An Easy Window Treatment


© Barbara Bell

Windowtreatment 004.jpg
When I moved into my little house, I found the previous owner had kindly left behind some window treatments in the dining room and in the main bathroom. I say "kindly", because she obviously couldn't have used them anywhere else and it was much easier just to leave them behind!

Have you encountered such a situation? The décor of the room you are redecorating is unusual, or the windows are oddly shaped, sized or situated. Just hanging a pair of ready-made curtains isn't going to solve your problem. In my case, the dining room windows were four very narrow fixed panes above a built-in window seat. The previous owner had custom-sized pink mini-blinds here, and our new decorating plans were definitely not PINK! And these blinds allowed no sunlight into the room, so I needed something very different.

My solution was to purchase eight telescoping curtain rods, the kind that is attached inside the window frame with tiny finishing nails. These extend from 19" to 23" inches. I used two per window. Then I measured a distance from just above the sill to a point about 2/3 of the height of the window. I wanted to leave the upper part of the windows uncovered to provide light, and cover the lower part with fabric panels to provide privacy.

I then purchased a length of fabric (a semi-sheer light golden voile) equal to four times the measurement of the one window, plus 16" for making the rod pockets. The bolt of fabric had only a couple of feet of fabric left on it, so I purchased the extra (and covered a pillow with it, for the window seat).

You may find that the fabric you purchased comes in a width that is not perfect for your windows. Most fabric on bolts is either 44", or sometimes 54", and sometimes sizes in between. I doubled my fabric which increased its opaque quality, but something not quite so sheer could simply be measured and cut to include a 1/2" hem on each side. In this case, determine how many panels can be cut from one width of the fabric, and determine the length by how many panels you will need plus 4" per panel for the rod pockets.

I cut my fabric into four equal sections. I folded over 2" on each end and stitched a rod pocket (I stitched mine by hand because the fabric was so sheer and slippery, the sewing machine balked at the task.) Slipping a curtain rod into the top pocket, I attached the rod with the nails into the upper sides of the window frame where I had marked the height.

Windowtreatment 004.jpg
       

Go To Page: 1 2


The copyright of the article An Easy Window Treatment in Decorating How-to is owned by . Permission to republish An Easy Window Treatment in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo


Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

6.   Jun 4, 2003 9:57 PM
In response to message posted by Sunbear:

Thanks for stopping by, Tom! Don't be afraid to contribute your ideas - ...


-- posted by bici


5.   Jun 4, 2003 9:56 PM
In response to message posted by phoehne:

Peggy, have you thought about etching the glass? You can find a suitabl ...


-- posted by bici


4.   Jun 4, 2003 12:56 PM
Hi Barbara,

Well, this is an intriguing topic. Enjoyed your article on window treatments and notified my spouse about your topic, as neither of us are particularly good interior decorators.

Tha ...


-- posted by Sunbear


3.   May 12, 2003 2:32 PM
In response to message posted by bici:

Barbara, I enjoyed your article and liked the window treatment you came up ...


-- posted by phoehne


2.   May 6, 2003 7:46 PM
In response to message posted by desertblue:

Thanks, Jill! Let me know how it turns out! ...


-- posted by bici





For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Barbara Bell's Decorating How-to topic, please visit the Discussions page.