Yes, it's true. My car is truly fixed and it seems better than ever. My friend, the mechanic, said it was really four security systems and he could see why the dealer didn't want to get involved. He said he had only installed one system in his entire career but he has removed over 500. They eventually break down and removing is the only option. I had to get a new battery too. He said to keep driving my vehicle and see what happens. That was my plan too.
Now about the curtain in my bathroom. It is directly across the hall from my guest room that has full length curtains in the same Lily of the Valley fabric. I previously had this curtain on a black rod with ball finials that covered the side woodwork. They were parted in the center and the black rod showed and the curtains hung straight down.
I decided to redo the top casing so there would be a ruffle on top and to hang them from a tension rod this time. I wish I had made the casing for the rod a smidge bigger so adjusting the gathers would be easier. But it worked so I am not about to get out my seam ripper.
I decided to pull them back and experimented with a grosgrain ribbon, twill tape and ended up with organza ribbon and I love the look.
*Note: I had the overhead light fixture on to brighten the room and it was a warm bulb that makes my Lancaster Whitewash walls look beige. This window gets the morning sun from behind and never any direct sunlight on the front of the fabric.
I love the look of a sheer ribbon that does not hide any of the design. I put a ring through the fabric and made a continuous loop with a stapler. The ring is at the end hanging on a decorative nail. The panels will be easy to close in the summer when the hot sun is blazing and I want to block it to keep the house cooler. All I have to do is unhook the ring and slip the ribbon loop down to the bottom hem and completely off and reverse the process to part the panels again when the sun is on the other side of the house.
Being without a car has been a blessing in many ways because I have gotten so much great work done without the distraction of leaving the house. You know what I mean, when you leave and come back, you sometimes lose your momentum and it's hard to get back into the swing of things.
I will catch up on my errands tomorrow. xo
21 comments:
OH MY GOSH. I love that Lily of the Valley fabric for your curtains!
So happy to hear that you got your car back!! The bathroom curtains are just perfect! Doesn't it give you a sense of satisfaction to be able to rework something and actually improve it? Good job, Rosemary!
So happy to hear your car news, and your curtains look crisp and fresh. I read today that the late, great decorator Mario Buatta, who just passed away within the last couple of days, often re-worked items in his client's decor, such as draperies, into new things.
Yeah
The best news possible about your car.
Know you are relieved and grateful for your fine mechanic's skill.
Ah, rest well
Love the curtains, too.
You surely have put your time without wheels to good purpose.
YAY for a fixed car, fantastic.....I'm so happy for you Rosemary.
The curtains are lovely, love that fabric.
Lovely curtains! I wish you had shown more before and afters. I make a lot of curtains for my house also. Only the living room ones are store bought. One thing I did that worked out. I cut a tablecloth in two to make curtains. They now are in my sewing room. Awful tablecloth but sorta great curtains.
Thank you for the information about car alarms and glad you have your car back - amazing how dependent we are on them.
The Lily of the Valley is my favorite flower. Would not have thought to look for it in curtaining. Will begin the search. The organza ribbon is such a lovely idea, I must look into that as well. Much appreciate your ideas!
Aw, Lily of the Valley was my grandmother's favorite flower. I have some in one of the beds in the front of my house. Actually, I have a lot of it. It spreads!
I'm glad you bought the drapes. I love when stuff calls to us and we answer. I have a piece of art in my dining room that I fell in love with in an antique store the moment I laid eyes on it and admired it each time I was at the store and one day, in the car with my mom, said, "I need to go buy it." It turned into quite the escapade – the store is about 45 minutes from my house, the art was too big to fit into her car, we had to borrow my brother's SUV, get the art, drive it here, drive back to his place to return his vehicle, etc. – but I love it and am so glad it was still there when I went back to buy it.
And HOORAY FOR YOUR CAR and your wonderful mechanic! I'm glad you have a new battery, too. I've had issues with a few of them. And folks don't always think to replace them. They figure as long as the car starts, the battery is fine. And it is. Until it's not. They have dates on them, kids. Pay attention to that when you're buying a new one. Don't buy one that's already old.
It seems to me that the more "bells and whistles" they put on vehicles these days, the more they cause trouble!
