I'm not a big curtain kind of person, but this bathroom needed some color and something to soften all the hard edges.
This fabric started life as a cotton tablecloth I picked up on clearance a year or two ago. I can't remember how much I paid, but it was probably under $10. I never really had intentions of using it as a tablecloth, but I loved the pattern. Once I had the thought to use this fabric for curtains, the whole color plan for the bathroom came together.
Using a pre-made tablecloth is not really much of a cost savings when you consider the cost per yard, but since it was something I already owned, it's almost like it was free. Another excellent reason for using a tablecloth instead of raw fabric: no hemming!
This tablecloth was 52" x 70", and when cut in half, it was the perfect size to make short curtains for the two windows. I folded over the cut edges and sewed rod pockets, which took all of about 20 minutes. I didn't bother lining the curtains because there are already blinds on the windows.
I had a couple of curtain rods already and was planning to use one, but two were too long and another was too short. I just couldn't make them work, so I bought the simplest, cheapest white rod I could find. I'm not counting the cost of the fabric toward my budget since I bought it so long ago and it wasn't specifically purchased for this bathroom. It would still be in its tablecloth state if I hadn't used it.
Now that they are up in the room, I'm wondering if they are too long. I wanted them to cover the entire top half of the windows, but they might be a little overwhelming to the space. I'm going to reserve judgement until the room is closer to being done, but anyone have any thoughts? Is there a rule about the length of a valance?
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How I spent my $100 budget (so far)
1 qt. Semi-gloss wall paint ... $11.42
Curtain rod ... 4.49
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Total spent ... $15.91
Amount left ... $84.09
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Follow along with me as I give our upstairs bathroom a face lift with a budget of only $100.
1. Another bathroom update: Before
2. My color plan
3. Painting the walls