Mistreating with Burlap

My friend Courtney (aka, High Maintenance) called me crazy when I told her I was going to hang burlap in J. Smooth's windows for curtains. And perhaps I am. To go into a major sewing and notions store and not know the proper terminology...I felt a bit crazy. That I can concur.

"Yes, can you point me in the direction of the burlap?" (Check.)

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find those things that you nail into furniture.?" (Blank stare) "You know, you nail the cloth into the furniture......." (decorative tacks?) "Yes!"

" I am sorry to bother you again, but can you show me where the glue is.....for seams?" (Are you sewing this project you are working on?) Seriously.....

"No. I am gluing. I am mistreating, like the Nester suggest. I cannot treat, but I can mistreat". (blank look)

"I don't sew after the traumatic moment that turned me from it when I was 12". (Go on!) "In Mrs. Berryhill's 7th grade Home Ec. class, I was the very last person to finish my apron. The class could not go onto the best part of home ec....the reason everyone joins home ec..... until I finished. That would be cooking. They did, however sit in the cooking room to go over terminology, leaving me alone in another room to finish my sewing. For two weeks, I sewed alone in the room, while they waited for me to finish. It was very embarrassing. Never again did I attempt to sew. Several hundred dollars of therapy have helped me to get past it.....but never, never will I sew again.

Ok, I added on the last sentence for effect. But the rest of the story....true.

"Sew" (to speak)....I got my notions from the store and came home to work on the curtains for J. Smooth's room. I wanted burlap. I wanted something raw and unpretentious. Despite Courtney's lack of confidense in my choice.

"Burlap? Like a sack?",asked Courtney.

"Yes. Like a sac"......

So, I took my ugly , UGLY white curtain rods and painted them black.

Then, at the end of the burlap, I just folded the burlap over about 2 inches, to make sort of a cuff, to give it more of a structured appearance on the rod. Notice the raw edges.....I don't care that they aren't "perfect".

Then, I glued the edge down with the clear tacky glue.

Finally, I took some shower hooks that I also purchased at the sewing store

I unhooked it and slid it right through the burlap. It works perfect, sliding right through the natural holes in the burlap.

Then I just strung it through the rods. And wah-la......instant no sew curtains.

Mistreated the best I could. As the Nester says, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."


Lookie there at that burlap curtain!

And do notice how the walls and ceiling turned out. To save myself some $$, I went down the basement and began pulling out old paint. I decided to play (as High Mae likes to say) "Sherman Williams" and mix three shades together: white, a grey (seedpearl) and a blue.....and I got the color I used to paint the walls of J. Smooth's room. I painted the walls and the ceiling the same color. No cost paint. I love that!
Tomorrow.....I will show you the headboard I made from the shutters.