How To Create An Easy Window Treatment
One of the things I really enjoy doing is making kitchen window treatments. If this is something you have never attempted to do, then I encourage to take a step and try it out. Everyone seems to spend a lot of their time in the kitchen and by changing the window treatment often, it can really change the look of your kitchen and brighten up the surroundings. You can even add accessories to match. Here is a simple way to sew an easy window treatment to add color and brighten up your kitchen.
First, pick out the material that you want to use. Usually you can find inexpensive material at your local store. You can use a sheer or opaque material. If you going for opaque, don’t forget to take a look at bed sheets. A twin size bed sheet is more than what you will need for the average window. For a basic valance you will need three times the width of the kitchen window for fullness.
Measure from the top of the rod for the length that you need. Usually the length is about 15 inches. Add two inches to the bottom and two inches to each side for the hem. The extra amount needed for the top of the valance is determined by the style you want to achieve and the type of rod you are using. For a regular one inch wide rod, add five inches for the top hem to create a ruffled top. If you are making a tab top valance, add only two inches because you will be adding tabs.
After you have completed your measurements, lay the fabric out on a flat surface. For me, it always ends up being the floor. Mark your measurements with sewing chalk. If you don’t have sewing chalk, you can use your ruler as a guide or use masking tape which comes off easily. Once you have done this, you can go ahead and cut the fabric. Remember and old rule, measure twice and cut once.
Now you are ready to put it together. If you have a sewing machine, a regular straight stitch is all that you will need. You can also use the iron on tape sold in the fabric department instead of a sewing machine. You must first do the each side by folding the fabric l/2 inch and folding again l/2 inch. You will end up with a l/2 inch hem that does not fray. Do this for each side. Use straight pins to keep it in place and sew removing the pins as you go along. If using fabric tape, then just iron each fold. Once the sides are done, go ahead and do the bottom hem repeating the same instructions.
For the top of the valance, fold over l/2 inch of fabric and sew or iron with fabric tape. Now fold over 4 inches and again sew or iron. For a ruffled top, measure down two inches from the top and sew a straight line across the width of the fabric. This will create a two inch pocket for the curtain rod to slide through.
For a tab top valance, repeat the same instructions as you did for the sides and the bottom hem. Then you will need to cut and hem strips of material about 8 inches and length and 3 inches wide to create the tabs. Hem the sides and ends each tab and sew on to the top of the valance. The tabs should be about 4 inches apart.
Now that you have created your own kitchen window treatment, you can use the remainder of the material to make cloth napkins or placemats. With enough material you can even make a matching table cloth. That’s what make this a fun project. Once you have the hang of it, it doesn’t take long and you can have everything in the kitchen match.
How to Clean Blinds
If you have ever had blinds, you know what a chore they can be to clean. Dusting them is one things, but actually washing them is another.
Here is an article I wrote for eHow on How to Clean Blinds:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2325292_wash-blinds.html
Blog Carnival Edition No. 9
Welcome to the October 22, 2008 edition of a carnival of everything home.
As always, there are lots of great contributions to this Carnival. Remember to include a link back to this post. Thank you again to everyone who contributed and I look forward to reading each and every post.
Green Living
Woman Tribune presents Good for Your Vagina, Good for the Environment posted at Woman Tribune.
Tiffany Washko presents Celebrate Green! posted at Natural Family Living Blog.
Heather Levin presents 7 Ways To Lower Your Heating Bill This Winter posted at The Greenest Dollar.
marjorie presents Quit Burning your House Down! Reduce Lint. posted at Green Thinking Blog, saying, “Hydromatic Technologies Corp. has created a dryer that uses 50% less energy, drys clothes 41% faster, and greatly reduces the risk of dryer-related fires compared to a conventional dryer. This innovation uses a nontoxic and nonhazardous heat transfer fluid to heat the air blown inside a dryer.”
Mac presents Eco Friendly Tips for the Home posted at Actorlicious.
Heather Levin presents Alternative Ways To Heat Your Home posted at The Greenest Dollar.
Kat presents save water and $180/year posted at the part-time life.
Ben Dinsmore presents Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF): The Best In Green Building Technology posted at Trees Full of Money, saying, “Everything you ever wanted to know about the environmentally friendly, amazingly durable building product known as insulated concrete forms (ICF).”
Sarah presents Why Is Proper Lawn Clipping Height So Important? | Spring Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “Some reasons why it’s really important to clip your lawn correctly.”
Home Decor
Sarah presents Ridding Your Lawn of Gophers, Moles and Other Rodents | Spring Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “How to get rid of pesky lawn creatures.”
makingthishome presents Getting Some Color on the Wall posted at Making This Home, saying, “Thanks for hosting! Thought you might be interested in our project in our new apartment in a new country.”
Decorology presents My new favorites at Chiasso! posted at decorology.
Home Improvement
Jenna presents Winterizing Your Triangle Area Home posted at Top Buyers Agency - Raleigh Real Estate Blog - The Triangle and Beyond.
Fiona King presents 25 Incredible Personal Biodomes posted at International Listings Blog.
Aparna presents Beware of dust mites on your pillows posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming.
Other
Madeleine Begun Kane presents McCain Thought They Were Asking How Many Combs He Owns posted at Mad Kane’s Political Madness.
Sarah Scrafford presents The 50 (Surprisingly) Dirtiest Things You Come Into Contact With Every Day posted at Web Design Schools Guide.
Mac presents Rules To a Safe Night Out posted at Actorlicious, saying, “You’ve got to venture out the home sometime.”
Fiona Lohrenz presents Daycare Franchises? Montessori Day Care? So Many Choices! posted at Child Care Only.
