When life hands you a duvet cover . . . make curtains.

by Leslie

A few weeks back, when we first moved to Rochester, we went on a little trip to IKEA.  If you've been to IKEA, you know what can happen there.  You go with the intention to buy one thing (perhaps a bookshelf) and you come back with an abundance of things you didn't plan to buy: nightstands, lamps, a tv stand, pillows...the list could go on.  You also seem to come home with some new decorating ideas.

In fact, not only do you come up with new ideas, you want to change up everything you own.  Of course, while walking through the display floor at IKEA I was struck by all the wonderful design elements and cute and functional storage.  I was also struck by a really cute set of curtain panels.  I (like any good IKEA customer would) checked the tag on the curtain panels.  They were $10.  What a steal!  The tag said they could be found in the textiles section.  Sweet!  I would pick them up later.

When we headed down to textiles, I got really excited, the curtain panels were just around the corner!  Problem was, they weren't.  I couldn't find them anywhere.  When I finally found a customer service person, they (after claiming they had no idea they existed) found out that these curtain panels were no longer made.  They refused to let me buy the display set, so my plan was totally foiled.

Thus, we turned the corner into the bedding section.  And what did I see?  A duvet cover with the same pattern as the curtains!  Excellent.  Problem:  no queen sized.  Again.  Plans were foiled.

I've gone into a lot of detail here to tell you a rather simple story. In the end, I bought a twin duvet cover and made the curtain panels out of it.

And you know what?

It was super easy.  What made it even easier was the fact that I didn't even have to create a bottom hem.  I simply left the snaps on that allowed you to put a comforter in the duvet.  So that means one less step for me.

So let's check out the process.

See the edge that is already finished?  That was one less seam for me to do.  Excellent.
I started by ironing the curtains.

I folded down each side edge 1/4 inch and ironed it.

I then folded that over 1/2" and ironed it, then stitched it into place along the inside edge.

In order to make my curtains the right length without re-sewing the bottom hem, I  left a 5" seam at the top of the curtains.  I like this because I think it gave them a more airy and luxurious look.

This was a totally fun project to do because it was totally unexpected.  It was easy, and in the end, much cheaper than buying the actual curtain panels (which, it turned out were $35, not $10).  

The most time consuming part of these curtains was all the ironing.  And if you don't mind that, go for it.  I really suggest making your own curtains.  It is an easy project to start out with--and it is easy to fix any mistakes you make.  

So get out your sewing machine (or your mom's or your grandma's or your neighbor's) and whip up something summery.  You will enjoy it every time you walk past it!