As an interior designer, I often challenge my clients to do something unexpected in their powder room. Choose a wild wallpaper, a bold color or an extravagant light fixture. I painted my own powder room orange. This bright color works in a small space because the fixtures, cabinet and counter are white. Since the “personality” is on the walls, the accessories needed to be calmer, so I chose grey accents. Investing in a new shower curtain, set of towels or even a soap dish is an easy way to update a bathroom instantly. There are many shower curtains available in various colors and patterns, but sometimes you just can’t find the perfect shade. In that case, I often look to drapery panels and tablecloths for a DIY shower curtain. The advantage to using ready-made items is that they come in wide widths and are already hemmed. This grey and white tablecloth in a quatrefoil pattern is 60 inches wide by 107 inches long. A standard shower curtain is 70 to 72 inches wide by 70 to 72 inches long.

My tablecloth is narrower than that standard, but I knew I could make it work.dandelion clocks curtains blackcurrant I wanted a shower curtain 76 inches long, which is longer than normal. argos curtain pole 3mI added 4 inches for the bottom hem and 3 inches for the top. al meydan curtains & furniture textilesOverall, I needed an 83-inch piece of fabric. curtains everywhere oatleyI cut off the excess length and had enough left over to make a table runner.vardar curtains

Fold and press the bottom and top hems and sew them using matching thread and a sewing machine.target circo pirate shower curtain Ready-made shower curtains either have grommets or buttonholes to attach the curtain to the rod. harvard blackout eyelet curtains naturalMaking buttonholes are a challenge for even the most experience seamstress, so I decided on silver tone grommets. They come in a variety of sizes, finishes and shapes at the local fabric store. Every shower curtain requires 12 hooks. There is a formula for calculating the spacing between grommets. My fabric width is 60 inches, and I need 12 grommets. The end grommets will be 1 inch from the edge. 60 inches minus 2 inches = 58 inches 12 grommets = 11 spaces 58 inches divided by 11 = 5.2 inches

So the space between my grommets is 5.2 inches. It’s okay to fudge it a bit to get it close! I used pins to mark the spot. Each grommet is 5/8 inches from the top edge. Following the directions on the package, trace a circle on your mark, cut out the hole and attach the grommets. It takes a hammer, a bread board and lots of pounding! I like the traditional pattern on the fabric, but it needed a bit of trim, to coordinate with the rest of the room. Ribbon would work, but frankly, it’s boring and expected. I love to wander through home stores, fabric and craft shops looking for inspiration. This time, I found it in the zipper aisle. I purchased a 60-inch separating zipper (the kind you find on jackets) and sewed to the top just like any ribbon or trim. It’s an unexpected touch—guests will do a double take! The usual shower curtain hooks wouldn’t do, so I bought two 18-inch zippers in grey, removed the stopper, pulled them apart and cut them in thirds. I looped each piece of zipper through the new curtain and the liner and sewed the ends together.

It’s easiest to do by hand with a needle and thread. In one afternoon, you can redecorate your powder room with a completely unique shower curtain. Your guests will be impressed when you tell them, “I did it myself!” Merri Cvetan is a Wisconsin-based interior designer who writes about her DIY projects, including bathroom decor, for The Home Depot. Merri often draws inspiration for her clients through DIY configurations that she creates in her own home. For a complete selection of shower curtains and liners available at Home Depot, click here.What types of drapes will you need, and what will they do? There are three main categories of stage draperies. 1. Proscenium Draperies: Main Drape (a.k.a. Grand Drape, Front Drape) & Valance These drapes dress up the proscenium and hide the stage before revealing it to the audience. The main drape is an overlapping pair of drapes, which open to each side of the proscenium. The valance hides the track, and can be used to reduce the height of the proscenium opening.

2. Masking Draperies: "Blacks" Legs and Borders (a.k.a. tormentors and teasers), Mid Stage and/or Rear Stage Drapes Masking draperies hide off-stage areas and lighting equipment above the stage and function as stage dividers. They are usually black for maximum absorption of light, and they provide a neutral surrounding for the scenery and actors. Legs and borders are narrow and frame the stage. A mid-stage or rear-stage drape closes the stage across its full width. Masking drapes are called "travelers" when they are hung from track. 3. Drops: Painted backdrops, Sky drops, Cycloramas Drops provide the stage with a sky-like vista or a painted scene. For more information on drops, see the Drapery section of the PNTA Dogalog. Most masking draperies are tied to pipe battens hung from the structure overhead. Main drapes, mid-stage drapes, and sometimes rear-stage drapes are hung from wheeled carriers, which ride on a track. If the carriers are rigged with an operating cord, the system is called a traveller or "cord-op."

If there is no cord, the system is a "walk-draw." If you need consultation on installing new battens or track, give us a call. In order to choose the best track to fit your needs, tell us the following:If curved, what will the layout be like?By noting the height of your drapes and the weight of the fabric, we can determine how sturdy the track needs to be.Will the track be mounted directly to the ceiling, or to the back of the proscenium, or suspended from the ceiling structure? "Cord Op" or "Walk Draw"? See above for more info. Drapes may be sewn as flat panels, but very often they have extra fabric, called fullness, which is sewn in as pleats. The more fabric, the larger the pleats, and the richer the look of the drape. The amount of fullness is expressed by the percentage of fabric that has been added to the finished width of the drape. Special Note: A drape sewn "flat" can still be given any degree of fullness by "pleating it on the pipe." This means folding in pleats as you tie the drape on the pipe.

Velour, a velvet-like material, comes in a wide variety of colors. At nearly all performance spaces, the main drape and valance are made with velour. Often used for the onstage "blacks" (masking curtains), velour's heavy-pile weave and rich texture absorb light beautifully. Its ability to hang and drape well makes velour a theatrical favorite; it's available in several weights: For masking draperies there are several additional fabrics (all 100% cotton) to choose from: Here are standard construction details, which ensure the function, durability and look of our drapes. The top of any drape is finished with webbing and with grommets spaced 12" apart. If you are hanging from carriers in a track, we provide S-hooks. If you are tying to a pipe, we provide tie lines. Any drape 8' high or taller will be chain-weighted, which adds weight so the fabric will hang nicely. The chain is placed inside a canvas pocket that is sewn into the bottom hem, clear of the bottom edge, so that it does not wear through from contact with the floor.

A 2" side hem is standard. The panels of the main drape may have a bigger side hem, known as a "turnback." The drape fabric is carried from the edge of the drape around the back 6, 12 or more inches. This keeps the audience from seeing the back of the fabric when the drape is in motion. Main Drape panels can be lined with denim to increase their durability. The amount of time needed to complete your particular project will depend on what fabric we have in stock, fabric mills, ship time and our stitch schedule. Sometimes, drops can be turned around in a few days and sometimes a large, colored velour job may take up to 12 weeks. If you plan on purchasing track and traveller rigging, please allow sufficient lead-time so we can include planning discussions and a potential site visit. The more lead time you give us, the better the price we can give you, so please plan ahead! Curtain Width: Measure the track or pipe from which the drapery will hang, or lay a steel measure along the floor under the pipe.