5 Steps to a New View!

Easily add a little (or a lot) of length, and a touch of personal style to store-bought window dressing by adding a crocheted edging. I love the vintage nod this Cotton-ish, lacy motif in a neutral color (“Grey T-Shirt“) gave to my contemporary , pop-colored curtains. Here’s the “recipe” to create your own look!

Step 1: Pick an edging pattern you love. There are a bunch of great resource books, filled to the gills with crocheted edgings. I selected the Simple Filets and Shells pattern from, The Complete Book of Crochet Border Designs, by Linda P. Schapper (Lark Books)

Psst! Prefer knitting? No problem, this project works well with both crafts. For inspiration try, Knitting on the Edge, by Nicky Epstein (Sixth & Spring Books)

Step 2: Pick a yarn. I’m partial to Cotton-ish (duh) because it’s got a lovely drape, affordable, and durable. Any cotton, bamboo, rayon, or silk blend could work, though!

Step 3: Swatch & do the math! I know, those are two of my least favorite things, too. Both steps are really important for this project, though and your efforts will be rewarded with edging awesomeness. After you’ve created your swatch in the yarn and pattern you’ve chosen, measure it to get your stitch gauge (how many stitches per inch) Next, multiply your stitches per inch by the width of your curtain. Round up or down to coincide with multiples number for your particular stitch pattern.

EXAMPLE:
My curtain width = 54″My stitch gauge = 3.5 sts per inch
3.5 x 54 = 189
Stitch pattern I chose requires multiples of 12, though so I rounded up to: 192 sts.

Step 4: Crochet your edging!

Step 5: Pin edging to curtain bottom, and sew on ( I used a strand of yarn, a sharp, tapestry needle and the blanket stitch, but a whip stitch and needle and thread would work, too.)

Note: You can also crochet directly onto the curtain using a Sharp Crochet Hook, blanket stitch row, or pre-punching holes. I chose to attach mine afterwards however, because I like my projects to be mobile (so I can work on them during any spare moments.)

Enjoy!

xx,
Vickie