In my earlier article about low budget decorating: Decorating on a Penny, deedee1231 left a great comment about how she repurposes second hand sheets and large drapes to make curtains. She is currently in a dilemma, though, because her daughter’s room has five windows, and she can’t find enough fabric to make all of the curtains. She asks for ideas.
Well, deedee1231, I have to applaud you for your frugality and creativity with the curtains. Here are some of the ideas that I came up with that might help you find some frugal material for your curtains. Hopefully, there are others out there who will help out with some ideas of their own!
My first idea is to create coordinating curtains instead of matching ones. Could you find two fabrics that could be combined? With five windows, an uneven number, this might prove a bit difficult. Perhaps one window could be an accent window? Hmm, moving on.
My next idea was to find new fabric that would still be frugal. Since deedee1231 is open to using sheets for curtain, purchasing two or more new sets that are on clearance might still prove very cost effective.
A third idea for frugal fabric is to shop the discount bins at your local fabric shop. You probably already knew that, right? Well, I think the secret here for real savings is to find fabric stores that have a lot of competition, as well as frugal customers. For us here in Pennsylvania, there are a couple of fabric shops that are located in Lancaster, Pa and run by Amish folks. Other Amish folks shop there, and the prices are very low. The shop isn’t advertised, and we only found it through word of mouth. Perhaps you could check with local quilters to find out if there are any hidden gems in your area.
My last idea is to scout out people who might have old drapes that they no longer need. Companies that make their living clearing out other people’s homes of clutter and those who run estate sales might be a good source for fabric. Very often, unless the drapes have historical significance, they are discarded.
Can anyone help deedee1231 with more suggestions?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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