{DIY} Cheapo Drapes

Thank you loves for the sweet emails and comments about my son's room!!! I showed you most of the projects before the reveal, but some of you wanted more details on the other stuff in the room, so I thought I'd post on them.

First up are the drapes:



I'm not much of a drape person, but I do think they add a lot to some rooms. And this particular window is big and interesting, so I wanted to draw more attention to it. And since it's a boy's room, they needed to be sturdy, un-fussy and masculine. Also, have you priced 108" long drapes?!? Pass.

Well, here's the secret weapon:



That's right, drop cloths! You can buy them at any hardware store, even Wal-Mart. Mine are from Home Depot. Here are the kickers that make them utterly amazing:

1) They come FULLY HEMMED ON ALL SIDES!!! (this girl don't sew!)
2) Each panel is a solid piece of fabric, no seams down the middle.
3) The material is a cotton/poly blend, so completely machine washable.
4) They come in ridiculously long lengths, perfect for windows (unlike a 72" shower curtain)
5) The two-pack is....wait for it.....TEN BUCKS!!! That's 12 yards of fabric folks!

When you first take them out of the package they are crispy crunchy and will make you nervous. Just wash them with detergent and a good dose of fabric softener. I dried mine with no problems too and they came out like the yummiest, softest linen.

And since I can't leave well enough alone, I used iron-on hem tape to apply two strips of grosgrain ribbon down the the two sides that meet in the middle. It seriously took 30 minutes.



These panels are 6' x 9', but I know they have them in other lengths too. And if these are too long, just whip out the hem tape and shorten them. I kept mine long because I'm lazy to make the window appear even larger and the ceilings taller. Then you simply get curtain rings with clips and clamp them along the top of the curtain panel and slide the rings on a curtain rod (I bought mine for $12 at Home Goods).

Here's his window before:



And again, after with my yummy, cheapo, full of texture drapes:




Do you have any projects made from unexpected items?