After we had a devastating fire in our apartment this summer, it took some time getting the house back together. One of the very last things it took a long time to replace was the shower curtain, oddly enough. There are so many awful designs out there for shower curtains, ranging from the incredibly tacky to the ultra feminine, without many cool, rustic options. Our house sort of looks like an old farmhouse in the West, so I didn't want to ruin that with a shitty shower curtain. Even after trolling through fabric stores, I couldn't find a print I was really happy about, so I decided to just make my own and paint my own design on it.
What you'll need:
- Enough heavyweight canvas to fit the length and height of your shower (54" by 78" for a standard size, a little over 2 yards long if the fabric comes 60" to the bolt)
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Sewing machine, preferably, though you could sew by hand if necessary
- Painters tape
- Acrylic paint in your choice of shades
- Paint brushes
1. First you'll want to cut your fabric to size. You will need an extra inch on each end for the width and the bottom and you'll need three inches on the top. For the top, you will need to fold over the fabric to create a 1.5 inch seam where you will create the holes to attach to the shower curtain rings.
2. Sew each of the seams accordingly, and cut twelve evenly-spaced holes in the top for the shower rings to go through. If you need to, use a shower curtain liner as a guide for the holes.
3. Once the canvas is cut and seamed, you're ready to paint. You can either design a pattern, paint a mural-like scene on it, or if your painting skills are limited, like mine are, you can sketch out a pattern and use the wonders of painters tape to help you through the process. First of all, you will need to measure and mark each of the repeated pattern designs if you are planning on centering them. Once you have marked off where each design will be, use a straight edge or painters tape to draw out your designs on the canvas before painting. I think if you follow the basics of one repeated pattern at the top, centered design in the middle, one repeated pattern at the bottom, it will simplify the process.
4. Begin painting with your repeated pattern at the top, using only your first color and then let it dry fully.
5. Follow up with your second color for the repeated pattern at the top, and let that dry fully as well. If using more colors, repeat the process after the second round of paint dries.
6. Create your center design and tape it off with painters tape. Paint the design, starting from the exteriors.
7. Finish the design and allow it to dry fully.
8. Finally, lay out your bottom design with painters tape and repeat the above processes. Allow the paint to dry fully for 24 hours before hanging. If any of the paint bled through to your work surface, as long as it's sealed you should be able to wipe it off with a soapy sponge.
