DIY Pleated Ribbon Curtains

Several months go I was in search of some curtains for a guest room that I was redecorating in yellow and grey and I had the hardest time finding any that went with my new color scheme.  Yellow and grey is becoming popular, but it it still hard to find a lot of things that actually match this new color trend and I was starting to get frustrated. 

 

Then...I went to Hobby Lobby and saw the perfect fabric for my new curtains!  Yellow chevron duck cloth fabric!  This fabric is a little thicker than standard cotton and so it made perfect sense to use this for the curtains in my new guest room.  They didn't have much on the roll that day of course and so I went ahead and ordered an entire bolt for myself and they said they would call me when it came in.  I didn't even know that you could do that...

 

I still wasn't sure exactly how I wanted the tops of the curtains to look...I have several curtain rods with rings hanging throughout the house and I wanted something different.  I really like grommet curtain tops, but that just wasn't what I wanted in this room.  Then I found what I wanted...pleated curtains.

 

Oh, and after my fabric came in and I was ready to get sewing I found out that this new guest room was now going to be a new baby room. Yikes! I decided to use the same color scheme since I had already painted the walls and ordered the fabric so no big hiccup there, except for I was in that super tired phase which took away a lot of motivation to get anything done, much less sewing.

 

Now to get them made...with a full time job, new baby on the way and Miss Priss going on two (but thinking that she is fourteen) I didn't get a chance to sit down and get them whipped up all at once, but I did get them completed and hanging and here is how I did it. 
 

DIY Pleated Curtains

You will need:

• fabric of your choice (measurements depend on the size of curtain you are making)
• thread to match
• sewing machine
• 2" ribbon for back of curtains (old ribbon is great to use here)
• iron (or hair straightener)
• straight pins

Optional:

• 5/8" ribbon for the 2 ends (this could be 1" or whatever else you choose)
• hot glue gun (if you don't want to sew on your ribbons)
• Fray Check

First of all you need to decide how long you want your curtains to be.  84" is a standard size of curtains panels that you can buy in a package at the store and when I measured from slightly over the top of my window to the floor that was exactly how long I wanted my panels to be. 

 

But wait, don't cut yet!  You have to make sure to add to the top and bottoms for the hems.  4" hems are pretty and I really like the way that they turn out, but I wanted waste the least amount of fabric that I could to make sure that I would get two panels and have some extra left over for pillows, lamp shades, etc. at the end of my bolt so I cut down my hem sizes a bit.

 

I accounted for a 3.5" hem at the top and a 2.5" hem at the bottom (since no one will really be looking there anyway) and then 0.5" on both top and bottom to fold under to give it a smooth, finished look although this is not a necessary part of the procedure if you ware really want to save some fabric.

With these additions, I cut two panels approximately 91" long x 46" wide (this was the wide of my bolt of fabric, I didn't have to cut this).  My window is 30" wide and so this give me plenty of room to pleat my curtains when I get them hanging.

 

In some instances you may want to fold over 0.25-0.5" and then fold it over again on the side to hide the frayed or glued parts of the fabric, but since I had such a smooth side on my curtains straight off the bolt, I just folded them over once and sewed straight down to hold them in in place.  On one side I only folded about 0.75" of fabric and on the other I had to do 1" to hide the sides of the fabric (see the pictures above and below for each side). 

When both sides of both panels have been sewn straight down the edge, you are ready for the top and bottom hems. 

 

Before we start talking about hems, let me tell you what I have learned about ironing.  First of all, I don't iron...I don't have time, I don't have room for or want to store an ironing board, and I just don't want to do it!  Instead, I will plug in my hair straightener in the morning and do my hair and if my shirt or pants need a little ironing, I use the straightener for that too.  I just put it on there and squeeze it together and then guess what?  You get heat on both sides and no big iron or ironing board is needed.  I still do own an iron though and so if it is a big project I will use it in the floor with a towel, but in some instances, like hems on curtains...you can just squeeze that straightener on it and run it down your hem and voila, you are done...so much faster!  And easier to keep out of reach of kiddos too.

 

Now back to sewing, for the bottom hem, I folded it over about 0.5" to start with and ironed it down flat. On this hem, since it is at the bottom, I only made a 2.5" hem and put in a few pins to hold it in place.  You can try to use the design on your fabric to make sure you are folding it over evenly, but a lot of times fabric isn't printed straight and it can throw you off. I get out my sewing tape measure and just move it along the fabric every couple of inches and make sure that at each movement the folded fabric at that point is equal to my intended measurement, which is 2.5" on this hem. 

