Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Curtains Made Out of Ticking

I made curtains out of pillow ticking for my dining room.  The ticking is a really good choice for curtains.  Ticking is a heavy canvas which makes a good heavyweight fabric for a curtain without a lot of expense.  I needed 11 yards so that limited my choices on where to find that much yardage.  I ordered my ticking off of Fabric.com.  The first thing I will tell you is to measure your yardage as soon as you get the fabric.  I ended up making my curtains a few inches shorter than I had intended and I used some other fabric I had on hand to make the tiebacks because I was a 1/2 yard short on my order. 

Here is my high tech measuring tool!  This was another reason I really liked working with ticking, it was easy to lay out and measure because it is a stiff fabric.  I didn't wash it first so the sizing helps keep it stiff.  I measured the height of my curtains by measuring from the floor to the top of the curtain rod.  I then added 5 inches to the top to create a pocket and 5 inches to the bottom for a hem.  This makes the most basic curtain panel.

You really want to measure your the width of your window and make the curtains two times that width.  I had to use a 32 inch-wide ticking instead of a 45 inch-wide so, I really didn't have my fabric two times the width.  One side of the ticking has this stripe that doesn't look like the rest of the stripes.  I pinned these two stripes together on each piece of fabric so I can sew a seam  in each panel that doesn't show.

Here is the seam right side up.  When you press this the seam will disappear and the curtains will look like one big panel.

I then sewed the panel together with this seam and turned it over to press the seam flat.  The edge of this side of the ticking was finished so it won't ravel.

The rest of the edges will ravel so, I used a serger to create an overlocked edge.  You can use any fabric edge finish you are comfortable with.

This is the side hem on the curtains.  Just turn, press, and sew desired amount to finish the sides.
In this photo I have finished the edge of the top of the curtain, turned, and pressed it, and I am measuring the three inch pocket and pinning.  I then sewed it in place to finish.

I really liked the drape of this fabric.  I am checking it here to see what it looks like.  I actually crumpled it with my hands and left it unpressed.  The fabric is so heavy it falls nicely and the crumples hardly show.

Here I am measuring for the final hem.  I turned, pinned, and sewed the three inch hem in place and then I pressed it.

This is the tiebacks.  They measure 32 inches (the width of the fabric) by 5 inches.  Cut two.

Pinning right sides together I sewed one end, and the 32-inch side together, leaving one end open to turn to the right side. 

I then turned the tieback, pressed, and top stitched the whole tieback together.  Then I sewed these plastic rings on the inside corners to hang the tiebacks by.

Here are the finished curtains.  They are unlined but you can't see through them.    I really like how they turned out.

Sherry
 I will link this to:
Air Your Laundry Friday  at Freckled Laundry
Thriving on Thursdays  at Domesblissity
Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Adorned from Above Blog Hop  at Adorned from Above

24 comments:

Linda said...

Ive had several orders come up short with them, very frustrating. I really like these!

allisamazing said...

Your curtains look amazing!

Unknown said...

Sherry, these are WOW! wonderful. I love the combo of curtains together.
Have a great eve ~
TTFN ~
Marydon

beachcomber said...

i love ticking. your curtains look great! thanks for showing us how you made them :)
x

Little Miss Maggie said...

I loe ticking. It's such a wonderful look.

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

I love your ticking curtains. I'm a big fan of that classic fabric and used the same ticking to line the stagecoach shades in my dining room. And I just finished some round pillows that I used red ticking for the side pieces. I'll be posting photos later tonight or tomorrow. Great minds think alike!

Love your new blog header, too.

Brenda Pruitt said...

Very pretty! I think since it's a thicker fabric, the fact that you didn't double the size wouldn't make as much of a difference.
Brenda

Sunny Simple Life said...

I love ticking. It is timeless and always charming.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

I love this look, using the ticking was a super idea...casual, but very charming and elegant all at the same time.

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Beautiful, Sherry. Ticking can work with so many styles.

Jamie @ Domestically Vintage said...

Wow! Your curtains look amazing. I love the look of that ticking. I just bought an old sewing machine and can't wait to start learning to sew. I should have taken up my Mother's offer to teach me when I was a young girl... The sewing that you did for the curtain looks complicated to me, a person with no clue on where to begin, but you gave really good instructions on exactly what to do which is just awesome!! Have a great day. ~ Jamie

gabraj said...

Your curtains look amazing.
Gabi

farmhouse-story said...

i just love the ticking curtains, sherry-tfs! the lace is pretty peeking through, too:)

Gail said...

Your curtains look fabulous Sherry! I just used ticking to re-covered my kitchen chairs and I love it!! Hope you have a wonderful day, Gail

bj said...

I love ticking...your curtains look great.

Miss Kitty said...

Thanks for this great tutorial on how to make curtains. Your dining room looks fantastic with all the fun things you have done to it.

Cynthia said...

I love ticking. It can work with country, French country and contemporary. Love the curtains you did a great job.

Cynthia

The Farmers Daughter said...

Ticking is one of my favorite fabrics for decorating. It blends with almost any decor style. Good job!

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

I love working with ticking -- you're right -- it's so easy to use because of the body it has. Love how these turned out.

Adorned From Above said...

Thank you so much for linking with my blog hop. I love your post. Feel free to link any others that you want also.
Debi Bolocofsky
Adorned From Above
www.adornedfromabove.com

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

Love the ticking...it is such a classic fabric...!

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Sherry,
How interesting and I totally love the way they look!!

Great job and thanks so much for hosting each and every week!

Hugs,
Deb

Chenille Cottage said...

Love your ticking drapes! I have some red ticking and it's destined for slipcovers! It is so cottagey!
Have a great weekend and thanks for the great post!
Blessings,
Carolynn

Linda Walker said...

I love curtains made from ticking, slipcovers and throw pillows as well...I have been wanting to make something similar for my dining room. Thanks for the inspiration!