Basement Curtains

I feel like basement curtains aren't really a wise investment right now, but I am trying every which way to justify them.  The concrete walls just need to be softened up...and I think I would spend more time down there if I liked how it looked a bit more.

I have been obsessed with trying to locate a fabric that brings in lots of different colors so that I could hopefully reuse these curtains elsewhere once we move. For the basement, I would love a fabric with a colored background to bring as much color as possible, but looking forward, that may not be the most re-usable option.

Here are some of my current favorites...



Stitch Witch

So, in Mexico, Ryan and Jamie's place didn't have much storage in the bathroom.  There was a large, wide open space underneath the sinks.  Ryan built some custom shelves to give them space they needed to store toiletries.  They had hoped to conceal the contents of the shelves, so I hoped to help while we were there.  I bought some fabric...hoping it would go with their new duvet from West Elm.  They didn't have a sewing machine, but they did already have the rod to hang the fabric from, so I purchased....

--fabric
--drapery rings with clips
--stitch witchery - heavy duty

I had thought I would make a panel or two, just create a hem around the four edges, and then hang it from the clips.  Unfortunately, the clips hung down too low, so you could see the contents of the top shelf.  Just didn't really serve the purpose we were hoping for.

After I botched the first attempt with 'Stitch Witch' (I will spare you the embarrassing details), I finally figured out how much I love that stuff.  I am sure it wouldn't be great for many jobs, but for this, it was perfect. 

In the end, I ditched the curtain rod clips, cut two panels, made a large hem on the top of the panels (to allow enough room to slide the rod through the top hem), and hemmed the other three sides.

Before:

After:

To fix or not to fix...

So, my dear friend Rhonda called me one day during work saying that she was at Salvation Army and there were some chairs that she thought I would want.  I raced over and immediately agreed.  The chairs were very clean and had what appeared to be relatively new fabric on them.  I was going to paint them glossy white and have them reupholstered in a fun fabric.  I didn't have time to get this project done before we left GA, which I am now kicking myself for.  The cost up here in Boston is going to be a lot more than it would have been down there! 

Recently, one of the legs broke off one of the chairs...and, it was clear that this had been broken before as there were stray screws/glue marks from a shoddy fix.  ARGH.  Oh well, what did I expect? 
I sent a question into Apartment Therapy Boston to see if anyone could basically recommend the 'perfect' resources - a quality and inexpensive upholsterer and woodworker.

So, they question now is...to fix or not to fix?    I think the chairs could be nice if I fixed them up; however, I have to make a commitment to fabric in order to do that, and I always seem to get cold feet!  I really want a fun, modern looking geometric print.  I would love to do a bold color (I still lust after the kelly green Imperial Trellis fabric), but I have started chickening out on that and thinking I should get a more neutral color so that it can go along with more rooms...especially since we have a lot of moves coming up.

I have recently found someone on craigslist who can fix the chair leg for a reasonable price, and now I still need to decide on a fabric, paint the chairs, and find an upholsterer.  Lots to do.


I think I would really like to stick with a geometric pattern, and it would be great if I could Scotchguard the material and be able to wash the covers for the cushions.

I have been keeping an eye out for fabrics that I like, but I haven't seemed to find the perfect fabric at the perfect price yet :)

Here are some fabrics that I like...you can click on the pics to link to the sites where I found them.