Circus Curtains For Studio

My studio needed new curtains, and I wanted something bright and cheery.   I’m going for a look that’s something between an old fashioned circus and the Gryffindor Common Room from Harry Potter.   I found some wonderful fabrics on one of my favorite websites; FabricGuru.  They have some amazing deals but most things have limited quantity so you rarely see the same thing twice.   

The first fabric is a scarlet and yellow stripe with some burgundy lacing which lets some light through.  I like it because it looks like streamers.  The second fabric is a reversible iridescent taffeta in shades between red and gold.

I used wide grosgrain ribbon at the top of the striped curtains, making a casing like a French seam, with the raw edge hidden and a gusset for the ribbon ends.

I chose the lighter side of the taffeta, and made a casing at the top, narrow hems on the sides, and a hefty hem at the bottom for weight.

I cut stars out of black wool felt (I have lots of scraps from making witch hats) and arranged them in alternating rows of small and large.

Instead of going around all the edges of the stars (thirteen stars x ten sides each x six curtains = headache) and because felt doesn’t fray, I started stitching in the middle of each star, went out to a point, backstitched to the center and repeated for each point.  Now the stars are securely attached and have a nifty quilted look.

The star curtains got tension rods in the lower windows.  The door windows got free hanging striped curtains and the rest got pairs swagged back with giant black grosgrain bows.

I love that my new curtains let some light in while blocking part of the view outside (of a giant blackberry bush and the heat pump). 

 They make me think of stage curtains or bunting under the big top.  They really perked things up in my studio, and they make me smile whenever I see them!