Anna Spiro-Inspired Tasseled Curtain Panels {A DIY Project}

The holidays are over and done with, resulting in a fresh wave of excitement for new DIY projects around the house. In the next few days, I'll share the progress we've made in our finished basement. I'm looking forward to continuing progress we started in 2013 and sharing the details here throughout the coming year!

Today: it's all about a tasseled curtain panel project inspired by that tremendously talented Aussie Anna Spiro.

We hosted our annual holiday party a few weeks back. This occasion spurred me to get a start on projects in our finished basement, where friends congregated, chatted and celebrated. That night, I scanned the space and decided to start enlivening the area with curtains.

Scanning Pinterest for inspiration, I came across a familiar designer and image I had noted months ago: this pair of tasseled curtains from Anna Spiro.

(via Instagram)

Anna Spiro (of the Black & Spiro boutique and Absolutely Beautiful Things blog) uses bright color and pattern with aplomb, making it all look effortless along the way. But here's where the story got interesting: I searched for tasseled fabric by the yard everywhere but never found any.

So, I made my own! To start, I determined the placement/# of tassels for each curtain panel. I went with the budget Lenda curtain panels from Ikea but Ritva curtains would also work!

Excel came in handy to plot the placement and spacing of the tassels on each panel:

I settled on 20 tassels per panel (my panels were 55" x 77") and ran out to grab my supplies:

(Lenda curtains/scissors/vanishing ink fabric marker/needle & thread/ruler/tassels by the yard)

As you can see, I went with a monochromatic look for my tasseled curtains which add texture without screaming "pop of color"--which is a phrase I loath!

I hemmed all the curtain panels (8 in all) to the appropriate length and got to work marking the placement of each tassel using my guide, the vanishing ink pen and a measuring tape. Each panel was marked for 20 tassels.

The ink disappears after about 24 hours, so I got work quickly sewing on each tassel by hand--which sounds intimidating but it isn't. I tacked a tassel at each X by sewing through each tassel three times then knotting the thread at the back of the panel.

I repeated that step about 160 times (I swear, it didn't take long!) and then my Anna Spiro-inspired tasseled curtains were complete. I absolutely love what the tasseled accents add to the otherwise-plain panels.

The addition of the tassels is subtle but even more impactful in person. It was hard to capture the curtains in photos since it's been so dark since the bout of wintry weather we've had recently...sorry 'bout that. When I get a chance I'll snap some additional pics, I promise.

I do love the curtains and I think they add a lot to the space. Check back this week to see more progress in our finished basement!