Let's Talk Curtains

This is the first of potentially three curtains I could make for the kitchen. I went to Michael Levine's downtown in search of just the right curtain fabric. After hours of wandering around with my paint chip, I found dozens that were good; but narrowed it down to three I really liked. (And a few I might get at another time.) This one was Cliff's favorite. It's called  "Caitlin Blooms" by Alexander Henry

( This is totally off topic, but I see the floor mat in the picture and want to mention that it is a totally cushy knock off of those gel chef mats. I got it at Home Depot for a song and it feels so good! Now back to regularly scheduled programing.)

I made up the faux Roman shade as I went along. Basically, I made a big rectangle with a lining. Next I folded the fabric while lying on the floor to look like a Roman shade and pinned everything in place. Then I top stitched across the curtain to secure the folds. I am sure those directions are about as clear as mud.

Anyway, I am not totally in love. I like the scale and print. I like that it injects bright colors into the room.  But I miss having red.

Just for fun I pinned up the other fabrics for you to see and weigh in on.

First up is the red print I brought home. It is called "Panache" by Sanae for Moda.

It is the right scale, has red, white, brown and blue, which I really like. Alas, I have to agree with Cliff, the red is just too dark next to the brown. I have been thinking of adding a very tailored white edge all the way around the edge to make it pop more from the wall. If I do that, I might stretch and actually make a real working Roman shade.

The last fabric I brought home is so pretty in person. It has all the right colors and a nice light background.

But as you can see, when it's on the wall, the print is just lost against the bold brown. I wish I could enlarge this very print. That would be *perfect*.  No worries, I am sure I can come up with lots of great things to make from the extra fabric.

Just for fun, I thought I'd share this curtain rod hack. I had this tiny rod that matched the hinges on our cabinets perfectly, but it was too short. So I took some bamboo garden stakes I had and some Gorilla Tape and jerry rigged a longer rod.

Who wants to buy a new curtain rod at Christmas time? Make do, I say!