I really started trying to line it up perfectly at one point and was starting to stress out a little and then I told myself that it was at the bottom, it would be touching the ground anyway and NO ONE was going to know if it was just a little off and to quit trying to be a perfectionist! This made the rest of the project a whole lot easier...and faster. Once you are confident in your measurement, sew straight across your hem.  Do the same with your second panel.

Now for the top hem, again I folded over about 0.5" and ironed it out flat and this time folded over another 3.5" using my sewing tape measure to make sure that it was 3.5" all the way across. 

 

In the picture below I actually folded the bottom hem of the curtain up to this one and used it to somewhat line up my bottom hem and check for straightness, but again, using a sewing tape measure every couple of inches or so to check your measurements is the best way to check for errors.

This time, before sewing your hem, you have add your ribbons for the pleats at the top.  Start by measuring and marking where you want your ribbons to be.  You can try and do some kind of engineered calculation for how big you want your pleats to be, etc. or you can do what I did and space them out evenly across your fabric the way I did below.  Note that on the ends though, I used a 5/8" ribbon so that it wasn't so bulky there.

 

I put the 5/8" ribbon 1" from the edge on both sides of the panel and then measured out about 4" to 5" across the rest of the panel and marked with a fabric marker (or straight pin if you so choose).  I did this to both panels and then counted the number of ribbons I would need to prepare.  This gave me 4 of the 5/8" ribbon pieces and 8 of the 2" ribbon pieces.  The length of your ribbons will be determined by the method of attachment that you choose below.

 

Now, there are two different approaches that you can take here:

 

The first option is to sew the ribbon onto your curtain (which is what I did and I think the best option in the long run, especially since I might have a little girl tugging on them at some point).  To do this, flip your hem out as shown in the picture below so that you are looking at the right side of the fabric to allow you to pin and sew on your ribbons correctly.

 

I cut my ribbons about 4" long so that I could fold them under to make them look finished, but this does take a little more time and is not necessary since they are on the back of the curtain and no one will probably ever look at them.  I folded the top and bottom of the ribbons to make them the same length as my hem, which was 3.5" and pinned them onto my markings. 

You can them sew across the edge of the ribbons that is closer to the inside of your fabric (which will be the top of your curtains).  By sewing them on now, you won't have that thread showing on the right side of your curtain once you hang them.

Here is a close up of what they will look like at this point.

 Flip your hem back over so that you are again working on the wrong side of the fabric and pin the hem and ribbons down for your final hemline.

This way, you can sew across your hemline and the bottom of each piece of ribbon all at once and only have one hemline showing on your curtain.

Your curtains are now done and your ribbon is securely attached to your hemlines with a clean, finished look and no additional hemlines are showing on the front of your curtain.  Do this with you other panel and you are ready to hang them up!

 

The second option is hot glue your ribbons onto the back of the curtain. I don't recommend this option, but it is there for those of you that are not comfortable with sewing or in a time crunch.  For this method of attachment, you should have already folded and ironed your hem to the size that you want and marked for ribbon placement.  Sew across the hem just as you did for the bottom and then use a hot glue gun to glue your ribbon onto your markings. 

 

This is by far the easiest option, but not the most stable. IF you do decide to use this option, I would recommend that you use Fray Check or some other product to keep your ribbon ends from fraying and falling off. You can also use a lighter to burn the ends, but they won't look as nice.

 

Hang your curtains and then scrunch them together like this to get your pleats and you are done.  The ribbon allows you to open the curtains easily and maintain the pleated look when closing them again.

The window that I put these curtains on is very narrow and right up next to the other wall.  I wanted to make the window look larger and so I moved my curtain rod out about 8" from the edge of the window and hang my curtains there instead.  The curtains are essentially covering up a portion of the wall as well, but when someone sees them, they can only assume that they are covering the window itself.  Even when the curtains are open, they are scrunched on each side and you can't see that they are actually covering part of the wall!

I am so glad to have this project completed and I love the look that these curtains give! 

Party Meatballs

Meatballs, meatballs, meatballs!

 

Who doesn't like meatballs?  Well, actually, I am not a meat eater for the most part, but I have not met a person who has tried these that doesn't like them. 

 

We have people over at the house quite a bit for football games, basketball games, UFC fights, birthday parties, swim parties and other events and many times I need something fast and easy to make.  I have been making these party meatballs for years and every time my husband has company his friends always want me to make them.

 

Each and every time I make them they disappear and as always, I really enjoy recipes that are easy to make and this is one of them.  You don't have to be a super fantastic cook to be a hit with these...even though I am sure that I am!

 

These are great for kids and adults alike and have a sweet flavor that everyone will enjoy.  I have made these a few times this season already and will probably be making some more with all of the big games coming up.  Hope you enjoy them as much as all of our friends do.

