Any ideas on how to come up with window treatments fast and cheap for my new house that has tons of windows?
Question by *me*: Any ideas on how to come up with window treatments fast and cheap for my new house that has tons of windows?
It is an old cottage with lots of charm. I plan on painting it all light, and sanding the wood floors light, so I want the curtains to be light too.
I need ideas for window treatments that are affordable, but creative. This house is covered with lots of windows, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do.
Best answer:
Answer by RdRedWine
you go to your local fabric store. buy inexpensive yards of fabric. Then you go to walmart and buy a curtain rod with metal clips fasteners (like clothesline clips but metal). if you want a finished look, hem the edges after you cut to size. Make slightly wider to accommodate the “pleats.”
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You know how people throw the sheets up well i have revised it since it is a cottage style Sheet’s are a wonderful window treatment amd they already have a slot for the rod this is what i did for the mean time and the mean time is been like 5 years already ..lol …..UKAY i bought some cheap sheets at a discount store with flowers and plaid bright soft colors. then i went to my local harware store bought some dowels (round wood rods)usally 3-4′ tall 5/8-1/2″ and if i had a larger window i used a closet rod and cup hooks to hold them and this is the afforable but creative treatment. In the kitchen i divided the window and covered half and the other half i draped the top rod so i could have some sunlight in. Oh yes i used material glue for the edges. I didn’t want to sew. It was fun easy and afforable and I am into victorian look so it was chic to me .
Well, you’re in luck. Since it’s a cottage, you can use cotton or cotton blend prints which can be about the cheapest fabric there is. I hope you can sew a little bit or have a friend who can. Use tension rods or the simplest rods you can buy, or even branches from trees, they can look fabulous and very artsy though curtains don’t slide well on them unless you sand a little or strip the bark off, and use big rings. Get cheap fabric at Wal-Mart, or in the bargain basement area of any fabric store, and check thrift shops too. The creative part comes when you choose the right patterns and colours. Consider eyelet lace, or just lace. Instant style, and a little goes a long way. Most lace won’t unravel when it’s cut, so you could maybe just drape a little at the edges of the windows for the look of it.
Aside from using sheets as curtains, you can also check stores like Target, Walmart, etc., & when they’re on sale get the pre-made roman shades. Usually the wicker-matchstick roll-up shades aren’t that expensive, but if you wait til they’re on sale, you can get some excellent deals! Then you can hang your sheet panels on either side of the window, with the shade mounted inside the window. You can also find sales on the curtain panels & use those instead of sheets. And speaking of sheets, since you are going for the cottage look, you can take a floral print sheet, measure & cut to fit an inside mount for your window. Leave enough on each side to either sew, glue, or iron on tape a seam to finish the edges. Use 3x the length of your window (if your window was 3′ long by 4′ wide, you’d cut your sheet/material 4’2″ wide so you would have an inch on each side to finish the edges, & 9′ long.) Flip the top of the material over & sew all the way across to make a pocket for the curtain rod to fit in. (This works better than using the one already in the sheet if you have a lot of them to make. This way all the hems will be consistant & the same size. Sew your side seams so that you end up with a 4′ wide by 8’8″ long strip of material. Put your rod in the hem you made, & hang. Now, take a coordinating plaid, solid, or whatever contrasting fabric you want, & make (2) 2″ wide strips, approx. 6′ to 7′ long. (You can use ribbon, too, but that starts to get expensive when you have a lot of windows.) To make strips, cut 2 strips of your contrasting material 3″ wide, by 6′ to 7′ long. Cut another 2 strips the same size from the material you used for the curtain. Sew the two pieces together, back to back, then turn inside out & iron. You should have two strips that are reversible (You can also do that with the curtain itself, just sew your contrasting material back to back, then turn inside out & sew the bottom.) Tie or attach the strips to the curtain rod so that one half of the strip lays on the front side of the curtain, the other half hangs behind the curtain. When it’s back up on the window, roll or fold the long curtain up to where you want it… half way up the window, all the way down, or up. Take your tie strips & tie them around the roll/folds with a bow or knot either at the bottom, top, or middle of the curtain. I wish I could show you a picture, (I’ll try to find one & post it here) but they are very cute, very “cottagey” & extremely easy to make! You can vary the length to make the curtain (more of a roman shade, really) fatter or thinner, just make it longer or shorter. It sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t, & if you do it assembly-style, you can kick it out in hours! Get some friends to help! Anyway, email me if you want, I have a few other ideas. (One is to take really cool place mats & hang them across the top of your window, or attach them to a rod & hang as a valance or cornice. Good luck, I know it’ll look beautiful!