I have decided to have a go at making my own grommet curtains for the house to save on money. I'm not the most accomplished seamstress but I can do basic sewing through making my cosplays so I am hoping that will be enough. I have found a tutorial and it doesn't seem too scary. I actually understood it which gives me hope :D Here is the tutorial.
I have fallen in love with the idea of using hessian (or the material you might know as Burlap or Jute) for the curtains. It's a very simple, rustic looking fabric and I think the juxtaposition (bringing out the big words :P) between the elegant wainscoting on the walls with the rough fabric will look lovely. I have noticed a lot of true French Provincial homes use a lot of natural materials and textures that are practical and yet still look elegant. I'd also like to add a panel of lace to the bottom of the curtains just to add that touch of pretty to an otherwise plain fabric. Sort of like this table runner except a longer strip of lace:
I've also noticed in many pictures that it seems pretty common to add a differing panel to curtains so I feel pretty good about the decision. How pretty does the simple, rough hessian look with the delicate, elegant lace <3
I also stumbled across a great idea for curtain tie backs that I think I will use. Spoons! I know it sounds sort of weird but I think the result is gorgeous and looks a bit like some of the ornamental French tie backs I have seen (but with a far cheaper price tag):
As I mentioned in my last post I have decided to keep an eye out for furniture to paint up and look nice. In Tasmania it's so hard to buy brand new pieces of French Provincial looking furniture. There's not a lot around and what is around is expensive. You can get it a lot cheaper on the mainland but by the time you freight it here the cost is the same as buying an expensive Tasmanian piece!
So yesterday I ducked down to the local City Mission shop to see what they had. Some of their stuff is brand new and expensive which is not what I was after. However i did find a few really great pieces that I am going to go back in next week and lay by.
One is a large timber table which would seat at least 8 people. It has gorgeous carved legs and they are only asking $120. I reckon it's been looked over by a lot of people due to the fact it's an ugly orange-y pine colour. However with a paint and the top stained I think I can make it look as nice as some of the tables I have been looking at that go for $1500+
The second is a dressing table with mirror. It's pretty ugly superficially but with a lick of paint and some new handles it has a lot of potential.
The third one is a lounge suite. It's already in great nick but it's an emerald green colour which I think is why it hasn't sold. Given our house will be very neutral I think the emerald green might give a nice punch of colour. I'm planning on putting some neutral coloured cushions on it too to help tone down the vibrancy a bit. It's really green! But the fabric is in mint condition and is a lovely soft velvet. The couch, two armchairs and 2 footstools are under $300 which is a bargain given similar lounge sets brand new are in the $4-5k range.
I'll take some before and after photos when I do them up and you can see what you think :) I'm actually quite excited to have some new projects to work on.
Also I have decided to go with light grey curtains and sheers on the windows instead of wooden shutters. I still love the idea of wooden shutters but they are sooooooo expensive. I figure curtains will be a cheaper option for the immediate need of privacy and then later on we can always get wooden shutters.