Party Meatballs

 

Servings: 45-50 meatballs

You will need:

• 2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top stuffing mix ~ chicken flavored
• 2/3 cup water
• 16 - 20 oz crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 bottle (18 oz) original or hickory BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

Preheat the oven to 425°F. 

Mix together the meat stuffing mix and water and roll meatballs about 1 inch in diameter and put in a 9x13 inch baking dish and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until they look done.

 

While the meatballs are in the oven baking mix together the crushed pineapple (drained), BBQ sauce and brown sugar until well blended. 

When the meatballs are done baking, pour the sauce mixture over the meatballs and back for another 10 minutes or so until heated thoroughly.

For an easy make ahead recipe that still tastes fresh you can bake the meatballs and then pour the sauce on top without baking, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight and then heat for about 15-20 minutes the next day until meatballs and sauce are heated thoroughly.



This recipe yields about 45-50 meatballs and it perfect for any party, potluck, picnic or any other get together. 

 

Click here for a printable version.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Need a quick and easy appetizer for a holiday party or maybe for a watch party this weekend?  Dips are always a good pick and this one is especially good.  I like to think that it is healthy too since it has spinach and artichokes in it...forget about all of the other ingredients that area added to it to make it taste good.

 

I made this dip for the first time several years ago when I saw it on a flyer at the grocery store and since then I have changed it several times and now I finally have the one that I am sticking to.  I have changed the ingredients a bit and also made it a little speedier for preparing last minute.  No need for baking in the oven when you can use the microwave! 

 

One of the other reasons that I like this recipe so much is that you don't have to search for exactly the right quantity of an item.  For example, I used a little less spinach this time than I have in the past in order to use what I already had at home and it didn't ruin the entire recipe.  

 

I have also seen some dips similar to this recently with bacon in them and tomatoes on top.  I love tomatoes and so I might have to make another modification to this recipe for next time.

 

 I forget about this recipe sometimes and it slips my mind when I am in a hurry and trying to find something great to make, but now that it is officially in my online recipe book I wont forget anymore.



Spinach Artichoke Dip

 

Servings: 20  Calories: 300  Fat: 8g 

You will need:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed & well drained OR 1 can spinach, chopped & well drained
• 1 jar (approx. 7.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese (plain mozzarella is fine too)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

 

Spread cream cheese onto bottom of microwaveable 9-inch pie plate or 2 quart casserole dish. If your cream cheese is too hard to spread, place the block in your microwavable dish and microwave on high for 15 seconds and check again. You may do this more than once, but make sure not to microwave for too long.

Make sure that your spinach is thawed, chopped and drained. I like to put the spinach into a food processor to make sure that it is in small pieces. I also like to put my artichokes in the food processor and do the same, but this is an optional step.

In a separate bowl, mix together the prepared spinach, artichokes, both cheeses and garlic powder until well blended and spread over the cream cheese.

 

Microwave on high for 2 minutes at a time until heated thoroughly.

When ready, you can serve with crackers, tortilla chips, sliced bread or even in a bread bowl (I tried Wheat Thins also, but preferred the tortilla chips or bread). You can also use a spoon or spatula to stir the mixture and blend the cream cheese with the top layer before serving. 

 

Click here for a printable version.

 

BOO Footprints Sign

This year for Halloween I wanted to do something special with Miss Priss.  She is still small and does not really know how to do much crafting yet, but I wanted to remember this year with her. 

 

I have seen many different ways of imprinting footprints as keepsakes, but then I saw this!  It is a great memory of her little feet on her first year or trick-or-treating and will also serve as a Halloween decoration for many years to come. 

 

I didn't get this completed in time to put it out this year because well, life just got in the way...but, it is ready to go for next year and I can't wait to put it out and show Miss Priss what her little feet looked like.  And next year, I will have another little ghost to add to the decor!

 

This is such a simple project that can be done with things that are easy to find and that you might already have at home.  This can be done with older kids as well...you just might only be able to fit one footprint rather than both.

BOO Footprints Sign

You will need:

• chalk board
• white acrylic paint
• acrylic paint for wording in whatever color you like
• paintbrush(s)
• black paint for eyes (I used a paint pen)
• your baby's feet

Optional:

• stencil for lettering
• ribbon (for bow on girl ghost)
• hot glue gun (for ribbon)
• Fray Check (for ribbon)

I got my chalkboard at Hobby Lobby, but I did also see them at Wal-Mart!  The ones at Wal-Mart were a bit cheaper and the only thing that I noticed what that if you were actually going to use them as chalk boards they might not be that great, but for this project I actually think the ones at Wal-Mart would work better than the ones at Hobby Lobby because they had a much smoother looking dark black color to them AND they are much lighter in weight so if you wanted to add ribbon to the back and hang it on the wall it would be perfect.

