Curtains add color and softness to a room while providing privacy, but they can be used in many ways aside from being drapes for windows. Use old curtains or remnant fabrics for these creative projects:
Laundry Bag
Make your own laundry bag with just a yard of curtain fabric. Cut a 40” x 29” piece. Fold in half crosswise with outer sides facing each other and pin in place. Sew the side edges (1/2”) for seam allowance. With the seam allowances pressed open, fold the top edges about ¾” and press. Make another ¾” fold to create a pocket for the cord. Secure the fold with stitches close to the first folded edges and leave about a quarter of an inch open. Attach a safety pin to one end of a string and insert in the opening and work it through the piping. Knot both ends to secure it in place.
Image by daveboudreau via Flickr
Wall Art
A designer or vintage remnant fabric with a floral and woven pattern makes wonderful framed wall decor. Use the glass of your frame as a template and cut out a thin piece of cardboard the same size as the glass. Spread your ironed fabric on a work surface and find the main focal point. Place the glass of the frame over the fabric, over the part you want to frame, and draw a line on the perimeter of the fabric, about half an inch from the borders of the glass. Cut the fabric along the outline. On the back side of the fabric, apply double-sided tape on all corners about ½” inch from the borders and press fabric onto the cut board. Put the glass back in in the frame, followed by the mounted fabric and secure the back.
Fabric Wreath
For an easy wreath, you need a light wood circle, ribbon, glue and fabric (one or several different patterns).cut out a bunch of fabric leaf-shapes (from one fabric or several). Spray each leaf with a stiffener, such as Stiffen Stuff, and let dry. Once dry, start gluing them to the wood circle one by one, in an overlapping pattern. When the ring is full, simply put the ribbon through it, tie a big bow at the top and hang.
Storage Boxes
Turn old shoe boxes into pretty storage containers using fabric and Mod Podge. Cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover all 4 sides of the box and a little extra so the tops can be folded over and secured on the inside. Start by applying Mod Podge on the bottom of the box and place it in the middle of the fabric. Smooth it out and apply more Mod Podge on 2 sides of the box. Fold the fabric up and smooth out again. Put Mod Podge on the inside of the box, just on the top, and fold the extra fabric over the edge. Do the same with all 4 sides and voila! If you have a lid, repeat the same procedure with that.
Gift Wrap
And, easiest of all, use fabric pieces in place of paper to wrap gifts. It is perfect for oddly shaped things.
Fabric crafts are so much fun, and there are tons of creative projects and uses for it, even for those of us who find sewing a challenge. The next time you’re tempted to throw an old curtain (or clothing for that matter) out, take another look at it and see if you can come up with an idea of how to give it a new life as something else.
Twitter: goodideasntips
says:
This reminds me of the movie, “Enchanted.” Where she makes a dress from the curtains! But seriously, with how often I change my curtains, these are some great ideas. Most of the time I just give them away or stuff them in a tote somewhere.
Thanks for the post.
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