::Baby G:: DIY Blackout Curtains

Another project done! This past weekend we decided to conquer the curtain project to keep the sun from fading all of our new and exciting baby items! :-)

The nursery is the room of the house that gets the most sun as the sun sets on that side. While the sunset is gorgeous, it doesn't make for a room that will be conducive to midday napping. We knew we wanted blackout curtains but didn't want to pay the extreme prices that 108" curtains typically cost.

Last weekend I was doing a search and I came across curtains at amazon.com that were the perfect shade of purple in 58" x 108" for $18.99! Crazy cheap! I read some reviews and people commented that they were somewhat sheer. I knew I would be able to figure something out so I went ahead and bought them.

They arrived on Friday and they are definitely sheer as in they should have been described as sheers not curtains. :-) The hubs and I turned them into blackouts and they are hung, all ready for the baby! Here is how we did it:

This is the window prior to curtains. These are 9' ceilings and the window is about 70" wide. (See here for the post about the canvases).

These are the curtains we purchased. After working with these curtains today, I have learned that there is a reason they were only $18.99, not the best quality but they definitely worked for what we needed.

We went to Jo-Ann's and purchased black-out material. They sell it in 54" rolls by the yard for $6.99 a yard (on sale today for 40% off). Since each panel of the curtain is 58" wide, the 54" width is perfect. We wanted the black-out material to be slightly more narrow than the curtains so the white didn't peak out when hung. The black-out material is vinyl on one side and feels more like a fabric on the other. We put the vinyl side facing out to the window, not sure it really matters which way it is hung.

The curtains had grommets at the top that were a bronzed metal. Originally I wasn't planning on changing anything with the grommets but when we purchased the curtain rod, we bought it in brushed nickel and it looks strange next to the bronze.

I cut the panel of grommets off from the rest of the curtain and ran a zigzag stitch to keep the material from fraying. I wasn't really careful or neat with this part since I knew it wouldn't show.

The hubs and I then laid the material on the floor flat and then laid the blackout material over the curtain. We cut the blackout material about an inch or two shorter than the length of the curtain and made sure to center it. I pinned a 2" hem at the top making sure to pin the curtain and the blackout material together. I then just ran a simple stitch along the top. (I didn't remember to take a picture of this part, oops)

The 2" hem wasn't wide enough for the curtain rod to go through without being too snug to move it. I ran to Jo-Ann's and bought rings with clips, in the end I think this is a much easier way to open and close the curtains so it ended up working out better than originally planned.