 

Paint the bottom of your baby's feet with the white paint.  Make sure to cover the entire foot and you may even use a scrap piece of paper to see how it will turn out and how much pressure you want to apply before putting it on your chalkboard.

 

I wanted a ribbon on one of Miss Priss feet to make a girl ghost and so I used my Fray Check on the ends to keep it from fraying and made a ribbon for her hair and hot glued it onto the foot.  This actually worked out really well since there was a little mess up with the heel of the second ghost and I was able to cover it with the ribbon.  You have to make sure that your little one is being cooperative while you do this or you might have an odd shaped ghost!

 

I then used black paint pens to make circle eyes on each of the ghosts.  You could use a paintbrush, but I didn't really trust my shaky hands with that small of a circle.  You might even be able to use a black sharpie as well, but I didn't try that?!

 Using my Cricut, I cut out a stencil for my wording and taped it to the chalkboard before I began painting.  If you trust your freehand painting go for it!

I used purple paint so that everything was not orange and black, and because purple is my favorite color of course.  For those of you from Oklahoma, I am a Sooner and so orange and black, even at Halloween, is hard for me to cover my house in.

I painted my letters within the stencils trying to make sure not to let it bleed under the paper. 

Once it was dry, I took off the stencil and went over the purple paint slowly by hand to make it darker and to make sure that the lines of my letters were straight.  The number of times you will have to do this will depend on the color of paint and chalkboard that you choose.  If you are using orange, you probably wont have any issues with being able to see it though.

 

And for remembrance sake, I also used a paint pen to record Miss Priss's name and the date that we took this cutie footprints.

 

Once you have your painting done and it has dried you can decide if you want to hang it or place it on a shelf or easel.  You could add some ribbon or twine to the back and hang it on the wall or as a door hanger or just sit it on the shelf or mantle.

This was a very simple and cheap project, but it holds memories that will be used for many years and can be passed on a little easier than a footprint on a piece of paper from daycare.

Pumpkin Puppy Chow

Pumpkin season is back and this year I'm pregnant so the pumpkin desserts are gonna get crazy and I am going to try all of them!  The first new pumpkin treat that I have tried this year is Pumpkin Puppy Chow.

For some reason I have really been wanting to make this.  I love pumpkin of course and Puppy Chow is always a favorite treat at the holidays.  I looked around to find the perfect recipe and even though I have found many great recipes I didn't find that perfect one that I was looking for...and so, came my collaboration of many recipes to come up with one that was simple to make (since this was a last minute decision to make today and I didn't want to have to go to Wal-Mart for the third time this weekend!), but still fantastic.

It turned out really well and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make, even with Miss Priss standing between my legs at the stove the entire time!

Pumpkin Puppy Chow

 

Servings: 12  Calories: 300  Fat: 8g 

You will need:

• 8 cups Rice Chex
• 2 cups (1 bag) white chocolate chips
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Optional:

• Reece's Pieces (I used this in mine!)
• Your other favorite Candy

Pour your Rice Chex into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Slowly melt the chocolate chips on the stove on a low setting and stir frequently until melted.  It might look like they are not melting, but believe me they are and you do not want to burn them!  It doesn't take very long and so it is best just to stand there close to the stove so that you can stir them often.

 

Once the chips are melted, sprinkle in the pumpkin pie spice and mix well with the chocolate.

 

While the chips are still melted and warm pour the mixture over the Rice Chex and mix thoroughly to make sure that all of the Chex are coated.

 

Pour about half of the Chex mix into a gallon size ziploc bag or a large container with a lid.  Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and shake for a minute.  Then add about half of your candy pieces (if you are adding these) and shake until the Chex are fully coated with powdered sugar and you have no clumps.

 

This is where it might be best to use a ziploc bag because you can use your fingers to break up any clumps without having to open the container. 

 

Do the same with the remaining Chex, 1 cup powdered sugar and candy if needed and shake, shake, shake.  This makes a gallon size Ziploc bag of Chow.  I listed it as 12 servings, but this will vary depending on how much you want to eat.  I do not know that actual serving size rules since I am not a nutritionist (or I wouldn't be making this anyway)!

 

I got a little excited about this one and so I took a lot of pictures.  This was so simple and tastes so good...I am sure that I will be making this again before the season is over with and then starting on my plans for some Christmas Puppy Chow!

 

Click here for a printable version.