I know exactly what you mean about having trouble getting back into the momentum of making successful progress around the house after going out and coming back home. Why is that?
As always, I love seeing the pictures of the various areas of your home and the great eye you have for decorating.
Gail, northern California -- Gail, I'm glad you like the fabric too.
xo, Rosemary
Pam -- Yes, improving the curtains has given me much pleasure and a sense of accomplishment.
xo, Rosemary
lisa -- I did not know about the recent death of Mario Buatta. Thanks for telling me. I kew he loved chintz but did not know that detail about reworking the owner's things into a new decor. How nice. The reason I like to buy draperies that are already made is because they are already lined and hemmed so all I have to do is rework the top.
xo, Rosemary
Linda -- Thanks for your delight that my car is fixed. I am back to being useless again. I shopped for groceries and didn't do anything meaningful today. I'm calling it a decompression day.
xo, Rosemary
The Queen Vee -- Victoria, I know you were worried about my being without a car. I am glad to have it back and the bill was quite reasonable. Thanks for being happy for me. Everyone is liking that curtain fabric.
xo, Rosemary
jane -- Your sewing room curtains made from a table cloth cut in half sound delightful. I love looking at old textiles trying to figure out what I can make from them. Repurposing is so much fun.
xo, Rosemary
Grace Frazier -- I hope you can find the fabric or something similar with Lilies of the Valley. I am glad to hear you like my ideas.
xo, Rosemary
Beth -- You're right about lilies of the valley spreading. That's another thing I like about them. They don't require any care either.
I love your story about the large piece of art that waited for you. It's great that you could borrow your brother's car to get it home.
I didn't realize batteries were dated. You know so much about cars and have been a big help to me. Thanks. Knowing a great mechanic makes life so much easier. I am lucky I could find mine after he relocated. He's in my phone now along with other important people in my network of life.
xo, Rosemary
Mama Pea -- As I have mentioned, I didn't get much accomplished. After I did my errands and went food shopping I just didn't feel like doing anything meaningful around the house. I think it's the clothes. I was too lazy to change into work clothes so I gave myself a vacation day.
Thanks for your kind words about my decorating.
xo, Rosemary
Oh, good, I'm glad you had his number in your phone. I have my mechanic's shop and cell numbers in mine. It makes me feel safer.
To Jane's point about using tablecloths for curtains, I have a big window in my dining room that never had curtains on it before I moved in and I would have needed a ton of yardage to make coverings (I didn't want to feel like I was in a fishbowl at night). I had a tablecloth on the dining table and was mentioning to Mom how that was the kind of pattern I'd like for the curtains. And we looked at each other and I yanked the tablecloth off the table and held it up to the window and then I bought four more tablecloths to use as panels (and used the existing tablecloth to make shorter curtains for my TV room and used the extra bit from the middle to re-cover the seats of the stools at my kitchen counter.
For the big window, I got a long rod and cafe curtain clips and just folded the top of the tablecloth back on itself to get the correct length and to create a bit of a "hem" or "valance" at the top. No sewing! Huzzah! And for the TV room, using the two ends meant I only had to sew one side of each panel. I used a rod and cafe clips in there, too.
I made cafe curtains for the guest room out of muslin in a pinch, just to get something on the windows and never did make anything more "official." And the curtains in the dining room on the smaller window are simple panels with a little pocket sewn into the top for the rod.
The curtains in my office are repurposed from one of my apartments. They're not the ideal window treatment for in there but they cover the window for now!
And, come to think of it, I bought a swag-y thing at Bed Bath and Beyond years ago and cut out the middle to again only have to stitch one edge and made decorative panels for each side of my living room window. Vintage lace panels that belonged to one of my grandmothers are my sheers.
I do believe this is the most I have ever written about window coverings! :o )
Beth -- So in addition to being a car expert, you also sew and are a window treatment expert! I love the woven patterns on nice damask table cloths. They make great duvet covers and pillow shams too. The large sizes of table cloths make them ideal for big windows. Where there's a will, there's a way. I love your stories.
xo, Rosemary
Rosemary, I am in love with your curtains! They are gorgeous.
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