Updating your window treatments doesn’t have to mean throwing out your old curtains.Your old curtains present a window of opportunity for your home design.
Make a Clean Sweep of Reusing Curtains
Your curtains may be out of style for decorating your home, but they are never out of season for keeping your home clean. Old curtains make perfect dust rags.
Simply cut your curtains into little squares and keep them on hand to polish and wax furniture or floors. Be sure that the fabric isn’t abrasive enough to scratch furniture as you rub it.
Start by testing a small surface area and letting the polish dry, before administering the rug to the entire surface.
A Case for Making Pillowcases
Every room can use more pillows – from sofas to recliners to beds.
Let’s face it, pillows make every space more homey and comfortable. But as any home decor lover knows, pillow cases can be expensive to buy brand new. This is why you should never throw away your old curtains.
Disassembling your old curtains can leave you with several feet of usable fabric.
This fabric, even if it is imperfect in shape and length, should provide enough footage to cover a pillow or two. Even if you aren’t handy with a sewing machine, the simple square pattern of a pillowcase is simple enough even for the most amateur of crafters.
Uneven shaped curtain pieces allow for you to use your imagination to create small throw pillows or elongated lumbar pillows.
A Little Curtain Magic
So you’re finally getting rid of your large, theatrical curtains in favor of a more minimalist look. Great choice!
But before you toss those curtains into the trash, why not take a look at them with a fresh pair of eyes? Child’s eyes, that is. Your old curtains may set the stage for your kid’s to have a whole lot of fun.
Large curtains are perfect for hanging in a play room area to mimic stage curtains. You can use a laundry rope or curtain rods, to fasten the curtains against opposite sides of a wall or corner of the room. Kids will spend hours pretending that they have a real life stage in their play area, to conduct plays and rock concerts.
Children’s Toys
You can make stuffed animals with old curtains. You can design the curtains to look like horses, tigers, birds, and other animals. Use a really sturdy fabric as covering and stuff the unused fabric inside the animals to add to size. If your kids already have stuffed animals, you may also make dresses for them using the old curtains. You may also use the fabrics to make costumes, masks and balls.
There are many other creative ideas for repurposing old curtains. If you have good designing and sewing skills, you can definitely make very useful things out of the old fabrics. If you want to make money, you can sell your handicraft online.
So before you make a curtain call on getting rid of your curtains, why not set the stage for fun instead?
Old curtains are still very useful and can be repurposed into many different things you can use on a daily basis. They can be used as mats, table covers, shower curtains and the like. However, they can also be converted into useful things like:
Curtains to Women’s Bags
With the right fabric and design, an unused curtain can be designed to make women’s bags. A tote bag is a good example. It would be perfect for holding various accessories when you go out with friends of family members. You can also sew pocket for the tote bag.
Making a pochette out of the old fabrics is another cool idea. Pochettes may also be designed for men. The envelope shape of the bag can is suitable for storing small things. You may even use it to hold mobile phones or tablets.
If you like to have adventures or visit the gym often, you may convert the old curtains into drawstring bags. The bags are great for holding food, water, towels, and other necessary stuff you want to carry along with you on a hike, swim, or visit to the gym.
If you want a larger bag, you can convert the curtains into backpacks. You may need a few other materials for this one, but it is possible to make a sturdy backpack with heavy old curtain fabric. Backpacks may be designed for men as well.
If carry your laptop whenever you are on the go, then perhaps you can make laptop cases or bags. This is actually the easiest bag you can make out of old curtains. To make a laptop bag or any of the bags mentioned above, you need to practice your sewing skills first, though.
Women’s Apparels from Curtains
If you have really good fashion designing skills, you can make t-shirts and skirts out of old curtains. As long as the fabrics are comfortable to wear, then you can start making them into fashionable apparels. You may even use the fabrics to make socks, scarves, necklaces, and other fashion accessories.
Keep Your Home Warmer by Keeping Old Curtains Around
If you are refreshing your home’s style with new curtains, try and visualize windows in less-trafficked areas of your house that may benefit from hand-me-down curtains.
Areas like the basement and garage often go without window treatments, even though a simple curtain can provide insulation and costs savings on heating.
Even if you are down right sick of your old curtains, putting them in a garage or basement, where nobody will see them, is a smart way to keep your home warmer during winter months.
Your old curtains can do more than you think. While it is tempting to toss them away, keeping them on hand for creative projects and cleaning is always a smart idea.