We were long overdue for some curtains in the living room. We've got big west-facing windows that catch all kinds of sun during summer afternoons and evenings. (They're not catching any sun today, hence the dark pictures. It's a stormy morning here). I've been wanting to cover them with something dark enough to keep it cool in here. So... I broke down and combed through the fabrics at Walmart and actually found a combination I really loved. I used a cocoa-colored cotton duck and a coordinating ticking stripe. I also found some cute matching buttons in my great grandmother's button stash. They're far from perfect, but I'm super happy with them anyway. The color is perfect, and the improvised design suits our style.
How I did it: Cut ticking at 12" intervals. Seam discreetly to get pieces wide enough to match 55" wide cotton duck. Finish vertical edges of ticking. Press 5/8" seam at long edges of ticking. Press top edge of cotton duck at 5" and press edge in 5/8" to get a finished sleeve for curtain rod. Match top edge of ticking to top edge of duck and stitch (I put right sides together, but make sure you don't get it upside down). Push ticking aside and stitch down sleeve for rod on cotton duck. Top stitch bottom edge of ticking. Hem bottom of curtains. Sew buttons on.
"Seam discreetly", hehe, I'm picturing you seaming away with a room full of people, acting nonchalant and maintaining eye-contact with your guests, finishing your seams before anyone knew what you were doing... "oh, I thought you were cold and just had that fabric draped over your lap to cut the chill..."
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