feels so old school now. :) I recently made curtains that were 96″ long, and I think ironing was the most helpful part of the entire process. You can see my project here: http://audrasally.blogspot.com/search/label/Curtains
Great post! And beautiful curtains~ :)
-Audra
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! I love how the fabric and the art work together!
xo,
s
Kelly says
That fabric is beautiful! I love the before and after shots of the room. It’s amazing what some bold pops of color do for a room, rather than bold paint.
Cheri says
Gorgeous! I love how everything ties together. It looks like you totally planned it that way from the beginning!
Laura at Running In The Delta says
I audibly squeeled when I saw that first picture of the curtains. I love, love, love that fabric. It is my dream fabric! Anything that involves ikat, blue, and green is an A+ in my book! Sherry, so proud of all the progress you’ve made with Oh Brother…what a little success story you are. :)
~Laura in Mississippi
Sarah says
I have to say, Sue the Napkin is inspiring me to venture past my boring white cloth napkins and onto something more fun! And, I’m totally loving this color scheme you have going on! Our master bedroom needs a facelift and I think I’m leaning towards the teal/green/white theme… do you think your curtain fabric is sturdy enough to use on a fabric covered headboard?
YoungHouseLove says
Definitely! It would make an awesome headboard.
xo,
s
kimb says
what colour of area rug were you thinking, or where you thinking more pattern? As much as the curtians add to the room I believe the big change will come with the rug.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re actually only thinking of adding a rug near the entryway since rugs under dining tables can be scary (and we have a lot of kids in the fam). Since we have a rug in the office and will add one to the entrway it’ll be nice to have an expanse of floor under the table instead of three rugs in a row, you know?
xo,
s
kimb says
well maybe when the kids grow up!
Allison says
Those are gorgeous!! From a curtain closer to a non-curtain-closer though, I have a question: what about dinner parties at night? Will it bug you at all to not be able to close them all the way?
I really like how light the fabric looks!
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, but it’s definitely a personal thing. We both grew up with non-curtain closing families. So all of our dining room dinner gatherings growing up had the curtains just hanging where they always were. Blinds were sometimes lowered for privacy, but most of the time we were happy to let the neighbors peek in on our Thanksgiving dinners.
xo,
s
Adriane (aka the greenhorn) says
I’ve been debating with myself about adding decorative curtains on our front floor-to-ceiling windows. You just pulled the rope towards the curtain team!
It really looks lovely. High-five!
Amy @ This DIY Life says
Love the fact that you didn’t pin. Pinning drives me crazy! I don’t have time to deal with that. Love the TWSS (we may use it to much since we felt the need to abbreviate it), that was a good one! Question, did you pin Clara’s quilt? You inspired me to try a quilt (http://thisdiylife.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/i-never-had-a-chance/) for my dear friend and I’m hoping as a beginning sewer I can get away with not pinning it all but I want the opinion of another beginning sewer.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I did pin Clara’s quilt quite a bit (it was before I learned the ironing technique, but I think I might have to have pinned a little even with that knowledge). You can check out all the step by step pinning steps back on that post. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Wom-mom Ethne says
These fit Sue the Napkin very nicely.
Jenny B says
Wow! This room looks terrific. I love how everything ties in together–beautiful! Wonderful job!
I have a hem tape question. I just made curtains for my bedroom and tried to use hem tape and the darn stuff wouldn’t stick! I put it down, paper-side up and ironed. It stuck okay, but when I peeled the paper and folded over the fabric to iron again, it would barely stick. I ironed and ironed and let it cool and ironed some more. This was just for the top hem! It stuck in a few places but there were definitely spots where it didn’t stick at all. I ended up sewing the rest. I wonder if I got a bad roll??
YoungHouseLove says
Possibly! I get the “heavy duty” hem tape by Heat N Bond. It seems to work really well, even with thick-ish fabric. And the iron should be pretty hot too. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kelly@TearingUpHouses says
i’ve pulled the rug cut before (though not with curtains)! whatever works, right?!
kelly
Leslie says
Great fabric. The curtains really help to tie in the color of the slip covers. I was a little skeptical about the color of the slipcovers (seriously, like you care what I think), but everything looks really nice together.
