A Room With a View

It’s taken me over 5 years, but I finally got it done. Augie and Eddie’s room has curtains!

This room gets hit with direct sunlight every afternoon and in the summer, it’s brutal. The room heats up and no one can nap long with the light in their face. So these curtains are sewn with basic cotton squares on the front, but is backed with “blackout” fabric which completely blocks out the light. Even Chris was amazed how well it worked. (I got the blackout fabric at Fabric Depot for less than $6/yd.)

The other challenge is that it’s a huge bay window and we weren’t sure how to hang curtains over all 3 windows. In the end, we went with four panels that attach to the ceiling of the window. We bought some cafe curtain rods, but couldn’t use those because of the inside angles. Chris came up with a length of copper pipe bent at the corners.

Next was figuring out how to hang it. Those darn curtain things are expensive! So, I used shower curtain hooks instead and sewed in some button holes. It’s not perfect, but hey, the boys can open and close their curtains with ease.

My family tells me I’m crazy for sewing a patchwork curtain instead of a simple length of fabric and for appliquéing the letters of their names. To me though that’s the beauty of making something yourself. It’s original, has special features and it’s just the way you like it. What more can you ask for?

I also wanted to show you the other things in the room that I love.

The bookcase:

Made by Chris, this thing is solid wood, holds everything and has adjustable shelves for the ever changing book & game selection. It even supports a huge fish tank that was the boys’ birthday present this year.

On the other side of the room is the closet:

Again, made by Chris, it’s solid wood and has adjustable shelves. Each boy has their own side and each can reach most of their clothes. The baskets hold the things that tend to get messy- socks, underwear, and t-shirts. They can rummage through to find “the” shirt or underwear that they must wear today.

On the other side of the closet is the Light Saber holder:

Yep, one HAD to be made because the one that came with the sabers wasn’t good enough. These are probably the boys’ most prized possessions. No, they are not the same as the other 500 plastic light sabers we already own. These are different. They light up, make “the noise”, AND they connect to make the ultimate weapon. (By the way, the green tape around the sabers is Chris’ doing so he can film the boys better for his “movie” he’s making- umm, yeah, another hobby.)

So that’s it. That’s the tour of the boys’ room with our many handmade things that are perfect for our family. Hope you liked it!