Dropcloth Curtains...

I know, it's been done to death!  BUT, since I haven't done it at all,  I decided to give it a go.

I suppose I should start by telling you that I have not used curtains on windows in our home in over 10 years, however, I wanted something light and easy to frame our bedroom windows.
 

The windows do not need to be completely covered because our bedroom is on the back side of the house and there are woods dividing our subdivision from the subdivision directly behind us.

I chose this style of curtain because it is inexpensive, easy and you can't really mess it up.  Anyway you slice it, it works.  And did I mention inexpensive?

When I went to make my purchase, you know the hubster had to include his two cents.  I told him I was headed to Home Depot to purchase a canvas dropcloth to use for curtains.  He said if I had wanted canvas curtains, he would be happy to cut up the old tent and it wouldn't cost anything.  I won't mention the unladylike gesture I aimed in his direction.  No, it wasn't THAT one...I stuck my tongue out at him.

After making my purchase, I brought the dropcloth home and ran it through the washing cycle 2 times to soften it up.  This was a great tip from my friend Bonbon at Farmhouse 40.  The double washing made the material pliable and ever so soft....much unlike tent canvas.  I also chose not to iron the dropcloth, just to see how it would look.  Believe me, my OCD was arguing vehemently with me about the non-ironing.  It was an ugly battle, but the wrong side of my brain won out and I put the iron away.

I don't know if it makes a difference as to what brand of dropcloth you purchase.  I chose this one...

 
...in a 4 x 15 size so that I could cut it in half horizontally, rather than vertically.  I determined that trying to cut the 6 x 9 foot size in half vertically would have been U.G.L.Y., so I chose the shortest, easiest route possible.

Typical of the "dropcloth curtain" style, I used clip rings to hang the dropcloth from my rod.



I'm currently using 2 rings per rod, but will add the 3rd ring once they have fallen out a little more and have more of a "hang" to them.

So there you have it...my version of Dropcloth Curtains!   This material was much easier to work with than I had imagined and the possibilities are truly endless because the style is so versatile!

46 comments

  1. See, you can do a project successfully! Your hubster is quite the ham.
    Brenda

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    1. I admit, I was proud of this little project! He just keeps it rolling all the time...LOL

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  2. I've thought about making these too. Glad to hear it's easy. I have white curtains now but thought these would be good for winter because they're thicker and darker in color. Great job!

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    1. Thank you so much Sherry! They were super easy…no sewing, no ironing. I wanted something a little heavier also since we are going into winter. The good thing is that I can use more of the clips and have it go across the window like a normal curtain, or leave some of it hanging. Thank you again!

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  3. Great idea. Wonder how easy it would be to dye them? I like it! And I HATE tents - so there hubs!

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    1. Thank you ma'am! I hate tents too! LOL There are several tutorials on how to dye them on Pinterest. I don't think it's difficult at all. I've got another dropcloth that I may bleach to make it lighter. And thank you so much for sending the devotional today...it was perfect! Love you!!

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  4. Benita,
    Did you hem them or leave raw edges? Looking good... You are gaining on the projects; another one for the success column.

    I'm sore all over from latest project,,. Relaying the pavestone is killing me!

    Judith

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    1. UGH....that would be killing me also....I would have to be in bed for days after that project...LOL

      Thank you so much...I was glad it was an easy project. I left the edges raw. The edge I cut is at the top. I thought about rolling it over and adding some hem tape, but decided to just leave it alone. I think if I don't keep fooling with it, it won't fray. I could always go back and add some fray check if it does.