Annette Berlin presents Home Sewing Projects — Craft Stew posted at Craft Stew, saying, “Home sewing allows you to coordinate your entire decor for just the cost of a yard or two of fabric.”
Sahara Reins presents Backyard Plans for Wild Bird Feeding and Bird Watching posted at Fowl Visions.
Real Estate
Sam presents NEW !! How to Sell My House and Get the Most Money. Buyers, Selling, Real Estate Agents, Making the Sale. ! Surfer Sam posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, “How to Sell My House Tips and Techniques to Get the Most Money Do I Need a Real Estate Agent? As the seller, you want to get the most money possible, you want to sell quickly, and you want to avoid hassles and problems. There is a buyer for every house. Your potential buyers have many reasons to move. Perhaps they need a larger house. They may want a more desirable neighborhood. They want to be closer to work, schools, friends and family. Maybe they are looking for a smaller home, or a retirement home. How to Price My House for Sale”
Kelly Sonora presents 10 Amazing, Beautiful Houses Built from Trash posted at International Listings Blog.
Terence Gillespie presents How To Sell Your House Without Using A Realtor posted at Your Optimal Blog, saying, “This is the story of what I did to sell my own house; how it happened, what worked, and what didn’t. I’ll tell you what I would do differently the next time, problems that had to be solved and tips I would offer other sellers who want to sell their house without using a realtor.”
Tony Huynh presents San Diego Versus Chicago posted at LimitlessUnits.com.
Joe Manausa presents Dave McCormick On Restoring Global Stability posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “Under Secretary David H. McCormick made the following remarks about the current economic turmoil while speaking at Wharton’s Eleventh Annual Investment Management Conference. He identified how the chaos basically got started and acknowledged that we are now paying the price.”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a carnival of everything home using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: a carnival of everything home, blog carnival.
Window Cornices
We all have those little things that make us want to cringe. One of those things that just does it to me is when I go through all of this work ironing drapes or curtains only to have them look disheveled up by the rod. So I made a major decision to make wooden cornices for my windows. My parents did it way back when and the windows always looked so nice. So now I did it. Turns out that this is another one of today’s window trends.
Measure your window from side to side and add three inches to each side. Now add an additional five inches for the depth of each side (a total of 10 inches) which will give you the total length of wood that you need for making the cornice.
The length of the cornice from top to bottom is up to you. Usually six to eight inches is sufficient.
The top piece which is the shelf of the cornice will be the same measurement as the front piece in length from side to side. The width (from front to wall) should be 5 inches.
Remember to measure twice, cut once.
Assembling
Do a test run. Put the pieces together to make sure they fit right. It basically will look like a box without a bottom or back attached.
Using wood glue, glue each piece together. Then hammer small wood nails or finishing nails at all joints.
Finishing
At this point, you can paint it the color of your choice or stain it or you can get creative and paint a design on it. I used a decorative stencil, trace the pattern, and then used a dremel tool to carve it out. After doing this, I stained and polyurethaned the entire piece. You can also add a piece of decorative molding to the top or a medallion in the middle.
Another idea is to place a piece of foam on the board and cover it with fabric. You can use fabric that matches your upholstery or drapery.
Hanging
I found that the best way to hang these is on a piece of wood. Measure the cornice again from side to side and subtract 6 inches. Cut a small piece of wood (2 x 2 ) the length that you have measured.. Make sure that your drapery hardware (curtain rods) are already in place so that you leave enough room to work with drapes after the cornice has been installed. Place this piece of wood against the wall at least three inches above the drapery hardware and nail to wall beams. Now place the cornice on top of that and nail or screw into the board making sure that the overhang on each side is even.
You can also use “L” brackets, which can be found at any store, to attach the cornice to the wall.
There you have it. It really is easy to do and just makes a window look complete. No more messy tops of curtains or drapes that are buckling on top. Now if they do, who cares?! You won’t be able to see it anymore. That’s why I made wood cornices for every room of my home.
How to Upholster Furniture
Don’t throw that chair out yet! Do you know how easy it is to reupholster a chair? Years ago when I was raising my children, there were these two guys on television who used to reupholster everything. They taught very well. Since that time, I have done chairs, stools, dining room chairs and living room furniture. Personally, I like to reupholster a chair better than putting chair covers on them. If I want, I can match the cushion on the chair to the drapery in the room. Of course, you can just make cushions but if a chair is worn, just reupholster it.
1. Turn the chair upside down and unscrew the seat from the frame. Make sure to keep the screws in a safe place.
2. Most chair coverings are stapled on. You must remove all of the staples. Then just remove the covering that is on.
3. If the foam is worn, then this is the time to replace it. If it isn’t but you want more cushion, add a piece of foam to what is already there.
4. Place the seat cushion part down on the material you will be using. Pull up the material around the seat so that you know how much to cut. The entire underneath of the seat does not have to be covered but there must be enough material for you to staple and secure it down.
5. After it is cut, place the seat down again, foam side down. Pull up the material and start stapling. Staple in four corners first and then go around the seat to staple in between making pleats so that the top side is smooth.
6. When this is done, trim away any excess material from under the seat.
7. If you want to add decoration such as cording to the edge of the seat, now is the time to do it. You can easily add cording or braiding with a hot glue gun. It is also a good time to do any touchups on the chair frame or just give them a good cleaning or polishing.
8. When this is all completed, it’s time to put the seat back on to the frame. With the frame upside down, place the seat in position and put in the first screw. This part is easier if you have two people or something holding the seat on to the frame. Sometimes I hand the frame over the side of a table or counter to do this. You may also have to make a small hole in the fabric for the screw to pass through.
There you have it. A new seat cover, a fixed chair or just more cushion. It’s easy, it’s fun and it will make your old chairs feel like new.
