Michael Basler, director of public relations for Creative Publishing International, explains how to use curtains as creative wall cover-ups. Curtains add softness to a room and are great for covering unsightly or damaged walls. They also add a bit of soundproofing to a space and may be changed to fit a mood or a season. Hang tab-top panels or shower curtains looped with cording from individual hooks or knobs for an appealing new look. A linen curtain panel topped with a silk border and tabs looks elegant hung from a row of brass hooks. Or try hanging a good-looking shower curtain, looped with raffia or decorative cording, from a row of drawer knobs installed as curtain hangers (figure A). To hang curtains from cording, first tape the ends of the cording to prevent fraying. Loop the cording through the shower-curtain hole, and tie a square knot, then remove the tape, and allow the ends to ravel a bit (figure B). To make a silk tab-topped curtain border for a curtain panel, first determine the size and spacing of the tabs. For a nice drape, the tabs should be spaced one and a half to two times the distance between the hooks or knobs they're hung from. For a finished tab 1 1/2" wide, cut two pieces of fabric 2" wide to a length double the desired drop from the ceiling plus 1" seam allowance. Stitch each tab, right sides together, with a 1/4" seam along each side. Turn right side out and press flat. When all the tabs are sewn, stitch them to the wrong side of the top of the curtain panel, aligning the end of each folded tab with the top of the panel. To make a silk border along the top of the panel, fold a length of fabric in half and press, right sides out. Align the raw edge of the border with the wrong side of the curtain panel, and stitch a 1/2" seam along the top edge. Flip the border and the tabs to the front of the panel, press, and topstitch along the top and bottom edge of the border (figure C).
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