As many of you know, I just returned from visiting my sister in Missouri. It seems like there is never enough time to get all the things done that we want to do, but one thing we did manage was to create a new look for her dining room curtains. She had these beautiful gray/cream curtains from Pottery Barn and they looked beautiful at the end of her kitchen.
However, she decided she wanted her rod moved up higher to give her room a taller, more elegant look. Her hubby moved the rod up about 6 inches and you absolutely would not believe the difference it made! The room instantly transformed before us and our eyes were drawn upward and the whole room looked taller and even prettier than it already was. But…this left a problem with her curtains… they were too short now by about 2 inches, even with the 4 inch hem let out. She decided to take the plunge and add a section to the bottom 12 inches and this would allow them to “puddle” on the floor just a little bit.
I had seen some pillow ticking at the Walmart in my store in a greenish/gray color and thought it might go perfectly. We hopped in the car and thankfully found 2 yards left on a bolt at her store. I told her we could leave the curtains hanging up and I would add the bottom on by just having the sewing machine right beside the window. It was a little unconventional to do it this way, but it worked great not having to wrestle with the curtains on the table. I didn’t snap any pictures of my work on these…just a few before and after shots and one of me working on them.
I got the hems and the lining all taken out and pressed and cut my sections of the ticking. I marked across the bottom of the curtains and stitched the new section of ticking on. It looked o-k-a-y…but we were both a little hesitant for a few minutes…not sure if it was p-e-r-f-e-c-t or not. I told her I thought it just needed to be pressed…yes, that was what it needed. I pressed it and it was flatter but we were still a little uncertain, so she snapped a quick picture and sent it to my sister in PA and asked her opinion. She said she thought it looked fine, and that we wouldn’t need to cut them off…just leave the original curtain hanging down on the inside. When she said that, we breathed a big sigh of relief and Deb said, “Let’s do this!” There was something really scary knowing that if we cut off the curtains and it looked awful, there was nothing we could do about it… it would be too late, but when we got “permission” to leave the original curtains in their original state, we decided it was time to do this!
We also got her new Craigslist chair’s Scotch guarded. My picture looks a little funny as the sun was half on the chair and shade was on the other half. We had to tape off all the wood sections before her hubby sprayed them.
Isn’t her room pretty? She kept walking into the kitchen, saying, “I love them, I just love them!” (Music to a seamstresses ears!)
Sorry, no dolly pics, but coming soon…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
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Love it, Jeanne! What a great match you were able to do with that ticking stripe! I just love that color, and your sister’s room looks so nice and inviting! It’s great that you are spreading your love of sewing to my wonderful state!! 🙂 It certainly must be fun to get together with your sisters and give each other decorating tips, plus sharing your expertise with your brother for that awesome swing set canopy! I can’t believe the talent in your family!
Morning Linda,
Thanks so much for your kind words about Deb’s curtains and my sewing ability… We DO have lots of fun together…especially when there are several of us together…
Speaking of talent, I wish I had taken a close up of the pictures on either side of her curtains. Her hubby is an artist and he painted the watercolor pictures. The one on the right was a little picture he painted when he was in Venice, Italy just a few months ago. It is magnificent! I’ll have to have Deb send me a pic to share… Talk about TALENT!!!
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
The ticking is a perfect match ! I do love the fabric style. To me it gives a “Country French” look which is my favorite. The wonderful chairs your sister found on Craigslist are a super look with her table. I also hunt Craigslist everyday for super finds and I have sold many things to good people. Of course, a person has to be very careful in these dealings.
It is such a good thing that your family shares their talents with each other !
I hope you have a great day sewing for Ten Ping.
HI Jeannie,
Yes, it’s Country French looking, isn’t it? Her chairs were brand new…the lady who bought them didn’t think they went with her table…but they sure looked perfect with Deb’s.
I am very blessed to have a talented family… We all share our talents with each other and it’s so much fun when we are all together.
I’m hoping to get on Ten Ping’s dress today too!!!
Thanks so much Jeannie,
Blessings, Jeanne
The update looks great! Did you lengthen the lining behind the ticking? Great idea sewing them while still hanging. All that fabric falling all over the place while I’m trying to sew makes me crazy, so I will remember your tip. Thanks, Jeanne!
Your family is sure lucky to have you around, aren’t they?
Thanks Cindy,
Yes, I did lengthen the lining with muslin. It’s down below the window so it didn’t matter much but just needed to be finished off neatly.
I know what you mean about the larger sewing jobs…holding the fabric in place can sometimes be the hardest thing about the project.
I was trying to think and I believe this is the 3rd set of curtains I’ve made for Deb. But I think it might be my last pair…at least for a while… She really did love these.
I got some pictures of their flowers and I’ll share them soon…they were very pretty.
Thanks Cindy,
Blessings, Jeanne
The curtains are beautiful – also very attractive with the wall color. Her dining room looks very nice. I like her style and LOVE Pottery Barn – one of my favorite stores.
Such talent you have, Jeanne. I like the choice of material you used.
I think I found a project that will take a bit of time and concentration! My husband has a lot of stuff in his file cabinets and he keeps it pretty organized, but it could use a little bit more refiling and organizing. I am also scanning some pictures that belonged to my mother. I miss her a lot and it does me good to see her sweet smile even if it’s in pictures.
Blessings!
Good morning Paula,
Believe it or not, I’ve never been in a Pottery Barn store… gotta find one soon to go to…or get a catalog. I think I’d like to visit in person though.
I hope you enjoy your time scanning your pictures. There will be time for going down memory lane and I hope you have fun doing it.
Thanks for your sweet words, Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
The new curtains are lovely, Jeanne. It actually looks like they could have been made that way. I read a while ago about moving curtain rods higher to add height to a room. Before the summer is over we are planning to paint the family room, dining room and kitchen. I plan to move the curtain in the dining room up before I rehang them. I hope they won’t be too short then, but if they are, I know how to remedy the situation now.
Glad your home safe and sound.
HI Laura,
I’m so excited to see how it makes a room look taller that I’m planning on doing the same thing when I make some new living room curtains. I’m glad you enjoyed seeing how we did it. It truly was a remarkable difference.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Isn’t it gratifying when you put the time and effort into a project and the results have the desired effect? I have to say I am surprised your sister doesn’t sew. I would have guessed that she did. I like the before and after pics–my house was built in the seventies so the ceilings aren’t tall, but maybe I could create an illusion of taller spaces by raising my drapery rods. Of course, it won’t happen until I’m ready to replace the curtains. The cut flowers on your sister’s table are a nice touch too!
HI Carolyn,
I have low ceilings in my living room and I’m looking forward to making my curtains and then moving my rod up higher…It will be interesting to see how it changes my room.
The flowers were for her birthday!
Thanks Carolyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne,
I can never thank you enough for all you do for me! I love my new look–I think it’s even better than I had imagined. I keep hoping some of your sewing talent will rub off on me–but so far no luck. Can’t sew a lick but I run a mean stapler. Who knows what we’ll cook up for your next visit!! Somehow I think I got the better end of the sister deal. 😉 Thank you, Jeanne!
HI Deb,
It was fun making your curtains and you did not get the better end of the deal. I got to spend the whole day sipping and sewing with you in the room and I enjoyed our time together very much! (sipping water that is…)
I’ll be looking forward to the next visit… watched any episodes of Elizabeth and the Constable? Me either…
Love you, Me