DIY Linen & Lace Closet Curtains

Way back when we turned a spare room into my first studio, we removed the closet doors to maximize the space:

The doors have been off ever since, but after the room became our master bedroom it was feeling a little bare:

At the moment, the closet is being used as Brad's workspace since my little sister has moved into the man cave. It's just a temporary setup and will be replaced with a dresser (most likely) when she moves out later this year.

I wanted to bring something soft and textured to the space, so I decided curtains would be my best bet. After going back and forth about what type of curtains (patterned, solid, striped?) I settled on a combination—natural linen fabric with lace trim. All DIY, of course, as I'd never be able to find something like this in a store (or at least in my budget).

I picked up my supplies at JoAnn's—5 yards of linen and 5 yards of ruffley lace trim that I spent far too long picking out.

I love me some fresh linen...

The first step, as with any fabric curtain project, is to wash and dry them as they will shrink. My panels went from 53" wide and 91" long to 49" wide and 86" long. Glad I bought extra.

Once dry, I ironed the wrinkles out (although this fabric is naturally "relaxed" and will never be completely smooth, which is fine by me).

Then I laid out my panel on a flat surface. I use my wood floors as a guide to make sure everything is lined up.

The bolt of fabric must have been a bit crooked because my edges were not straight at all...

After trimming the crookedness off both ends, it was time to measure where I should make my fold for the rod pocket. I measured my closet and decided I needed about 3-4" off the length for the curtains to touch the floor, so I used my big ruler and made a line at 7" which is where the folded edge would end up at.

After trimming off all the scraggly ends, I got out my ironing board, ran a strip of stitch witchery along the line and ironed my hem:

All done:

For the bottom end, I just folded the very ends over so the rough cut edge wouldn't show:

Now for the fun part—ruffling it up.

For this I simply used my stitch witchery along the edge of the front of the curtain and centered the lace over it:

It wasn't necessary to do the opposite side because it'd be up against the wall hidden in the closet.

Repeat the process for the second panel and I had myself some fancy curtains!

To hang them, I picked up this adjustable rod for under $10 at Walmart:

They slid right on:

And here they are...

I love the romantic touch they add to the space.

(just picture it with a pretty vintage dresser instead of looking like a cubicle in there)

The length worked out pretty well—they just barely kiss the ground.

Here's how the rod looks from a lower angle. It's holding up quite well, but just to be safe, Brad drilled a couple hidden screws in the center to keep it wedged in place.

So yeah, I'm a little in love with my new curtains and the girly touch they add to an otherwise gender neutral/slightly masculine room. It kinda feels like Valentine's Day. In the french countryside (just me?)

I have a few more things to do in here, but we're waiting on my sister to move out before I can reclaim the closet and make a proper reveal/after post (no rush girl, stay as long as you want!)

Another living room switch up is planned for my next project. It involves more pretty/romantic-ish fabric. Woo hoo!