Tanya says
effen’ perfect. this gets a pre-mature “post of the month” from me. great job, sherry!
ldt says
love the painting of the cow that the old owners had what is now your office. bet you wish that could’ve been thrown in upon closing!
heather s. says
The curtains are gorgeous! I do have to admit that I agree with a few other people – they would look even better if they were wider. I know you don’t close them/want optimal light/used what you had but with such a huge window, the curtains seem skimpy. Since you made them rather than bought some, I would have made them a bit wider so they fit the window a little better.
Alison says
I have to admit guys…I wasn’t so sure where your dining room was going to go since it was so different from your last house, which I loved, but with the addition of the curtains, it’s all coming together so nicely! I “get” it now. Congratulations. They look spectacular!
Carolyn H. says
Sherry, congratulations! You’re getting so good at sewing. I love how you tried folding the hem over one more time to get that finished edge on the back. Here’s another thing that I learned about sewing: If possible, pre-shrink your fabric before you cut it. That way, if it shrinks a lot or unevenly, you can still cut it to the desired length and get those, nice 90-degree angles when you cut it against the rug.
Michelle says
My apologies if this has been said in the other 4 pages of comments that I did not read. You need to pre-shrink your fabric before you cut it! If the fabric had shrunk 2% your 90″ cut would have become an 88″ cut. One option for curtains, since it is a be a bear to wash, then iron a 5+ yard cut of fabric is to cut the panels longer than needed, then wash, then recut if needed (or just make a wide bottom hem). I’m going to have to try that rug trick for cutting large pieces of fabric (the thing I hate most about making curtains).
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Michelle (and Carolyn above)! As long as we hang the rod after we pre-shrink the fabric we don’t have issues with them being too short since we aim to make them so tall that there’s wiggle room up near the crown molding for the rod placement (so we just place the rod so the pre-shrunk fabric grazes the floor). But for anyone aiming to hang them right above the window trim (where there isn’t any room for shrinkage) it’s a good idea to unroll all the fabric and prewash it before you cut it – although it’s definitely a bit trickier to do!
xo,
s
betty in munich says
Lovely, lovely, it’s all lovely!
K says
I thought I loved your old house too much to ever crush on this one as much, but this room sealed the deal.
Ericka says
I.think.I’m.in.love.
Sonja says
Wow! The curtains really make the room look so much more finished! Great job you two.
Megan Elizabeth says
Wow the whole room looks amazing together! I can’t wait to see what it will look like with the other wall opened up to the kitchen.
Rachel Tatem says
Great job! It looks great. Love the bright friendly colors you chose and the pattern… bold but not too much
Marianne says
I sometimes watch ” house doctor” programs. Homes which have been on the market for a long time are spruced up by a stylist. Often people aren’t able to look past the decoration. I think that is really weird.
I love the way you make and hang your curtains. I am tempted to give that a try some time LOL.
Brooke says
So glad that the hubs and I aren’t the only ones still using “That’s what she said” on occasion! :)
Debbie says
I love the curtains. I will really like them when you put up some shades. I don’t have shades on my living room window either, but I would like some. It’s like you need eye lids for your windows to go with the eye liner. Wierd, huh?
Lesley says
Looks great, as always!
However, I am dying for that cow picture from the previous owner’s office. How neato is that??
YoungHouseLove says
I know, right?! It’s so funny how this house has always had animals in it (horse art and ceramic animals for us, and wood ducks and cow art for them).
xo,
s
Christina Miller says
Thank you so very much for working in a “that’s what she said” joke. Always a classic!
Elisabeth says
Beautiful! And, yes, I’ve knocked down some walls and made some curtains lately. In fact, I can’t stop- it’s a sickness. So glad to have found you guys! Kindred spirits who love to update and beautify the American “Rambler” (as we call them in MN.)
Hesper says
The room is looking gorgeous. I loooove the colors.
Okay, so stupid question. Brace yourself. Is there some trick to ironing down a hem so that it’s pretty even? I like your rug tip for cutting and I don’t have much sewing experience. I’m always afraid of not getting that hem straight!
YoungHouseLove says
I just eye it so at the beginning I fold it over and say “yes, that’s about half an inch” and I just follow that down the edge, checking a few inches above as I fold to make sure it looks consistent. Hope it helps!
xo,
s