Designer Sandi Reinke discusses not only unique romantic window dressings, but also those that can be handmade with little expense. From things found in nature such as pine cones, flowers and bamboo, she shows how to create these extraordinary window coverings.
Organic Window Hanging
Materials:
tape measure
scissors
two pieces of abaca (both tight-weave and broad-weave types)
aluminum foil
glue gun
wooden curtain rod
potpourri
twigs
Steps:
- After measuring the window, use the measurements to cut the abaca to size. This doesn't have to be perfect because the natural cloth creates a casual look.
- Line a table surface with aluminum foil, then set the broad-weave abaca on the foil. Place the tight-weave abaca on top.
- Glue the sides of the abaca together.
- Fold the top and bottom edges down, leaving plenty of room at the top edge. The top fold serves as the casing for a rod to go through. Glue the edges down (figure A). A great way to ensure that the glue adheres is to roll a wrapping-paper tube over the edges.
- To make the pocket, cut a patch of broad-weave, or java, abaca and center on the larger fabric. Fold down the edges, with a larger fold at the top edge to match the casing.
- Glue the left edge and bottom of the pocket, then fold the right side over so that you can create a second narrow pocket adjacent to the larger pocket (figure B).
- Lay a bead of glue down the fold, bring the fold over, cup the material just a bit to create a pocket, then glue the right side down to finish both pockets.
- Once the glue dries, the large pocket can be filled with potpourri, while the small pocket can hold twigs and other natural items such as those found on a nature walk (figure C).
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