Project File: Easy, Beachy Grommeted Drapes

I had mentioned this dining room project about a week ago...and I had completed two of the three window panels at that time. I was patiently waiting for an order of fabric to come in so I could share this quick fix project with you! Here's how they came out...

and here's my original inspiration for the panels- I picked up the June 2011 issue of House Beautiful and fell in love with this simple, classic, uncluttered house in one of it's features.  While I wouldn't want my whole house to be this streamlined- I loved the idea of these easy, laid-back window treatments.  The home owners said they put them up as temporary window treatments when they first moved into their home- and they just sort of stayed- and I love it! I knew they would work for our transitional dining space (a MAJOR work in progress:)

Check out the spread...

House Beautiful, June 2011, pg. 89. Interior by Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller, Photographs by Francesco Lagnese

Oh- and now that I'm looking at it- I'm realizing I was also inspired by the grain sack chair covers in the shot above (for the design I made on the panels)- I really like classic linen with the clean stripes...

they also look pretty fabulous in the image below in pinstripe fabric against the gorgeous grass cloth wallpaper in the home office...

House Beautiful, June 2011, pg 90. Interior by Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller, Photographs by Francesco Lagnese

So- here's what I did.  I had a couple yards of this fabric- by Premier Prints laying around (I had bought it at least a year ago and never got around to using it- I unfortunately have A LOT of fabric like that...) but it wasn't enough for all three panels- hence the secondary order.

I hemmed all four sides of each panel after measuring to the desired size.

Here are the grommeting tools- I had purchased a similar kit back in my teaching days- and it was thankfully as simple as I had remembered:)

find it here

This is the device that is included in the kit- purpose: to cut the circular hole in the fabric for the grommet to fit through- not sure if the linen was too thick- but it did not work...

so I resorted to scissors (not the safest bet- but it worked fine- if you opt for this method- go SLOW and CAREFUL)

then- I placed the main part of the grommet through the backside of the hole...

then put the ring on the front side- and laid it down on the metal circular guide

then placed the metal pounder-thingy through the hole and hammered away (I used a regular hammer- which worked just fine- the package recommends a ball pein hammer, $30, and not necessary)

and there you have it!

 After ironing each panel- I laid them down- and applied masking tape in various lines across the fabric,  both width and length-wise.

I used my stencil brush for this- the stiffer bristles helped control paint leakage under the tape lines.

Then I applied the paint (acrylic, mixture of white and cream)

I totally eye-balled the lines- I didn't want the panels to be totally matchy-matchy or symmetrical- and I am an instant-gratification-ADD type of gal who is not patient in projects like this....oh- and I attached brass hook eyes on the window frame to hang them from.  I like the privacy that it provides in the room now, and that there is still plenty of light coming through the top panes that are exposed.

and to take them down- you simply unhook one side- I love the laid-back feel.

Now to design the rest of the room...D and I are headed on a Brimfield antiquing-date next weekend!!!!! WHOO WHOO!!!

#1 item I'll be searching for is a refurbishable banquet/bench to go along one side of the table- wish us luck!