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  5. Beautiful job, Benita! They do look very stylish and elegant on their own, and the possibilities are endless. Hmmmm...I'm thinking now of my youngest daugters room faces West, and even though she has blinds, she still gets so much light coming through that I could dye a pair and hang them. Easy on the Cheap! Brilliant idea!! Lol, about the OCD and ironing. Apparantly, my daughter is showing signs of it {my SIL has it}, I do good with organized chaos myself, but we were laughing this week about color order, and my daughter said, that she looks at bags of candy, and feels the need to organize them by colors! I love her! I'm thinking to myself, it's just candy, enjoy it! Have a great week! hugs, Christine

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    1. Thank you so much Christine! I was so glad they were easy and turned out like I wanted them too. I think it would probably help a lot to add them to the sides of the window. And from what I’ve ready, I think the dropcloth is pretty easy to dye. And cheap, very cheap! That was THE main attraction for me…LOL

      The thing about OCD is that is so varied. I like the colors of candy being mixed up in a bag, but can’t stand to see the colors of towels mixed on the shelves in the store. All the like colors have to be together so that I can shop. And yes, I do move things around in the store if they are out of place…especially in the book store…it’s so sad…LOL

      Hope you have a great week also!! Hugs!!

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  6. Fabulous! Now those are my kind of curtains and they look great!

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    1. Thank you ma'am! And it is a completed project with no pitfalls! :-)

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  7. They look tailor made for your bedroom!

    (Just the tongue? You disappoint me Benita ;). )

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    1. Thank you so much! They are so working for me right now! :-)

      What I didn’t share is what I SAID to him…LOL ;-)

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  8. Great job! I love it when something cheap turns out to be just right.

    Thanks for your sweet encouraging comment you left me. We should talk about the blog thing. :)

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    1. Thank you so much...I love it also...that way I don't waste time OR money...LOL

      Aww, you are so welcome...I'm so proud for you!! Sounds good....anytime works for me! :-)

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  9. in the cottage i sold i used shower curtains at every window.
    they were beautiful!
    and i even went so far as to use extension rods inside the window casing so i didn't have to drill holes in the wall to put up rods. for a woman living alone it's the easiest solution.
    and i loved my curtains! they were so easy to pull open or closed. and that was important to me.
    and what other people thought... i didn't care!
    so i love your drop cloth curtains.
    there's really no need in spending a fortune on curtains. and they're VERY expensive!
    so ... job well done i'd say! XO♥

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    1. I have done that in the past as well…they made beautiful curtains and were so simple to fix. I even used them for tablecloths sometimes. Unfortunately, now they are as expensive as real curtains. Those were the good old days! :-)

      Thank you so much! I’m glad they turned out well and were easy…I needed easy…LOL Love and hugs to you!

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  10. you DO surely know that I meant FABRIC shower curtains! LOL.
    not vinyl.
    they were white with a monochromatic pattern. I just loved them.

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    1. LOL..yes ma'am. I did also...they were so pretty and versatile! :-)

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  11. Awesome!!! Your drop cloth curtains look so great. Have a great evening.
    Kris

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    1. Thank you so much Kris! I was happy with the way they turned out...and it was easy...LOL! Hugs...have a great evening also!!

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  12. You are a project Queen now! Hee hee--seriously they do look great and I am impressed!

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    1. HA HA....not hardly....but it is one in the "this turned out okay" column...LOL Thank you so much...I was glad they didn't have to find their way to the ever growing burn pile! :-)

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  13. I love love love that paint color!!!! Do you remember what it is?

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    1. Thank you so much! It is a dark color but looks light in this photo (I had to use flash). The color is by PPG and is called True Khaki. :-)

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  14. I never made the curtains although I wanted to and had a ton of drop cloth from Ace Hardware. I can't sew and never heard of the clip thing. Soooo going to try this. I LOVE yours. I'm sure your hubby has his tail between his legs.

    Funny, at the lake in all of it's woods and water, I feel exposed without shades or curtains. I get a lot of comfort here in the city with the street lights and seeing homes lit up. Safe? Ha!

    Found you on Instagram! :)

    Jane xx

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    1. Thank you so much! These were super easy…if I can do it, you can do it! :-) No sewing....just knowledge of using scissors is all that is required! :-) It is a condition he experiences pretty often…LOL

      I know exactly what you are talking about! When we lived in suburbia in Texas, I felt like people were creeping around all the time. When we lived in the loft in the city, didn’t bother me one single bit! LOL

      Coolio!! Please don’t expect much… :-) Hugs!!

