With so many fun abstract patterns making the Internet rounds right now, I knew I needed to try my hand at it, too. I painted this curtain panel for my daughter’s room, so I went with bright, cheerful colors in simple shapes. This window is rather narrow compared to the rest of her room, so I only needed one panel to cover it, but I’m considering making another set for my studio using pastels. It only took an afternoon and instantly lifted the excitement factor on this side of her room!
Working on a project where you need to fill so much blank space and do it evenly can feel a little daunting, but that’s half the fun of an abstract style. It’s not supposed to be precise. There’s a little wiggle room for things being less than centered or slightly inconsistent. The big takeaway I got from this is to work in layers and not be afraid to add more color or more pattern if it’s just not quite doing what you want it to.
Sometimes I’m halfway through a project and it’s all feeling off. Then I just push through a little longer and suddenly it all comes together. This was one of those. If you’re feeling really unsure, test out your pattern on a scrap of fabric first before committing to a curtain panel and make any adjustments necessary.
Supplies
–100% cotton curtain panel (or use cotton yardage and hem the sides and top like I did)
-inexpensive shower curtain liner to protect your work surface from paint bleeding through
-fabric paint in your favorite colors (these were Tulip brand, but I also added in a few other colors as I went that were regular acrylic paints.)
–paint brushes with varying widths and stiffnesses for more control over your brush strokes
–washi tape to keep your shower curtain attached cutely to your floor
Place your plastic curtain liner on the ground or table and tape the corners and edges down to keep it from moving while you paint. Then lay your curtain or cotton yardage on top of it. I chose to work with one color at a time and did a base pattern all over before adding the next color and layer. I tried working in one square foot section at a time, but then it wasn’t quite looking as uniform as I wanted, so I went back to the method of one layer at a time all over.
If you want to layer two colors, be sure to let the bottom layer dry before painting over it. Then follow the directions for dry time before moving your panel as you don’t want all of that hard work to get smeared! If you’re sewing your own panel, hem your edges according to the length of your window. Then attach your panel to your rod.
Make two at the same time for a larger window and to keep your pattern consistent. You could easily do something similar with only a few colors as well. It’s such a fun way to get a custom look and add tons of color and pattern to your space! –Rachel
Credits//Author and Photography: Rachel Denbow. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
27 Comments
OMG looks so beautiful! I wanna try one for my bedroom. Since we are without any curtains now, I want to take the opportunity.
My real problem is space to work, since it seems to need a big space to work and to dry, and my apartment is pretty small and I have a playful dog.
Do you think I can hang it when I finish to let it dry? Or you see a disaster happening if i try to hang it right after end?
Tks!
http://www.loveandeverythingblog.com
That looks like so much fun! Relatively inexpensive too!
I wouldn’t have thought of painting your own design, but it looks awesome 🙂
http://www.thethingislemons.wordpress.com
What a great idea!
Love jacynta xx
http://www.jacyntawalsh.com
What a great idea!! Need to do this for my future child!
This is such a cute idea, and it looks fantastic! http://www.hannamarielei.com
What a fun idea! I’ve been wanting to upgrade the girls’ room from the Dora look and this looks like a great inspiration room. Thanks for sharing, this will be a fun project for us girls during naptime summer.
i dont know the proper term but… is there a DIY for that triangle hanging thingamabober!!!
i want one SO BAD! major heart eyes emojis!!!!
(i love the curtains just as well!)
This is the perfect idea for a playroom or a reading corner. For the playroom, I would definitely involve my kids in the creation of the curtain panel.
Happy Monday
http://www.lovecompassionatelee.com/
Oh my goodness! Love this idea 🙂 would totally use this idea to create a shower curtain–imagine a bathroom with this level of colourfulness!
Gorgeousness!! I love the color!!!
I always prefer custom made. Won’t people flip when they realize that you hand painted that?
http://askmelissaanything.blogspot.com/
This curtain looks amazing! I love how colorful it is!
wow! That is such a lovely and unique idea, I have been following your blog for such a long time and would really appreciate it if you could check one out because You inspired me to start my own blog please check it out: http://snapgracklepop.blogspot.co.uk
Such a great idea and so colorful!
Love this! We have 5 solid white curtains and I’ve been dying to paint them for awhile now, but haven’t found any ideas that I REALLY loved. This looks like the PERFECT option.
This is such a great idea! I’ve not done anything artistic like this with paint for a while, not since I left college so I can’t tell you how much fun this looks to me right now!
Lorna | http://www.studsanddreams.com xx
I saw a pillow & blanket tutorial using pretty much the same thing, this tutorial just adds to a complete room makeover! Very pretty colors and love the design! 🙂
That curtain panel is gorgeous!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thanks for sharing this great idea…I could definitely see this being a cheaper and more unique alternative to designer curtains for my dorm. Woo hoo college DIY!!
<3
Morgan
http://wanderingrush.wordpress.com/
WOW
Love the print you have created ; )
http://mykitschworld.blogspot.com.es
This is the perfect piece of inspiration.
http://www.conversdoiliesandpinkchampagne.blogspot.com
what a cheerful print, great job. Having your curtain painted by hand eliminates the dilemma of buying curtains that would match your rug! If you are on the outlook for a rug that would go with your curtains visit: http://www.dorisleslieblau.com/new-rugs/contemporary-rugs-carpets
These are pretty awesome curtains. My daughter would love these in her room. The bright pink colors are her favorite, and she would love to help me make them as well. Thanks for the great post.
I have a love-hate relationship with abstract patterns. Love this for a children’s space, though!
Pretty sure you can do that with straws and yarn.
It looks very beautiful!A wonderful job, very happy to have found this post! http://goodvinilos.com/es/
Hi,
This is so cute,, a busy motif fabric combining with white simply lace, that’s awesome