fabulously french for five dollars

There's something about anything French that just makes my heart sing! French food, music, literature, art, event things that evoke the culture is beautiful to me. I also love old hand writing... so I put the two together for these quick and easy curtains.

I used muslin, which is about $5 a yard at Walmart. The great thing about muslin is, it's 108 inches wide, which is double the normal fabric width. I used 1/2 yard, which made two curtains, with lots left over.

I ripped the fabric 18 inches wide and 36 inches long. I did not sew the seams, because I LOVE salvage edges. All fraying and beautiful... I turned 4 inches down for a hem.

Run a simple stitch across the top, so that there is a pocket for the rod, using that 4 inch turn down - you can do less of a pocket, but I have a thick rod.

Next, use an online translator to change your quote from English to French. Mine says "A house is built of bricks and beams, a home is made of love and dreams." I printed it out on regular paper, using a downloaded font, using a 150 point font. Once printed out, tape them down to a flat surface in the pattern that you want to create. You will also need to tape your fabric down to the surface, on top of the print outs.

A long, skinny brush is the best kind to use for this project. The strokes closely mimick the old quill writing, which adds character. I used air brush paint, but you could use any permanent paint.

The particular brush I used was a #1 liner - long thin bristles.

Use one hand to slightly stretch the fabric, to make it smooth so the brush will glide easier.

After a few practice strokes, it's easy to learn to move the brush to trace the print.

Once finished, let the fabric dry, then lay wax paper over the painted image, put paper towels on top, then heat set it with an iron for about 20 seconds on each spot. I do it a small area at a time.

Once finished, hang your curtains, then stand back and pretend you are in the south of France!

Posted at DIY Day