Thursday, July 13, 2017

Curtains For The Trailer

Is it true that you are supposed to pick your flooring first? 
We didn't.
While Bill is at work, I'm trying to get my projects finished for our trailer remodel.


That includes anything made of fabric.
I wanted to go with black upholstery for the couch.
 Bill thought that was a terrible idea. White dog hair on a black couch is a no go.
Gray seemed like a good alternative but it had to be fabric that was easy to clean because of the dog.
I couldn't find exactly what I wanted so I moved on to the curtains.
If you remember, we removed the groovy valances and blinds and threw them in the trash.


I've always wanted a vintage trailer to redo. 
Re-doing a trailer less than 10 years old hadn't crossed my mine until ours had the winter of mice.
FYI - You should have seen my neighbor's face when I said the trailer had mice.


It had been parked in front of his house for a week at this point.
I was quick to say had - past tense.
The mice were gone.
Haha.



Bill and I love watching Flyte Camp on the Great American Country Channel.
I'm not sure if they are still filming episodes but it highlights a couple that specialize in the restoration of vintage trailers. 
They maintain the vintage feel but update the interiors. 
Short story-made longer, this was the inspiration for the fabric for our trailer. 
I'm a blogger, we have to stretch out a story. 


I wanted something modern but with that vintage flair. 
Hobby Lobby was my first stop. 


There were some good options but nothing spoke to me. 
Some Walmart stores have a pretty good fabric selection. 


These are darling but they appeal more to me. 
Bill wouldn't care for them. 
Too cutesy. 




 Ready made curtains with a black out lining seemed like a better idea.
Self lined = no lining fabric to add.
These are made by Eclipse in a color that was discontinued but not on sale.
Boo. 


I'd hoped to find fabric for the couch and shower curtain at the same time. 
The girl working the curtain department felt sorry for me because I'd been there so long. 
It takes me a long time to try to coordinate three separate fabric choices. 
In the long run this deep gray had a nice vintage like texture. 


We went with a curtain rod that sits very close to the wall.  
I have a memory of rods like this being used with cafe curtains in kitchen. 


I cut the curtains to the length required.




These were pretty easy to stitch up. 


We weren't able to use the existing holes for the new brackets. 
It was a little nerve wracking drilling holes into the trailer walls. 



Originally, these were each supposed to be one panel that could pushed to one side when opened. 
I thought it would look a little cleaner and less cutesy.  
 Bill went out the next morning, tried to open the curtains and called me out on it. 
His comments compelled me back to the scissors and sewing machine. 
 Each panel was cut in half. 


When curtains are made, the side hems are done before the rod pockets and bottom hem. 


In order to make them look a little more professional, I had to take 2 inches of stitches out along the rod pockets and the hems. 


At that point I was able to make new side hems. 
Once that was done, the rod pockets and bottom hems were are re-sewn. 
I needed a break from the sewing machine at this point. 


Bill made a good call and we like how they look now.






Adore!

This is so much better than the cheezy valances not found any where else in design.




We love these.
They have the mid-century feel we were going for.
Thanks for stopping by.
Katie

Every Pin Helps!
If you like it, Pin it.
Read about Primer.
Read about Paint. 

Linking this post at these parties:
Dishing and Digging It @ Life and Linda, 

5 comments :

  1. Oh- You did a great job. I made curtains today, too, for a media room---also was going with one panel--put it up and NOPE---had to cut it-undo stitching top and bottom and resew. What a pain in the patooty.

    I don't know why trailers always put those valances up---they are in them from the modest trailers to the very expensive ones. Some man was in charge of THAT design decision. lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fun to watch you spruce up the trailer! I'm no seamstress so I envy your talent. We'd love it if you'd share this with us over at Vintage Charm #91 here: http://bit.ly/2upczMW

    Your newest follower, Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home

    ReplyDelete
  3. You guys made a good choice staying away from black with a dog. The new curtains look way better than the contraption it used to have. Your trailer is looking really good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the gray color you chose, and they look great! Making them yourself let's you get just what you need. Looks like such a fun project!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those look great! I don't understand why campers seem to always come with fabric that no one likes. At least that's been my experience. You're lucky to be able to sew and make the size you need. I think that's about the only way you would've been able to redo those.

    ReplyDelete