Over the past week, I have talked about chipping away at our living area.
You can catch up on the area rug that we chose. Wait. I said we….ahahhaa. Yeah ok. Click here to see the area rug I picked out and that the husband digs.
And our coffee table replacement and quick styling options for a lucite table.
But some of you smartypants saw something else between these two posts.
Yup. I added panels on each side of the window area in our living. But not just panels. Drop Cloth Curtain Panels.
This was something that I have been wanting to tackle since the day we moved it. It has made such a dramatic difference in this space. Ceilings feel taller and definitely warmed the open area up quite a bit.
Here’s the thing, panels are pricey…especially when you need them to be close to 10′. Ouch.
I researched on how to make panels, how not to spread the process out over a month and without sewing. There are TONS of tutorials, several of which talked about Stitch Witchery, so I grabbed that and a can of paint. And it sat and sat and sat.
But whenever I received the Homeright Paintstick EZ-Twist in the mail, I knew that this was a quick job I could tackle.
And I did, in under a day.
Materials:
Drop Cloth, cut to size
Paint, color of choice
Stitch Witchery (I used two rolls)
HomeRight Paintstick
Plastic Drop Cloth
Painters Tape
Iron and Ironing Board
Directions:
1. Cut your drop cloth into the size you need, making sure to leave extra all around for the seams.
2. Become friggin BFF’s with your iron and ironing board over the next little bit. This is the longest part, but the most helpful. The drop cloth will actually stretch out while you iron it and make it insanely easier to make your seams.
3. After each piece is ironed out, fold the bottom over and iron to make a nice straight line. The drop cloth made a great crease.
4. After you have your perfect crease, run a piece of stitch witchery in the crease. Following the directions on the package, iron both sides.
5. Repeat this going up the sides.
6. When you make the seam for the top, be sure and leave a generous amount for hanging the curtain. I made a 6″ top for my grommets.
7. Continue ironing while catching up on Facebook.
8. Lay your panels on top of a plastic drop cloth.
9. Measure your lines out. I spaced mine 12″ apart, making sure to mark which section needed paint.
10. Extend your painters tape onto the plastic drop cloth so your panels won’t move while painting. Make sure you use a paint tape that has the paint block.
11. This is where it gets good. Yes, this is a step.
12. I said earlier that I used the Homeright Paintstick for the stripes. I painted these bad boys in no time at all. Under an hour for both. And I didn’t even break out a brush.
13. Following the directions, I quickly assembled the paintstick, attached the lid to the can and twisted paint into the stick. (see below)
The panels were dry to the touch in about an hour, and by the time we carpooled our little hearts out for the day, they were fully dry.
I attached the grommets, the curtain rod and hung them that same night.
Even though they needed to be hemmed, I let them hang for a day because, like I said before, they stretch. And they did overnight.
The next day, I did what any normal professional sewer would. I cut it where I wanted it to be and left it alone. If it would have fallen on a non-painted stripe, I would have used the stitch witchery on it. Yes, hem them after they were hung. Newly Woodwards did just this and it works perfectly.
Want to see how easy it was to add the grommets? Click HERE!