I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here before, but I have a REALLY hard time sleeping. Β It’s been on an ongoing problem for at least 10 years and I have yet to find a real solution. Β I’m working hard on that and part of solution is to ensure a really dark room to sleep in. Β And that means black out curtains. Β over 6 windows. Β That’s a lot of curtains people.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Β Angela! You sew! Β Just make those curtains!
Well, have you ever made 6 full length lined black out curtains?! Β I’ve made 3 before and I didn’t like it. Β At the advice of a friend, life is too short to work on projects you don’t like. Β So I opted to buy them ultimately. But they are super expensive to get anything remotely cute. And so I decided to get something functional and try to make it cuter. Β You can decide if it worked.
Now my disclaimer is that this project would not have been possible without the help of my very talented husband. Β This involves upholstery techniques, creating a cornice from (2) 12′ 1″ x 6″ boards, and then installing it at a 7′ or 8′ height in a 2nd story bedroom. Β NOT a one person project. Β Nonetheless, one that we tackled and I thought I would share it with you.
I was able to do this whole thing with ONE yard of 54″ upholstery fabric (this one is from Joel Dewberry that I purchased from fabric.com). Β I barely managed once again to squeeze out a project from my materials on hand (working hard at working from my stash!). Β I first needed to trim the fabric to line up the pattern exactly as you can see in the picture above. Β I cut along the full length of the piece and measure three equal slices of fabric. Β I then needed to sew these together to create ONE long skinny piece of fabric.
And sewing them together meant pattern matching. Β That can tricky with an easy repeat, but add in all the curves of this particular pattern and it was…well…it gave me a run for my money. π Β As you can see in the mosaic above, the first time I sewed my two carefully cut and measured pieces together, my pattern did not match up so well. Β So I would recommend BASTING first if you are going to try this. Β My second attempt was a lot better. Β Not perfect. Β But that’s when you say screw it, it’s going to be 8′ up in the air anyways. π
My husband built the cornice board from (2) 12′ long 1″ x 6″ pieces (plus a little piece for the corner). Β In retrospect we both agree that we should have used a 1″ x 8″ for the front facing board because we think it should have been just a bit longer. Β But it’s fine and it’s done. Β Live and learn.
We first upholstered the cornice with scraps of batting that I had. Yay for using up scraps! And then we carefully lined up the fabric to wrap evenly around the face of the board using basic upholstery techniques. Β Not difficult, just a long straight piece that has some room for error. Β But my husband and I are both type A enough to handle that. Β If you are concerned about trying it, then you might want to attempt this whole project with an all over pattern rather than a highly graphic one like we used.
And then up in place it went (into the house, up the stairs, and into the room and on the wall!). Β If you look closely at that picture you can see one of my seam joints. Β Doesn’t look too bad. Β Mike had it installed in a flash actually (he’s so good at that stuff) and before I knew it, the room was just a little bit more interesting.
My view from my bed…the pretty corner of the cornice. Β And of course, now I have less light in the room because this cornice traps all the light that was shooting out above the blackout curtains. Β It’s a definite improvement over all, and as always, another learning experience. Β And it is so fun to have some more “quilty” fabric in the room. Β I need to tackle a quilt for our bed and then we’ll really be rocking!
looks great, and the graphic fabric definitely adds a pop of interest to the otherwise plain curtains! i also have a sleep issue, and would prefer total darkness. i live for hurricanes when we put up the custom plywood coverings on the windows and there's no light in the bedroom!
Looks great! Your husband is amazing and so handy. I had problems sleeping my whole life. I finally surrendered and got into a sleep clinic (long wait) and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. My life is 1000x better! It has only been a year since I was diagnosed and my life just gets better – sleep is so important!
Lovely! Isn't it nice to turn something ordinary into something pretty?
What a beautiful and professional-looking project! Good luck with your sleep issues. I think mine are genetic, lol, and here to stay π
I'm there with you on the sleep issues. I've also both made and bought blackout curtains, and I really prefer to buy them too. I've found buying that much home dec weight fabric usually ends up costing more than the already finished curtains. I really like the cornice idea and might have to try that as well. π
P.S. Have you ever tried nutmeg? A tsp in a cup of yogurt or applesauce can make falling asleep easier. My doctor actually recommended this and it works for me about 75% of the time.
I had to laugh at your post! Why – cause I am a curtain maker by trade and on all of my windows are wooden blinds! The thought of making my own coverings just makes me want to cry! I totally love your pelmet though.
Wow hats off to you! that is really nice turn out.
Way to go for working on the sleeping issues. I did the same 20 years ago and what a tremendous difference! It takes a long time to break old patterns and build new ones, but just keep at it. It's so worth it!
Those cornices look really cute! It's amazing how a little change can make such a big difference. Maybe you could add some matching trim to the bottom of the curtains to customize them a bit (maybe the plaid or trellis prints from Heirloom?)
It's beautiful! I made my husband put crown molding on ours so I would just have to paint. All that fabric matching and getting it on straight would have done me in.
It looks really really lovely! It's such a great color and architectural detail you added. It makes the whole thing look more fancy and expensive. Great job!
It looks fab, well done all! I did have to giggle at the type 'A'ness of the participants ;o)