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  15. The curtains look gorgeous. Love the curtain rod too. You really are getting the house put together quickly. I hope I can do as well as you have once I get moved. Hugs!

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    1. Thank you so much! I found those rods on clearance at Bed, Bath & Beyond...$7.99 each. We are really trying to get things finished up as quickly as we can. You will, I am confident you will be settled in the new house quickly! Hugs!!

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  16. These look amazing Benita, you did such a great job! They look very elegant! I love the curtain rod too! The window and door are so nice and let so much light in that I wouldn't want to totally cover them either!
    I love my drop cloth curtains and brought them with me from our last home, I wouldn't even let them go with the house! ;)
    Have a wonderful Thursday!!
    Hugs! Kimberley

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    1. Awww, you are so sweet...thank you so much! The curtain rods were on discount at Bed, Bath and Beyond...$7.99 each...total score on those rods! The room is full of light...2 windows and the door that goes to the porch. And no, I definitely didn't want to get rid of all the light. Just the little bit of curtain on the side of each window worked out well. Now to find something to go between the two windows...it is a lot of blank wall! :-)

      I found that I really like the dropcloth fabric....I don't blame you one bit...mine will go with me also! :-) Have a great evening! Hugs!!

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  17. I love the idea of those clips and the simple styling. I think you may have saved yourself some work, too, because I'm not sure the iron would have taken all the wrinkles out of that fabric anyway...cheers to the "no-stress" look :)

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    1. Thank you so much Julie! It was simple and that was my favorite part...well, right behind the inexpensive part...LOL Bonbon @ Farmhouse 40 also gave a hint on the ironing. She said those wrinkles will not come out if you dry the dropcloth first and then try to iron it. BUT, if your iron it after you take it out of the washer, the wrinkles will come out. Even at that, it was too daunting a task...ironing all of that material. So I left them with the wrinkled look....LOL Bonbon works with dropcloths regularly, so I went straight to the expert on what to do.

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  18. Well, you've inspired me !! I have two window's in my living room that are together and just have blind's. In the winter I hate putting them down , plus they're on the east side and the wind blow's IN. You gave me the solution !!! I love the rod's you used, the view out your window's and even your little fall leaf plug in. ( Bath & Body ?? ) Ok, I'm copying it all, except the view. Lol Love & Hug's , TT

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    1. Thank you so much!! LOL…you are so funny and please, feel free to copy any and all parts that you like. You know me, I need simple and easy and these were definitely that…and so inexpensive. They have added just the right amount of framing to the two windows and are growing on me. I even looked at a comforter that looked like a dropcloth…LOL And yes, Bath & Body for my little plug-in. Another favorite store of mine! Love and hugs girly!!

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  19. Woo hoo! Great project and love how it looks. I haven't done drop cloth anything yet so thanks for the tip to wash twice. :)

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    1. Thank you so much! I was pleased and think I will let them stay for a while…LOL. Bonbon is the expert on handling dropcloth, so I read her post on how to wash and iron it…I skipped the ironing part though…LOL

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  20. Look how creative you are! I wouldn't know where to begin and all that fabric would scare me to death! You did it! They look great!

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    1. Thank you so much AnnMarie. I was intimidated at first, but after looking at Pinterest and all the blog posts on how easy dropcloth is to handle, I went for it! :-)

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    1. Thank you so much Deb! I was pleased and am thinking about my next dropcloth project! 

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    1. Thank you ma’am. They work for the time being…and maybe the long-term! :-)

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  23. we just bought light grey curtains for our living room. as you said, to frame the windows. it just makes the room more cozy... I was torn between white and grey but went for grey in the end. I'm on a grey-trip for about ten years now. gosh, what does that say about me I wonder... :)

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    1. I love the grey color-tones. It is one of those colors that blends and coordinates with everything and you really can't go wrong with it. I think it says that you like to change things out and like to have a neutral color base to make it easier to do so! :-)

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