Catching up with my blog - Box bedroom make over, pillowcase tutorial, and tab top curtains!

So after a busy few months - what with attending Christmas Fayres with Stompy's Craft, Christmas and our little ones birthday - I am back into to adding some bits and pieces to my blog.
This project was created (and written) last summer.... and there are still a few bits to finish....

 

"Our littlest one was just getting a little to big for her nursery and really needed her own space for her toys and to play by herself...

We live in a typical 3 bedroom 1930 English semi detached house and the third bedroom is pretty small approx 2.3m x 2.3m. That wouldn't be too bad but one wall is nearly all window and the opposite wall has the door and the radiator. It is also the hardest room to keep at a steady temperature as it is on a north facing corner.

We decided on 2 beds to give her flexibility and a space to grow into, but after looking at standard bunk beds we still could not get in all the furniture that we wanted (desk, toy storage, wardrobe etc). In the end we decided on the Ikea Hemnes day bed which runs across the window with a cut down (both in height and width) Stora running above it at 90 degrees to the Hemnes. The remaining wall is all Ikea Trofast with book shelves and buckets.

As she is only 2 (and ¾) she is sleeping on the day bed (with plenty of space for mummy or daddy to sit and read bedtime stories). The Stora, instead of having a mattress, has an mdf sheet, and more trofast, here she can play with her Happyland toys.

As the room gets so cold in the winter, making thick curtains was always a priority, also making them snug to the wall to cut down on draughts. On pinterest I found a link to a tutorial for making hidden tab top curtains (thus saving me time to work it out myself). I made some full length two tone spotty curtains, using Clarke and Clarke sage and rose dotty fabric, some thermal black out from a pair of Dunelm Mill ready made curtains. For the third layer I recycled an old pair of highly floral cotton curtains from my parents. This floral fabric was sandwiched between the dotty fabric and black out (with the pattern facing the blackout - so that the flowers would not show through if/when the sun shines through the curtains). I also recycled the header tape from the Dunelm Mill curtains into the hidden tabs - Use this link to see   http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2012/06/tutorial-how-to-sew-lined-back-tab-curtains-drapes-curtain-panels-whatever/ View Along The Way tutorial.

I hung the curtains from the existing pole but used the Ikea Betydlig Curtain Rod Bracket, as these allow you to push the curtains quite tight to the wall. The curtains are full length and are tucked behind the day bed - helping to cut down on the drafts.

The duvet cover I had chosen, was from a discontinued line from Dunelm Mill – not only discontinued, but I got the last remaining cover (ex-display) at a knock down price. Unfortunately there were no matching pillow cases, but there was one pack of ready made curtains left. I used the thermal blackout lining for my curtains, and used the cotton of one curtain to make some matching pillow cases. I have written out how to make a quick pillow case in the tutorial below. "

 

 

As an update, the extra lined curtains have made a real difference, although we have not had any really cold weather so far this winter (just lots and lots of rain!) the room temperature has stayed pretty constant. So I guess I will be altering other curtains around the house to cut down other drafts (and our heating bill!).

 



Thanks for stopping by and looking
Stompy xx