no sew curtains and a unique fabric choice

So this project has been a long time coming.  Our big front window in our living room has been in need of some curtain lovin' since we moved in and ripped down the ugly not-our-style curtains.  I am a little obsessed over some amazing DIY home improvement blogs.  This project is the outcome of inspiration found on two must-read blogs:  Young House Love (thanks to Sherry for the no-sew idea and inspiration) and The Lettered Cottage (thanks to Layla for the amazing curtain fabric idea).

Our big window looked something like this:

And now it looks like this:

Love, love the coziness and texture these curtains bring to our living room! (Sorry for the different lighting in the pictures...but you get the idea.)

So the fabric of choice?

Yes, that's right.  Canvas drop cloths from good ol' Wally World....one for each panel.

And how did I pull off this no-sew trick?

My handy, dandy ironing board, iron (oh was it happy to be used), and Heat-n-Bond ultra hold adhesive.  You can find this at Wal-Mart or Michael's...and I'm sure other places where craft supplies are sold.

My first step was to measure the length that I would need the curtains.  Because this window has the arched top, I couldn't hang them above the window to add even more drama so the window looked larger..I was only able to frame the outside of the windows to pull off the "bigger window" look.  I knew I wanted the curtains to sweep the floor so the length I ended up needing was 6 feet 10 inches.

I laid one drop cloth out on my floor, face down so that the seems were facing up.  I measured my length along the 9' side of the drop cloth so that the 6' width remained the same.  I measured about an inch and a half more than what I needed at the bottom (6 feet 12 1/2 inches to be exact) so that I would have room to add the adhesive, create my hemline, and still have the desired lenght when the hem was folded up.

Once I did that, I laid the drop cloth onto the ironing board with the cut part on the ironing board.

You'll want to follow the directions on the Heat-n-Bond but it worked for me to have my iron on medium setting when taking my first step of unrolling the adhesive along the edge of the cloth (below my mark for my length). You will slowly iron the adhesive (paper side up) onto the material (about 2 seconds per area).

Your next step is to let the adhesive cool and then slowly peel off the paper. Don't worry about ripping anything off..the entire paper part comes off while leaving the clear adhesive on the material.

Fold the "nasty/rough" edge up, creating your hem. Then iron (the cotton setting worked for me) along the flap that is folded over (material to material), about 8 seconds per area, to bond the adhesive. When it cools a little, go back and feel under the flap along the top cut edge to make sure no parts are left unattached. If you do find a part that didn't attach, just iron back over it.  This stuff works like magic and bonds the hem tightly...it's even washable!

Your hemline should look crisp and flawless like this...easy as pie!

Repeat these steps for your second drop cloth (second panel).

Choose the curtain rod of your personal preference.  However, here's the trick for hanging "hole less" curtains.....drapery rings.

They're so neat and make the curtains so easy to pull across the windows if needed.

There you have it....no sew and a very unique fabric choice.  The best part...the frugal aspect of this:

canvas drop cloths--$9.97 each (I searched...this really is a deal for curtains)

drapery rings--two packets of 7 at $4.96 each

Heat-n-Bond Ultra Hold--$2.17 and some left over

drapery rod (my least frugal find due to our wide window)--$31.88

Total cost:  $63.91

And with the scraps left over, I made a cutesy table runner to keep the similar pattern and texture in another room in the house:

Lay seam side up.

Measure to your desired taste.

Iron on adhesive on both long sides, creating a crisp hem on both long sides of the material.

And you've got a runner....love the "sandy" texture it adds to our "coastal meets country" style going on in our bungalow {yep, that's our own personal take on our style}.

What unique material have you used for projects around the house? Already using this amazing Heat-n-Bond stuff and haven't been in the dark as long as me? What projects have you created?

Be inspired!

p.s. to my sewing machine...no I have not forgotten you, and yes, I promise I still plan on bringing you out of the box.  It just takes a lot of bravery...something I haven't quite mustered up yet.  I'll get there.