Good Morning!
Yesterday I began working on the curtains that will cover the lovely dark turquoise walls in our spot for "Restored~Home". We have 2 large walls to cover and I decided that white ruffles would be lucious!
I studied a couple tutorials.....you can find them here and here and then sort of improvised and came up with my own version. Hey, it's what I do best!
After 12 hours......I'll get to THAT part shortly.....this is what I had....
This is the first of 5 panels. They are 6 feet wide by 8 feet long and require 12 rows of ruffles.
Sounds easy enough, right? HA, I laugh with you and at you!
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
This is where it all began....piles and piles of bleached, flat white sheets. I scoured all sorts of rummage sales and Goodwill locations to find them.....in an effort to keep the cost down. In the end, I ended up purchasing a few at Wal-Mart. Trust me when I say that you will need more than you think!
Each row of ruffles requires double the width of the panel. Yup, do the math!
You will need one of these also...
Yes, I know she is very "mature" but I LURVE her! "Ruby" is a team player! Even when I was ready to give up SHE was still going strong!
This is a little friend of mine that I like very well...
We create beautiful things together!
But this guy......oy vey.....HE is a real culprit!
I am pretty sure that he is demon posessed.
But check this out.....they package him in a sweet pink box.....
A wolf in sheep's clothing, I tell ya!
Let's just refer to him as "Damien" from here on out.....
Now maybe part of the issue is that I opted to be a cheapo and only paid 15 bucks for Damien. I'm not sure. I could have paid upwards of 40 dollars.....ouch.....I just could not rationalize paying more for a ruffle foot than I did for all of the material.
If anyone knows about these little babies please fill me in. I still have 4 more panels to make!
Anyhoo....I digress.....
After you cast out the demons.....(this requires a young priest and an old priest....sorry, I am on a roll and have exceeded my coffee intake this morning......)
This is what you will have.
Ribbons and ribbons of white, fluffy ruffles! Ecstasy......
Warning....another "off topic" comment:
Have I ever told you that I adore the smell of bleached fabric?
Strange, I know......probably something that I should seek counsel for.
I'm pretty sure it is my mother's fault! I was raised by a germaphobe.
Dr Phil.....Oprah?? I wonder if they would be interested in my story?
Sheesh......
You can see in this photo where the ruffling would start out nicely and then my little demon posessed device (Damien) would start kicking, screaming and spewing green stuff.....are ya with me?
I got Mr. YBR to oil him up a bit (Holy water, I think) and that seemed to help. But, if you are going to attempt to use a ruffle foot just be aware that they are not as easy as you think they will be. *grin*
In the long run I think it saved me some time but there was a steep learning curve (remember my reference to 12 hours?). It is quite a tempermental device......just persevere.....and have a seam ripper handy. *smile*
Here's a recap.....
You can go from this...
to this...
You only need a few items....ie. sewing machine, thread, fabric, ruffle foot.....seam ripper....
(even I am laughing at my hysterical sense of humor....someone please stop me!)
Make sure you have plenty of this...
WATER......
(I had strongly considered Vodka at about hour 4 but I don't really drink and I wasn't sure how much time I could get for "Drinking and Sewing.")
and this....
(Blue Bell Milk Chocolate.....it affects the brain like Valium....for me anyway)
and some frequent hugs from one of these....
and it doesn't hurt to keep one of these close by, as well.
She loves me no matter how the project turns out!
Ok.....you've tolerated me long enough this morning! Go enjoy the rest of your day!
I'll be back with another round of spine tingling drama.....all in the life of Rhonda......
Blessings Abundant.....
This is where I am partying this week:
How pretty! You are one determined woman!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful...BEAUTIFUL!! I would have required a wig with the water and the icecream....I would have pulled ALL of my hair out:) I want to see where you hang them! Thanks for linking them.
ReplyDeleteGirl.. over from NTT, I talked myself into buying a cheap one also. Thought a ruffler is a ruffler, right? Noooo, it was a pain in the butt. Finally when Bernina had a sale I bought the name brand one. It sews perfectly! Thought about selling the cheap one but didn't want to put anyone thru that misery. You are one determined girl. I tried to ruffle one little project and that was it for me.
ReplyDeleteThe ruffles are so cute. Thanks for sharing with my newbie party.
ReplyDeleteI LOOOVE them!! Worth every minute, I hope, they are yummy!! Love your blog...I found you on restore interiors :)
ReplyDeleteI love the layered ruffle look and I know it is so worth it in the end! I am a HORRID seamstress let me tell you.
ReplyDeleteI break needles and had to pitch my sewing machine because I bent the armature that holds the needles and the repair man said it would be cheaper to buy a new machine than fix the old one!
I have great respect and admiration for a seamstress! It takes the patience of a saint and I don't like patterns much and just want to be done FAST on a sewing project soon after it starts!
And you wonder why I bent the machine!??? LOL
Love what you have made here,,,, and I too
love the smell of freshly bleached whites, especially hanging on a line in the sun! Ohhhhhh. Ahhhhh!
xoxox
Alison
Wow! Just gorgeous! Alot of work there but a job well done!
ReplyDeleteOH how I love this, and OH how I wish I had the patience! You did a fabulous job...Marcia
ReplyDeleteLOL! Your post had me in stitches (pun soooo intended!) I'm teaching myself to sew at the moment and I have to say that a sense of humour is absolutely necessary! Your ruffled curtains look divine...I love ruffles and one day hopefully I will be able to tackle a project like this too :)
ReplyDeleteCas x
P.S. I'm now following along, cos you cracked me up and I love to laugh :)
These are gorgeous and you are HILARIOUS!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm your newest follower!
ReplyDeleteWow- your ruffles are GORGEOUS!! What a cute post too! :) Would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday sometime!! :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE the ruffled wall!! All of your hard work paid off. It's beautiful! It was great meeting you today! Have a super weekend.
ReplyDeleteJennifer
Your project turned out lovely. The ruffles look sooo good :) Thanks for sharing at Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.
ReplyDeleteI got such a good giggle out of your post!!!
ReplyDeleteYep, I did it too!, but I bought a gathering foot first, became a so so pro on that (pro, ha ha) so figured I could use a cheapo ruffle foot? Well, it's around here somewhere! Every time I see it I cringe and want to cry. It's such a fantastic idea until you make the slightest little teeny tiny error, then you cannot get it back on track.......ugh!! Well that was my nightmare, I have the sweats now, I may not sleep well tonight! :(
Your curtain is to DIE FOR....I will be back to see how it all looks when it is finished!!!.
~~Wendy
You are so funny!!! That wall is amazing, you have the patience of Job!
ReplyDeleteLove the ruffles. I want to make my daughter a shower curtain like this for bathroom. I wonder if drop clothes would work for that. My mother had a Singer similar to yours growing up. Hers finally died and now she hates to sew. She bought a new machine and hates it. Love your blog and will definitely consider taking your chalk paint class. I am in Tomball so you are not to far away for me.
ReplyDeleteCristine
like the ruffle wall...all your hard work paid off..like it.
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