The Cobbler's Curtains, I mean, Kids....

I finally got around to making new curtains for my spare bedroom. The spare bedroom is really the cutting room. There's no bed in it anymore. These curtains have been a very long time coming. I made the last set when I was pregnant with my oldest. He's 11 now, and I threw the last curtains together at the last minute - literally. It was the day before I went into labor, and I figured I had best make some curtains so the poor baby wouldn't have sun in his eyes all afternoon. I was in such a rush I didn't bother to line the curtains, and as you can see, sunlight was not kind to them over time. If you look from left to right, you'll see a definite fade pattern. The left side was in direct sun much of the afternoon. The boys never noticed. They're boys, you know? But after they both vacated the room to bunk beds in the adjoining bedroom, the decor from the nursery remained. And by now it has officially outlived its usefulness.


Well, I again don't have a whole lot of time to make stuff. And honestly, I'm not big on sewing home dec. I do it, and I charge a lot of money for it, and I do a great job, but not for my own home. It's that whole cobbler's children thing. But this weekend was a pretty rainy one here in Boston, so I figured I would whip up some cafe curtains and line them this time so they will hopefully last a little longer. It's not much, but it's a little sewing while the kids have been getting ready for school. So here's what I ended up with:


The fabric is a cotton pique from Building 19. One of my students, Jeanne, bought some, and I liked it well enough that I ran to the store and bought a couple of yards too. It's lined (or in the case of the valance, backed) with unbleached muslin from my stash. The entire project took me less than two hours (thank you, industrial Juki!). It's not couture, but at least it makes the room a little nicer. Until each of the boys wants his own room and I have to give up my cutting room.

Happy sewing!