Shower Curtains With Flair

I have a love/hate relationship with my sewing machine.  I love the idea of sewing, and really want to learn how to be more proficient at it.  My mom is an amazing sewer, er, seamstress, but suffice to say, sewing is, in no way, a relaxing activity for me.
Quite the contrary.
I started working on some shower curtains for one of the kids’ bathrooms, since their shower curtain was looking pitiful and sad.   (FYI, the black shower curtain was already in the bathroom when we bought it – I left it there since I knew I had plans to change it).
I found some linen-esque curtains at Goodwill that were extra-long and perfect, since there is a tall ceiling in their bathroom.  But, they were lacking pizazz, and needed a little “somethin’-somethin'”, wouldn’t you agree?

I thought I would add “simple bands of fabric” to embellish them. Straight lines. Simple, right?

Alas, no, not so simple (for me anyway).
I’ll sum it up by saying that I had countless bent needles, and even a couple of broken ones.   Yes, perhaps I’m a little slow on the uptake in that I kept trying to sew this thing without changing much in the way I was doing things. 
This whole experience left me feeling like this:


The bent/broken needles were a first for me. It’s not like I was sewing denim or something crazy like that.  But hindsight, I think I needed a heavier gauge needle (you Sewing Yodas out there must be thinking “Yeah, duh!”).  I did adjust the thread tension (is that the right term?), which helped a little bit (meaning I had longer periods of time to work before the needle bent/broke/jammed my machine).
I decided to cut my losses and finished it off with some black grosgrain ribbon that I added with my beloved hemming tape.
Did I mention that all of this was just for the FIRST panel? 
I’ll save you the details on creating the second panel – here are the highlights :
  • Searched high and low for other band of fabric, only to find it under the couch cushion.  Yeah, I’m organized like that.
  • To alleviate any additional aggravation and another sewing debacle, I used hemming tape for second panel.
  • Ran out of hemming tape.  Enter trusty glue gun.
But, they’re DONE.  Finally. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Jenny

Thrifty Decor Chick’s February Before & After Party

26 Comments

  • Reply
    modern jane
    February 3, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Well I for one think that it was worth the time and frustration. They look awesome! And I can absolutely relate to the desire to be a good seamstress!

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    February 3, 2011 at 4:16 pm

    fabuloso! I love your technique.. a glue gun and some hemming tape. I wish everything could get done with that.. I might finish a project or two!!

  • Reply
    theultimate
    February 3, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    I think they look great! Very classy. =]

  • Reply
    Erin
    February 3, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    LOL!!! You and I have EXACTLY the same feeling about sewing!! I know how to sew…I just hate to sew…because this is the type of stuff that happens every time I try. I'd rather sew it by hand and take 10 times as long then to deal with the sewing machine!

    For what it's worth though….your shower curtains look FABULOUS! And they totally look (from here ) like you sewed them up like a pro! 🙂

  • Reply
    alimoll
    February 3, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    Despite the "pain in the you know what" process of getting them done…I think they look FABULOUS!!! 🙂

  • Reply
    Kelly
    February 3, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    They are fabulous!! I, too, long to be an excellent seamstress, but at this point I'd settle for knowing how to operate a sewing machine on the most basic level. You've got me beat. 🙂

  • Reply
    Lisa at Paint in my Hair
    February 4, 2011 at 12:21 am

    they look great! I too am in the middle of a project that is testing my sewing skills (or lack thereof) and have restored to hemming tape. Maybe tonight's the night I'll get it done.

  • Reply
    The Starr Family
    February 4, 2011 at 1:31 am

    Terrific… and worth every minute of stress, no? 🙂

    I just ordered fabric yesterday to make a new shower curtain for our kids bathroom, this post was not very encouraging for me!!!! Ha!

  • Reply
    Pam @ Our Adventures in Home Improvement
    February 4, 2011 at 2:03 am

    Great job! I love that you used the tape and glue on them. I can sew, but really only straight lines. I'm not thrilled when I have to bring the machine out, so to use the magic hemming tape always makes me happy! 🙂

  • Reply
    Karen
    February 4, 2011 at 2:33 am

    They came out great! worth the pain… yes?

  • Reply
    Dani @ Drops in the Bucket
    February 4, 2011 at 3:48 am

    bravo. way to be resourceful! and they look great.

  • Reply
    Jane@Little House of Projects
    February 4, 2011 at 5:42 am

    They turned out great! I love the contrasting fabric panels.

  • Reply
    Mom in High Heels
    February 4, 2011 at 12:47 pm

    That looks great! I know what you mean about sewing. I can sew like a mad woman, but I hate to! My undergrad degree is in English and Theatrical Costume Design, so I spent 4 years sewing for plays. Now though, it's something I absolutely dread it. Isn't that crazy?

  • Reply
    Melissa
    February 4, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    They look great with your rug!

  • Reply
    Carrie @ Dittle Dattle
    February 4, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    Well, I can honestly say that it was worth all your effort because your shower cutains look great!

  • Reply
    Emily
    February 4, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    I just found your blog and I love your house! Your shower curtains are awesome. I too like the idea of sewing but end up with broken needles, knotted thread sometimes. Glad I'm not alone:)

  • Reply
    FrouFrouBritches
    February 4, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    Beautiful! You may have had a little trouble, but they turned out gorgeous!I love that fabric you added. Where did you find it? I made my kid shower curtain out of black and creamish ticking, which just looks dirty to me. That stripe is much better. Love it!

  • Reply
    abeachcottage
    February 5, 2011 at 12:50 am

    The shower curtains turned out lovely. You did a great job! Love the color combination.

  • Reply
    homepodge
    February 5, 2011 at 3:47 am

    It's fabulous… and definitely worth all the trouble! The black ribbon is a really nice touch!!

  • Reply
    Tammy@InStitches
    February 10, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    They look so good ! You would never know they gave you such a hard time.

  • Reply
    Martina
    February 24, 2011 at 12:43 am

    I love it and I just became your newest follower. Would love if you stopped by my blog for a visit. Martina

  • Reply
    The4Rs
    May 10, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Please link this up on this weeks Reap What You Sew Giveaway, http://the4rsRamblings.blogspot.com
    Beautiful idea, for those you love!

  • Reply
    BizzyMom
    November 4, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    They look awesome!

  • Reply
    Michelle Smith
    January 17, 2013 at 9:23 am

    I agree to what you say in your blog. Thanks for the updates
    Curtain

  • Reply
    Yon Vann
    February 28, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    Your kids’ bathroom looks serene and relaxing. You’ve just used a piece of clothing yet you ended up having a dazzling shower curtain. It really adds drama to the bathroom. It’s a wonderful idea, Jenny! 😀

    Yon Vann

  • Reply
    Ingwer
    January 4, 2015 at 4:41 am

    I started working on some shower curtains for one of the kids' bathrooms, since their shower curtain was looking pitiful and sad. (FYI, the black … bcurtains.blogspot.com

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