| Terrycloth Shower Curtain |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-501 |
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Q: My bathroom tile is black and salmon, and I can't find any kind of shower curtain to match. Can Debbie help me find a solution. A (from DIY's crafts expert Debbie Stapely): If you have trouble finding a shower curtain to your liking, why not make one yourself? Here's an idea for creating your own shower curtain using bathroom towels (figure A). That way, you can choose whatever colors you like. Here's how to do it.
- Measure the opening of your shower to determine the length of towels you'll need. If your shower is particularly tall, you may need to buy bath sheets for the extra length. Or you may want to consider adding a strip of border at the bottom of your shower curtain. Another trick for lengthening your shower curtain is to double the shower-curtain hangers (figure B), effectively "lowering" the shower-curtain rod.
- If you want to simply sew whole bath towels or bath sheets together to make your curtain, the job will be simplified since the towels will already have bound edges (figure C).
- If you opt for narrower strips, you'll need to cut your towels lengthwise and sew the edges together in a manner that will conceal the raw edges. Using a serger, or a sewing machine that has an overlock stitch, will make this job easier, but the job can be done using a zigzag or straight stitch as well. In our demonstration, a simple straight stitch was used.
- Make a "backwards seam" by facing the wrong sides of two adjoining towel pieces together (figure D), and stitch them together about 1/4" in from the edge. This will still leave the raw edges exposed, but they'll be enclosed later.
- Holding the two pieces together, stitch them together on the sewing machine (figure E) to create a 1/4" seam.
- This first pass on the sewing machine leaves about 1/4" seam allowance. Fold the seam over to enclose the seam allowance (figure F).
- Place the doubled edge on the sewing machine, and sew another stitch -- this time slightly more than 1/4" in from the edge. This will result in an enclosed seam with no raw edges (figure G) either on the front or the back of the curtain.
- Continue sewing the pieces together in this manner until you have a curtain made from towel material in alternating stripes (figure H).
- Tip: Some towels have a border band near their top and bottom edges. If you're using towels of different colors or styles, look for ones in which the bands match in terms of their location. In that way, the bands will all line up on the finished curtain.
- Install metal grommets along the top edge of the finished curtain (figure I) for hanging the curtain from the rod. Follow the instructions that come with the grommets or eyelets you select for installation.
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