Less Mess

I'm excited to post about the DIY/Sewing project I did over the weekend. Lately, I've been watching a series of posts from IHeart Organizing, specifically the "One Month to a Cleaner Home" challenge. I was browsing through thinking how I should actually clean and/or organize a space of my own rather than sit in front of the computer just wishing my house was organized.

As I was looking around to see what I could wanted to organize, my eyes fell upon the top of my refrigerator. It was a mess! There were bottles, papers, old batteries, miscellaneous cat items and the list went on. Above the refrigerator were three small doorless cupboards. There was just more junk in there, and without doors to cover the mess up, it just added to the clutter on top of the fridge. I came up with the perfect idea to tidy the spot.

I purchased some fabric and made a small set of curtain panels. I already had a curtain rod somewhere in the basement. I figured, I would purge some of the mess and hide any remaining mess behind some curtains.

It was a success! The top of the fridge is now beautiful and clutter-free. The curtains give it an even cleaner look. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Here are the before and after photos:

Doesn't it look great? I'm so happy with it. I love the fabric too. Not only does it match my kitchen perfectly, but I got it for a steal of a deal because the fabric store is having a closing sale.

Curtains are a great way to cover exposed areas. They are also one of the easiest things to make. I'll show you how I made mine and hopefully, it will inspire you to make some for yourself.

First, measure the area you want to cover. Also, never assume that everything is equal when you are measuring. For example, the first two cubbies in my project were 14.25 inches long while the cubbie on the end was 15.5 inches. Once you have your measurements, add at least an extra 1/4 inch for the seam allowance (maybe more depending on how you finish the edge).  Also, you will need to add a few more inches to the top of the curtain panel. I added about 2 inches. This extra fabric will fold over to become the tunnel for the curtain rod to feed through. Depending on the size of the curtain, you may want to add more fabric.

Next, cut your pieces. In this project, I used a serger to serge the edges of the fabric to prevent it from fraying.

Now, we need to make the edges nice and neat. Fold the edge over, press, then sew it. I cheated a bit here. Ideally, you should fold the edge over twice so you don't see the serged edge. It just makes it for a nicer appearance. Since no one would see that side of the curtain panel, and I was working during a nap (with limited time), I just sewed the serged edge down. Finish three edges, leaving the top edge of the curtain unfinished. This will be done a little differently to incorporate the curtain rod.

This is how it should have been sewn.

 For the top, you will essentially do the same thing that was done for the other three edges, however, you will fold over a much larger amount of material. I folded about 2 inches.

Only sew the long edge and leave the ends open to allow the curtain rod to go through. Next, secure the hardware for your curtain rod. I put my curtain rod inside the cubbies. Feed the curtain panels onto the rod, then attach the rod to the hardware.

Voila! There you have it. Now your messes can be covered up and no one will be the wiser :)

I've learned a lot from my first DIY/Sewing post. In the future, I will take more pictures. I think everyone appreciates lots of pictures for step by step instructions. I also need to keep the lighting conditions in mind; especially since I'm only using a cheap camera. And finally, I feel that my sewing pictures will be better once my crafting room in complete. I'll post some pictures of it when it's finally done. It's a work in progress... a long work in progress.

So tell me, what areas in your home have you organized and how did you do it?