Monday, June 18, 2012

DIY Painted Chevron Curtains

Guess what time is it?? It's chevron curtain time!!! Yupp - It's taken me a while to get this post together, but it's finally here! Now before we get started, I will warn you that these curtains did take a bit of time. They were relatively easy to make, but definitely involved some major patience! But don't you fret my friends - once they are all done you will be so happy with the outcome;) Now lets get started!!






What you will need:

White curtain panels
I got mine from Target for only $9.99!

Blue painters tape
Don't get the green painters tape - this was a bit TOO sticky for me and would always try to snag the fabric of the curtains. Blue tape will work just fine because it's not as intense

Paint & Plastic Drop Cloth
A lot people ask if I used some kind of special fabric paint, but I didn't! I simply went to Lowes and picked the color I liked and there was nothing special about it. I think I got the satin finish, but you might also explore using a matte finish if you would like. I needed one gallon since I had to make 4 curtain panels. Since the chevron stripes were quite large, I used a little more than half of the gallon.

Paint Brush
I believe I used a 3in. brush, but if your doing skinnier stripes, you for sure want to use a smaller brush.

Ruler or Guide
I also made myself a little triangle shaped template that I made out of cardboard. The combination of a ruler and template will work perfectly.



As you can see, I don't have many process photos from this project. I created these curtains close to a year ago and really had no clue that I would ever start a blog. So, sorry guys. No step by step photos for this one. But that doesn't mean I can't give you a verbal step by step!


1. Find curtain panels of your choice with the height of your choice. I found my white panel's at Target for $9.99/ea. Iron the panels BEFORE you begin taping.

2. Decide how thick you want your chevron stripes to be.  A lot of my inspiration fabrics had much skinnier stripes. I knew I wanted a much bolder statement, so I blew up the pattern. Divide up the panel to make sure none of the stripes will be cut off at the bottom or top. You might notice none of my stripes are extending off the top or bottom. This was planned out prior to painting because I wanted it to all fit without "running out of room" at the bottom of the panel. Does that kinda make sense?? Kinda...?

3. Once you are happy with your measurements, begin taping everything out. I created a guide out of cardboard in the shape of a "V". This helped a bit, but I did not rely on this 100%. I used a combination of my predetermined measurements, a ruler, and a guide. I started taping at the top and made my way down. In order to get crisp corners, I had to get creative with my tape. I would cross the two pieces of tape like an "X" and then flap one piece of tape back, and then the second flap back on top of that. This technique gave me a perfect, crisp corner.

4. Once everything is taped off, begin painting! Make sure to be careful during this process, because it can get pretty boring and time consuming. I actually got so used to just sitting there and painting that I completely stopped paying attention to what I was doing. Silly me started painting the wrong section!! I was SO SO SO mad at myself at this point. I literally had been doing this for HOURS and screwed it all up. Well, thankfully since the paint was still wet, I was able to saturate it in water and carpet stain remover. The water/stain remover combo actually worked really well for touch ups that I needed down the road, so keep that in mind! If you ever accidentally mess up and get paint in the wrong place, soak it in water and blot blot blot!! Do the same with the carpet stain remover - just follow the instructions on the bottle and it should work rather well.

5. Wait for it all to dry to make sure the paint dried evenly. Then if everything looks even, remove the tape.

WARNING - make sure to tape down some good plastic drop cloths for this project before starting. The fabric will soak up the paint and completely bleed through the other side. I wouldn't trust a fabric drop cloth because of this. Go with a plastic one for sure!

And that's it!! If your stripes end up not looking PERFECTLY even, it's ok! Mine aren't necessarily perfect, but once they are hung, you can't tell at all. This project took a good amount of time, but I was really happy with the outcome. I've had them up for almost a year, and still love them just as much as I did the day I finished them.






Well I sure hope this little how-to was a helpful one! I'm sorry I didn't have more process pictures to contribute. Who knew I would have started a blog?? Anyways, hope everyone had a great start to their week! Happy Monday:)

Also, these curtains were featured on Yahoo Homes {HERE}! Make sure to check it out!!



44 comments:

  1. Amy, I am LOVING your blog! Your house is adorable. We're aiming to buy a house in September-October, and I might need your decorating expertise! :)

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  2. Very cool Amy...they really brightened up the room!

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  3. Love these! I totally don't have the patience for this but I'm still pinning it anyway, just in case I ever get the nerve up:)

    Jessica
    stayathomeista.com

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  4. Great job! Your chevron curtains are awesome and definitely bold!Stopping by from Tutorials and Tips.

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  5. The curtains turned out beautiful. I love the design and color.

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  6. Absolutely love those curtains! And your blog!

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  7. Lovely curtains! So bright and cheery! I'm stopping by from Beth's blog!

    Your newest blog and Pinterest follower!
    -Grace

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  8. I love these curtains! I've been thinking about doing something like this for my bedroom. I am a new follower via GFC!

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  9. Those are beautiful! Love the yellow. Megan

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  10. Your curtains look amazing! I love the bright, cheery yellow!!

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  11. Amy, The curtains are fabulous and they look great in your room! Thanks for linking to the Open House Party this week.

