I spent the morning making curtains – quick and easy ones, if you can call dealing with that much fabric easy… I love having tons of light in our house, but at night the neighbors can surely see everything we do through our large windows. I opted for a version of the “cafe curtain” even though it’s technically a style reserved for kitchen windows or bathrooms. I think they’ll do the trick for the time being though, until I get more ambitious.
I discovered two fun materials while doing this project – curtain hooks, which eliminate the need to sew in a rod pocket and make for very easy sliding in case you want to open the curtain a bit; and HeatnBond Hem Tape, which eliminates sewing! I happen to be quite proficient on a sewing machine, but of course mine is buried somewhere…and I was curious to see what results an iron and this adhesive tape stuff really produced. The technique is simple, and in spite of my guilty feeling about it being a kind of cheating, I really like the sharp, clean lines of the hems. Good enough for now.
Here’s a picture of the only space in my house that feels pretty homey – my “office” and “library” nook behind the chimney:
There are my new curtains too. I’ve only got an impromptu bookcase out at this point – home of my current reads and a few new books that I didn’t have the heart to put away in a box with my other treasures. The space goes off about 7 or 8 feet to the right there, and I’ll soon have several bookshelves and a comfy reading chair. So exciting! 🙂
I think I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon reading. It’s gloomy and cold out, which means it’s the perfect weather to contrast against the bright warmth of the streets of Cairo, care of Naguib Mahfouz’s Palace Walk.
what we have here is a failure to communicate 
I don’t sew at all. I don’t even own a sewing machine, but when my son was in cub scouts and I had to sew on alllll those badges, I used a great product called Badge Magic. It’s liquid thread and pours like glue but washes up just fine. I used a glue gun once (yes I did) but it’s sort of crunchy on the body. Did not work well after being washed.
Your little reading nook is going to be very cozy.
By: Ti on December 3, 2010
at 2:09 pm
I’m curious about liquid thread – I’ll have to try it sometime. I like to sew, but for projects like this I’m willing to indulge my laziness! 🙂
By: tuulenhaiven on December 3, 2010
at 4:27 pm
Your curtains look cute and homey! You didn’t miss anything with sewing curtains on a machine – has to be the most boring sewing project ever, with the possible exception of a duvet cover. (“Oh look…it’s three hours later and I’m still sewing this long straight seam….”)
Also vicariously excited for your bookshelves + comfy chair!
By: Emily on December 3, 2010
at 2:58 pm
Eh…I was actually thinking about making a duvet cover… At least I can be proud of saying it’s homemade. We’ll see how many kudos I’m willing to spend out of my creativity bank when I get round to that project!
I feel like squealing when I think about unpacking my books and putting them on new bookshelves… You know how it is. 🙂
By: tuulenhaiven on December 3, 2010
at 4:31 pm
In all honesty, despite how technically boring it was to make our duvet cover, it was totally worth it as I love how it turned out & get to enjoy it on a daily basis. So don’t be discouraged! 😉
By: Emily on December 3, 2010
at 8:36 pm