Doh!

[susandennis]

I have storage cabinets at either end of my terrace. They are hidden behind curtains. The last time I updated the curtains, I used painters cloth. 9x12. The 9 feet was just a little short of what I needed but it worked. Over the course of time and weather, the curtains have shrunk. Now they look like the pants of a 12 year old boy after a growth spurt.

Changing them out is not something I can do easily by myself which is one of the reasons I haven't done anything about it. Lazy is another. But I'm on it now. I got out my pencil and paper last night and did some massive arithmetic to nail down exactly what length and width I needed and how best/cheapest to get that done.

Bigger painters cloth would cost about $100 for the terrace. Buying the muslin and doing the hemming myself would cost about $70.

The rod to floor measurement is 109 inches. The side to side is a little over 5 feet (60") so I need about 80 inches or so. What's up there now is about 8 feet (96") by 11+ feet (132").

So... for those of you (everyone, I'm sure) brighter than me, can easily see that the trick is to just rotate the current curtains. Unhang them, rotate one turn and rehang.

Cost would be $0. Doh to the max. Time to break out the ladder and get to work. They also need to be washed. Project!

On the same day I was being a curtain idiot, I may have, accidently, turned into a pants genius.

I used my regular pattern but tweaked it so that I could cut out one pair of pants from a yard of fabric instead of the two yards my pattern uses. The result was a perfectly fitting and comfortable pair of pants that are nicely slim without being leggings. I love them! And they cost me half the fabric. I'm wearing them today to make sure they are as flawless as I think they are. If they test well, I'm going to churn out a bunch.

Today is house cleaner day. So while she's here making my house sparkle, I'll be out getting gas, Diet Dr. Pepper, maybe checking out Goodwill and doing a grocery run. I have a list. Now, if I can only remember to check it.

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Have you considered using shower curtains?

[susandennis]

sure but 1. not nearly long enough - shower curtains are only about 75" square - I need a minimum of 109" on the long side minimum so 2. to get coverage for the entire area (x 2) it would cost a fortune in even the cheapest ones from Walmart.

[ladythmpr.livejournal.com]

The result was a perfectly fitting and comfortable pair of pants that are nicely slim without being leggings.

I want a pattern like this! Would you be willing to tell me the original source? And what the tweak is to get it to take less fabric?

Thanks!

[roasted-beets.livejournal.com]

I thought you were going to sew some colorful patchwork to the bottom of the current curtains to make them long enough. :)

[susandennis]

hmmmm wow. That idea does not suck. hmmmm That idea does not suck at all.