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  12. These turned out wonderful. I love the bold, cheery yellow in your room! What a fun place to be! I want to do something similar to a plain green rug I have. Wish me luck. :)

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  13. these are AWESOME!!! must try!!! thanks so much for the how-to. :)

    feel free to link them up to the Hearts&Homes link party at http://www.mercyinkblog.com/category/hearthome-link-party

    have an awesome weekend! -- lauren @mercyINK

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  14. Those are stunning! My sister in law and I are going to make some now! I'll be featuring this on my blog tomorrow!

    http://www.sumossweetstuff.com

    Thanks!
    Sumo:)

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  15. You did a great job. They look AMAZING! I loved everything chervon!

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  16. These are awesome! I'm hoping my daughter will want to copy you!

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  17. Hi! I am amazed that these were painted. I saw them featured on another blog, and never would have guessed that! I am loving anything chevron and your choice of yellow is so bright and cheery. Great job!

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  18. Those look lovely!

    Have you heard about our Craftastic Competition? I'd love for you to enter in it! Lots of prizes to be won too!

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  19. Those curtains are beautiful! They really brighten up the room. New follower here, totally love your blog :)

    Vicki
    http://www.thedomesticatedme.blogspot.com.au

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  20. Wow! These turned out so beautiful!!! Great job!

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  21. Hi Amy! I'm one of the judges visiting from Tutus & Tea Parties! You're curtains turned out FABULOUS. Please be sure to swing by Live Laugh Rowe on Wednesday nights or all day Thursdays to link up your lovely work :) I love your blog! Have a fabulous week. xo, Kelly

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  22. All I can say is wow!!! I have been thinking about doing this for a while, but feel like I would mess it up somehow. Want to do some for me and ship them?! I'll pay you! =)

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  23. Cute! I am contemplating making curtains for my nursery; I love how yours turned out!
    Kelly @ cornerofmain.com

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  24. Hi I featured your curtains today...they are Fabulous!!

    Jane
    Finding Fabulous
    www.findingfabulousblog.com

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  25. Love them. They look amazing. What a great idea. Hugs, Marty

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  26. Wow! Those look great. Sooo much more cost effective than buying expensive chevron fabric & you got to customize the size of the chevron too. Love it! Thanks for sharing.

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  27. DIY painted chevron curtains are too beautiful. Great

    Wallpapers

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  28. I just googled. "Chevron Curtains" and your blog came up. This is Genius! I am going to do it... THANK YOU!

    Sara
    http://seventwentysomethings.blogspot.com/

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  29. These curtains are awesome! I was thinking of doing something like these in the baby's nursery....great job!

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  30. Love these, this is exactly what I am looking for right now. Can I ask what paint brand/color did you use?

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  31. They look beyond awesome! I did the painted horizontal striped curtain a couple of years ago. I did mine with the acrylic paint and fabric medium though.

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  32. Have you had to wash these yet? I am just curious if the regular paint would run versus any kind of fabric paint.

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    Replies
    1. I have not yet washed them - I would suggest spot clean only:)

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    2. Hi Amy - These curtains are great!! Wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing the color of paint you used and also your measurements...I can't seem to start my curtains for fear of messing up the measurements/math. How deep is each chevron? How far apart are each of them? Thanks so much!!

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  33. Was just searching for some curtains in bright yellow or blue. thanks to you I might just make some. Had to follow you to see what you post next. thanks for sharing.

    Desiree @ YourCraftyFriend

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  34. Great job Amy!!
    I was thinking to same eyelet curtains for toddlers room.

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  35. Greate article Very informative and useful articles. This is a nice post in an interesting line of content.Thanks for sharing this article, great way of bring this topic to discussion.
    Curtain

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  36. Good evening!

    I featured your chevron curtains in my blog series, Get Your Color On: Yellows. My series highlights DIY projects from other bloggers, decorating tips, and decor picks.

    I love the drama they bring to the room. Perfect color and pattern to frame a window! Great job!

    Thanks for sharing your creativity and feel free to post a Get Your Color On! button!

    Angela Conley
    Creative Blossoming
    http://creativeblossoming.com/2013/05/19/get-your-color-on-yellows/

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  37. Your curtains look amazing! This is one of those projects that I have wanted to do forever but just haven’t gotten around to yet!! I will definitely be coming back here when I finally get around to it .

    draperies

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  38. Just found your blog, I'm loving it! These curtains are amazing!! I love chevron so much I'm actually having a chevron themed link party today. It's a part of my "Crazy for Chevron" week-long party. I would love it if you would share these adorable curtains at the party!!

    http://sarahlynnssweets.blogspot.com/2013/08/sweet-tooth-tuesdays-13.html

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  39. Thanks for the 411, Amy! I will definitely do this one of these days! They look so simple yet elegant! This curtain could liven up the atmosphere of any room. But I wonder if the effect will be the same if I use a different color for the stripes.

    Roxie@WindowTreatmentsPhiladelphia.com

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  40. Hi Amy,

    I just moved and have been looking for ideas for curtains. These look fabulous!

    Just wondering what type of paint you used, and how much paint was needed. When I look up fabric paint, they only really show the small bottles. These would need a lot of small bottles. LOL.

    Your input would be greatly appreciated as I plan on making these soon :).

    -Meg
    www.tobakiss.ca

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