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Decorate My Home, Part 17 – Ruffled Shower Curtain
May 24, 2010 - By Ashley Johnston 26 Comments
Our second bathroom has been calling my name.
(Ever since I finished the first bathroom
here and here.)
It’s been lonely and bare.
So today was the day to fancy that space up.
With a new ruffled shower curtain.
And not completely ruffled.
Just a couple ruffles towards the top.
It has definitely
added some charm to the space.
(And some other ideas for the rest of the bathroom this week…)
How to make your own ruffled curtain….
(your finished curtain will be about 70 inches tall by 68 inches wide.
I began with a piece that was 75 inches tall and 69 inches wide.Â
(I used 100% cotton but imagine that many types of fabric would work with this project.)
To do this, I sewed 2 pieces together lengthwise that were a little over 2 yards a piece (or 75 inches), and then trimmed off the excess along one side, so that the large piece would only be 68 inches wide.
Then I hemmed each 75 inch long side by folding over a 1/2 inch, then another 1/2 inch, then sewed into place.
Then I folded the top down 2 inch, ironed flat, folded down another 2 inches, ironed flat again, then sewed into place along the bottom edge.
Then I cut off 5 inches from the top, that included that 2 inch wide section I just ironed and stitched.
And I spaced 12 pins all along the top……
Then made 12 button holes that were about an inch long, starting about 1/2 inch from the top. These will be the slots for the curtain rings to go through.
Set that aside……now onto the ruffles.
I made 2 strips of fabric (from the section that I cut off and then some extra I had) that were 9 x 138 inches. I had to piece together several different pieces to make a piece long enough.
(If you’re using your own measurements, just make the strips for you ruffles twice as long as the width of the shower curtain. This will give you a nice ruffle.)
Then hem the bottom edges of your 2 ruffle pieces by folding over 1/4 inch, another 1/4 inch, then sew into place. Do the same thing to the sides of both ruffle pieces.
Then make a basting stitch along the top of both ruffle pieces, 1/4 inch from the unfinished top edge. And I actually made 2 basting stitches along the top of each ruffle. One from the left side to the center and the other from the center over to the right side. I did that so that I could make my gathers in two different sections on each piece.
Set one of your ruffle pieces aside.
Then place a pin at the center of the top edge of your main shower curtain piece….
Then place the center of your ruffle piece (right side up) at the same point as the pin you just placed……and pin the two layers together. (And if you started and stopped your basting stitch at the center of your ruffle piece like I did, that is your center and you can place that spot right where the pin is on your shower curtain piece.)
Then start pulling and gathering the ruffle piece until it is as wide as the shower curtain piece. (Need help gathering? Check out this post
here.)
And pin the ruffled piece to the main shower curtain piece, every few inches.
Until it’s all pinned and evenly gathered.
Then grab the piece with the button holes that you set aside, and lay it on top, upside down and face down. You want all of the raw unfinished edges to be lined up together. Pin all three layers together.
Then sew together with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Then add a zig-sag seam right next to that seam, just to make it nice and secure.
Then flip that top edge up, along with the ruffle, and start gathering your second ruffle piece the same way as the first. (Make sure to find the center of the shower curtain again and pin the center of your ruffle right at that spot.) Gather and pin the same way……but measure down 3 1/2 inches from the top ruffle.
Attach this second ruffle right to the shower curtain, by making a seam right on top of your basting stitch that you used to gather your ruffle.
Then make a zig-zag stitch to finish it off.
Make sure your curtain hangs even and straight, then hem the bottom edge of the curtain by folding under a 1/2 inch, then another 1/2 inch, then sew in place.
Lastly, iron all of your seams and hemmed edges flat. Also, steam the top of the first ruffle flat, just a little bit….right at the top where it’s attached to the curtain. This will make a look a little nicer and not so out of control.
Then hang your curtain and enjoy your new space.
Sheesh, you should actually take a long shower after all of that hard work.
Ahhhhh!