I bought these curtains (pictured below)from Target. I loved the sheen, I loved the rich color.

They look great, right?

Once I hung them, I started to doubt my design choice. That is a lot of brown.  85 inches of brown faux silk panel times two, to be exact.  It was too much and it looked too generic. Those curtains, that wall of brown could be anyone’s house. I wanted better. I wanted something that would better reflect our style.

Instead of admitting to my husband I made a mistake, I decided to alter the panels. I had some left over fabric from making a valance for our dining room and a bench pad from our sitting room. I decided to add that fabric as an accent insert fabric. This ended up being a twofer-I used extra fabric so I didn’t have to spend any more cash and I subtly tied all the rooms together by using the same fabric.

This is how I upgraded our $19 curtain panels from Target to custom made panels with a very custom look:

• buy 85 inch panel curtains
• cut just above the bottom hem of the curtain
• cut the insert fabric to 12 inches high and to the width of one curtain panel plus half an inch. (the extra in1/2 inch is needed for hemming in the next step)
• sew a 1/4 inch hem along side the vertical edge of the insert fabric

• sew the insert fabric to the top half of the curtain panel wrong sides together. Use lots of pins, especially when sewing with silk. The silk will slide and shift.
• sew the hem of the curtain to the insert fabric wrong sides together.

• Press so it lays flat.

• repeat all the steps again for the second panel then…
• Hang and enjoy!

A couple side notes.

I started with 85 inch panels. I wanted to have curtains that hung from floor to ceiling. To get that look all I needed to do were the steps listed above. If you want to have curtains that hang from just above the window trim of a standard height window (85 inches off the ground), you will have to cut 12 inches off the bottom of the panel after cutting off the hem. Then, proceed with the rest of the directions.

My other side note is more of a suggestion. When choosing your insert fabric, go bold. There isn’t a lot of it used in the panel so feel free to “make a statement” with it. I suggest using the type of fun patterns and colors one would use when choosing an accent piece or a throw pillow.

This is an easy – very easy! – project with a big reward. I get comments on these curtains all the time. A great custom look for only one nap time worth of work (my projects are always measured by how many nap times it takes!)

Good luck and Happy sewing!

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About Meg: Meg’s life has been on fast forward since she said, “I do” in 2005. Two months into her marriage to T, she was shocked to see the second blue line on the pee soaked stick apear and confirm any doubts. She was pregnant. The following summer, just 20 days before her and T’s first anniversary she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Six months after M was born, Meg was surprised with another positive pregnancy test. P was born one day before M turned 15 months old. Just like her pregnancys, her life has taken surprising twists and turns. She is now a SAHM, something she never thought she would do or enjoy. On top of being a SAHM, she blogs. Her blog, www.thoughtsnstuff.com is about her adventures and misadventures in raising her boys, trying to actually plan for a 3rd baby, fixing up her fixer upper, fullfilling her urge to be crafty and trying to squeeze in some time with her ever so patient husband.

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