A New Window Look

Good Morning.  It's Good Friday and we are having a spring rain shower.  Easter is late this year and so is Spring, but I think it is here.  Everyone is so waiting for some nice warm weather like we had last weekend.  It was beautiful.  Well, anyways here is my latest project. Originally, I had made these curtains for my kitchen out of a orange,green and gold stripe silk.  They were still looking nice but I was tired of them.  I wanted a lighter look and brighter look to my kitchen.  Window dressing is the finishing touch in a room and changes the look of a room so much.  Here is my old curtains:

As you can see they weren't bad just a little dark for what I now want, which is more of a shabby chic and vintage look.

I saw this idea in a Vintage Style magazine and just loved the idea.  They had made curtains out of old hankies.  They very colorful hankies made up in curtains and they were full length, they covered the whole window.  I loved the idea but I didn't want the whole window to covered up and I wanted not so much color.  So, I started collecting old hankies, but not with so much color and ones that were a little bit fancier.  These were embroidered ones and if they had color it was soft color.  

I first measured my windows and added just a little bit of fullness because I really wanted the hankies to show up their detail.  I than cut out so white material in the length and width that I needed and than I proceeded to turn over the side edges and the hem and top-stitched them.  I left the top undone because I originally had thought that I just wanted clips to hang the curtains by but had left enough material at the top to add a casing if I wanted one.  I ironed each and every one of the hankies and laid them on top of the white material and pinned them where I wanted the hankies. 

When they were how I wanted them I top stitched them onto the white background.  When they are hanging one can't see the top stitching.  I just love the details on the hankies.

I had finished the curtain over the sink and hung them by the clips and I didn't like the look, they looked like they were falling all over the place and you couldn't see the details of the hankies.  So, I finished the curtains by added the the casing for the simple curtain rod to go thru and I liked the look better and it really looks like there a just hankies hanging on the window. 

My kitchen looks so much lighter and summery looking and more vintage looking also.  I am really pleased by the look and it is so much different that what I had before.

I even made a smaller version for my kitchen door.

Just some close-up pics of the pretty hankies I used.

So what do you think, better or worse?  Until next time, Dianne......

Linked to these Parties:
 http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
 http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2014/04/frugal-friday_17.html
 http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2014/04/feathered-nest-friday_17.html#more
 http://www.commonground-do.com/
 http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
 http://apeekintomyparadise.com/2014/04/friday-pin-fest-9.html
 http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
 http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/creativity-unleashed-link-party-8/
 http://www.lizmarieblog.com/2014/04/inspire-please-linky-party-4/
 http://www.myturnforus.com/2014/04/freedom-fridays-with-all-my-bloggy_17.html
 http://www.remodelaholic.com/2014/04/lovely-room-makeovers/
 http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2014/04/13/sunday-best-linky-party-4.html/2
 http://thecraftyblogstalker.com/create-link-inspire-linky-party-3/
 http://www.the36thavenue.com/2014/04/best-diy-projects-recipes-8.html
 http://www.lambertslately.com/2014/04/create-it-thursday-50-plus-features.html#more
 http://www.glitterglueandpaint.com/throwback-thursday-28/
 http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/
 http://www.thegoldensycamore.com/2014/04/inspiration-gallery-link-party-4-17.html
 http://bloomdesignsonline.com/2014/04/link-party-69.html