DIY Ballard Bowen Stripe Curtain Panels

I'm getting a lot of questions about our new Great Room curtains so I figured I would post about them.

I fell in love with these Ballard Designs Bowen Curtain panels, which are on sale this weekend.   They were over my current budget though. I already had 2 pairs of Ritva Curtain Panels from Ikea, so we laid them out in the hallway and marked off every 8 inches. Then we used painter's tape to create very thin stripes. We eyeballed the thin stripes and just ensured they were straight.

Ballard Designs

These were the supplies that we used.

We have 10' ceilings so the 118" panels were a good length. We used stitch witch to hem the bottoms just a little bit. 

This was the paint that we used. It's called Deep Midnight Blue and I purchased it at Michael's. Before you ask, no, I haven't been to a nail salon. These are press-on nails. I have been a loyal user since way before COVID19. 

 

The Ritva Panels have a linen-like texture. I was worried that they would make the stripes bleed, but we didn't have any issues. We also didn't water down the paint like people recommend when painting on fabric. 

                     

                    

We placed one line of painters tape at the very top of the panel and from there measured and marked 8 inch increments all the way down the panel. We marked the 8" marks 4 times across the width of the panels to ensure that the tape was straight.

Before painting, push down each tape line to ensure it is stuck to the fabric.  You can see that I painted in sections below on our kitchen island.  We taped and painted most of the panels on the hardwood floor in the hallway. Make sure to put a drop cloth or old blanket under each curtain to protect the surface from paint.

This is the bottom of the curtain panel and that's why there isn't a tape line at the hem.

Finish painting all stripes and let dry. Carefully remove the tap. Hang and then use stitch which to hem curtains with an iron and ironing board to the perfect length. We have dogs so I don't puddle my curtains, otherwise, they would be full of dust bunnies. 

Our panels aren't perfect, but we are very happy with them. Don't mind the doggie steps at the end of the couch, our yorkie is 15 years old and has bad hips. 

Should we hang the other two panels in the breakfast room or in the dining room?

Spoiler alert: We added the two extra panels in the breakfast room. 

Curtain Rods

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Will you be painting any curtain panels? If so, share on Instagram and tag me at #findmeontheporch.