Monday, January 6, 2014

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.
anna spiro tasseled curtains
anna spiro tasseled curtains
(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:
plan for organizing tassels on curtain panels via Meet Me in Philadelphia
I settled on 20 tassels per panel (my panels were 55" x 77") and ran out to grab my supplies:
supplies for tasseled curtains via Meet Me in Philadelphia
(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.
marking spot for tassels via Meet Me in Philadelphia
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.
tacking tassels to curtain panels via Meet Me in Philadelphia
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.
DIY tasseled curtain panels via Meet Me in Philadelphia
DIY tasseled curtain panels via Meet Me in Philadelphia
DIY tasseled curtain panels via Meet Me in Philadelphia
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!

15 comments:

  1. Good for you! Looks great. I'm curious - was it a special pen that you used?

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    1. Hi Michele--the pen is a vanishing ink pen by Dritz meant for sewing and embroidery. I included a link to buy it on Amazon, but you can also usually find them at Joann Fabrics, too.

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  2. Amazing! I may need to do this in EMS room! Great job as always Ashley!

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  3. So glad I stumbled on your blog today. Looks great! I'm going to have to google anna spiro and check out her work. Great resource for inspiration. And yes, please update us with more photos.
    Sharon
    :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sharon, welcome! Thank you so much! Please check back b/c once the weather cooperates, I'll be sure to add more pics of the curtains!

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  4. What a fun DIY! I am trying to think of what I can tassel now....

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  5. You had me excited at Anna Spiro and then when I saw the after I'm delirious!! So genius and they look nothing short of AMAZING!! Bravo my friend! Now you can help me make some. And - I hate 'pop of color' as well.

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  6. First of all I've never seen these fabulous tassel panels and I'm in love with them! I really like your neutral take on them - just enough to be interesting without screaming "Pop of color". So sick of that one too. I blame HGTV. Happy New Year, sweet Ashley!!

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  7. Oh you are ambitious! Making your own tassel fabric that is impressive. It is so pretty, surprising it is so hard to find. Your basement turned out great and LOVE your inspiration photos.

    Allie of ALLIE NYC
    allienyc.com

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    1. Hi Allie, thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind words!

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  8. Love them! I have been eyeing my ritva's and thinking about doing a little embroidery like a pair I saw in Kathryn Ireland's book....maybe I will take inspiration from you. I love that you did a tone on tone thing. Happy new year!

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  9. So fab! And such a great idea. I'm like Elizabeth, in that just having Ana Spiro in the title got me super excited. And then, your finished project was so so fab!! Great work!

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  10. So very chic! You always have the best DIYs. Of course you would have an Excel spreadsheet to figure out your tassel placement! And I'll try and remember not to use the phrase "pop of color" . . . I'd never want you to loathe me!

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  11. I love this! I especially like the tonal white on white. Pinning!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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