bovagoods top ten: #1

hi everyone! well, here we are down to first place. this is my post with the most! it's my easy peasy ikea drape project. i don't blame you all for liking it so much, it's seriously about the biggest bang for your buck you will ever get! ever. it's been so fun taking this walk down memory lane. before i share #1 with you i just wanted to say...

... when i first started blogging i really had no clue what i was doing. now, i have about a tenth of a clue. but i sure do have fun sharing my goods with you all. i want you to know how much i love and appreciate my readers; there are so many awesome blogs to read and i think it's really cool that a few people out there like it here and come back again and again. i am really looking forward to 2012 and all the goods it will bring! happy new year everyone!!!

 

First Place:  "ikea goods: how i made my dining room drapes"

happy monday everyone!

it's going to be a big bag week! my goal is to get at least 10 bags done this week. i think i'm going to tackle the attic, and maybe, just maybe my sewing room....yikes! i'll let you know how it goes.

i have had some questions about the drapes in our dining room and some of my friends and family who have seen them in person are very curious about how i made them. so, here goes...

one of my favorite parts of my dining room is the curtains.

i think it's not only because i like the way they turned out...but they were insanely inexpensive and easy.

they are the "lenda" curtains from ikea.

$24.99 for two 118"X55" panels.

they also come in 98"X55" panels for $14.99.

let me repeat, this is for TWO panels!

i cannot tell you how pleased i am with these babies. nice thick cotton, great weight, super quality. amazing price. the possibilities are endless...you could add ribbon, fringe, fabric appliques, borders, etc. they come in a few different colors...a friend of mine has the oatmeal/natural color in her family room. that color is great. looks like natural linen.  the choices are limited on ikea's website though, you are better off to shop for these in the store.

of course, i had to go and bovagoods mine all up. ;)

first i cut off the tabs.

then i folded the top hem over and stitched.

(i used drapery hooks to hang mine but you could also make a rod pocket during this step if you wanted to hand your drapes right on the rod.)

no pinning necessary. just fold over and stitch.

i stitched right over ikea's stitching. you can see where i cut off the tab in this picture. that's why i folded the top over. so the "cut off tab" wouldn't show. and it beefs up the top of the drape and gives it nice weight.

next, i threw them in the washing machine.

i didn't hem the drapes because i knew i wanted them to puddle on the floor like this...

... but almost all of the ikea curtains come with hem tape if you aren't a puddle-on-the-floor kind of person. so nice of ikea, isn't it?

i wanted extra drama in this room so i hung the curtain rods almost all the way up to the crown molding.

this really helps make the ceilings look taller. i wish i had done this in all of our rooms with curtains.

see the drapery rings?  i got those at the habitat for humanity restore for around $1. (i had to spray paint them white.) the rest of the drapery hardware is from the home depot.

i also picked up the drapery hooks at the restore.

wanna see that price a little closer?

i LOVE my restore!!!

moving on....
i took my curtains out of the washing machine and hung them up.
yes that's right,
.
.
.
wet.

i wanted the look of linen and/or silk dupioni...not being picky here.
by letting the curtains dry while hanging they dried a bit crinkley-wrinkley...

 like the look of linen or dupioni.

.....or at least that's what i'm telling myself.

i like it.

a lot.

see the drapery hooks? i just slipped them under the hem that i made and between the stitches.

i slid the rings on the rods and voila!

every time i come in here, i find myself "primping" the "puddling". :)

let me know if you have any questions.

i am off to clean out our attic. it's pretty cold here today so i think i'm going to take advantage. cleaning out an attic is no fun in the heat. well, it's really no fun any time, but at least i won't be a hot sweaty mess.

that's all for now!

have a great week,

~elisabeth