It's A Burlap Party!

Well, I finally got my projects done for the burlap party - about 15 minutes ago. Nothing like getting right down to wire before finishing it. But, it just wouldn't be like me if I did it any other way. I sorta got hung up on figuring out how to do one part of it. I'll explain later. Would you like to see what I made?

Drum roll, please.....

Ta Da!


I finally got around to making a shade for the window and a shower curtain for our teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy bathroom. It's spent the past 15 months since we've lived here just as naked as a jaybird.


The shade even works. Impressive, huh? Yeah, I'm sure you're just 'oooh-ing and aaah-ing' right now wondering how someone could go through life with such undiscovered talent. This is where you can gag if you must.


For real, though. I really like it. The burlap was a breeze to work with except for the part where I had to try to figure out how to make button holes 'cause I'm too cheap to buy grommets. My sewing machine is supposed to make automatic button holes. It has a special presser foot and everything. I never could figure the darn thing out. The manual that came with my machine had instructions in 4 languages and I couldn't comprehend a single one of them. They should make sewing machine manuals in the "For Dummies" series. I ended up googling how to do it, and thank God, I came across a video clip. I was bright enough to make a practice strip to try them out with first. Even with that, it took me a really long time to make those boogers. I started to really get the hang of it when I had 2 or 3 button holes left to make.

Originally, I was going to make my shade and shower curtain out of ivory/black toile. I so love anything toile. It gives me warm fuzzies just thinking about it. But, since the weather is heating up I kind of feel like I don't want anything visually heavy in there. I love how the burlap still lets light filter in the window while providing much needed privacy. I might decide to make a toile set for winter some year. We'll have to see. But, for now, I'm digging the burlap. It let's my "hymnal" wallpaper be the star. (I'll post more on that later.) I still need to paint out the wood surfaces. Once they are white like the rest of the woodwork in there it will be perfect (for me).

So, did you join the party? Would you like to see what other creative ways people used burlap? Then follow me on over to Southern Hospitality and let's see if we just can't get some more organic inspiration for this awesome fabric!