Short Curtains and a Pin Hook Tutorial

After many successful attempts at stalling, I managed to finish the curtains for Madeline's room.  No, they don't touch the ground.  Yes, this was on purpose.  

When I made the decision to try short curtains I knew it was a risk but, if it worked, one that would save me a lot of money.  Those savings would allow me to spend more accessorizing in other ways.  Lucky for me, they turned out and I still have a large portion of my small budget to spend elsewhere in her room.

I wrote a little here about Madeline and I disagreeing over the color palette for her room.  My pick was coral, turquoise and yellow.  Her pick was purple and…purple.  Mean li'l mom that I am, I immediately broke her heart by saying no purple.  I saw this fabric, though (and because I'm nothing if not kind-hearted, fair and generous…real mom-of-the-year type stuff ),  I immediately knew it would work to add a little.  The purple running through the drapery fabric is subtle and such a pretty color.  (You can see it better in these photos).  When I brought the fabric home, I got squeals of delight and a very dramatic, "You're the best mom ever!"  

I purchased two of these curtain rods for $10 at a local thrift store over 2 years ago and finally get to put one to use!  I started by spraying it with Rustoleum's brass spray paint.

I'm not a big fan of the oh-so-popular clip rings, but I also didn't want to spend a lot of time on these, so I decided pin hooks were the way to go.

Then I used Britt from Gus and Lula's nifty shower curtain ring trick.

These plastic shower curtain rings are only a dollar and once they're sprayed, you'd never know they weren't the real thing.

I had some leftover rings from the roman shade and attached those to the shower curtain rings so it would pivot and hang correctly.

Then I attached the rings to the pin hooks.

I placed a pin hook 1/2" from each end and then every 7 1/2" in between.

The panel and lining were sewn using the method from the pinch pleated drapes tutorial.

This is my styling assistant, Isabelle, who insisted that she wasn't tired and wasn't in need of a nap.
I beg to differ.

I'm in the process of sewing a duvet cover and pillows for her bed.  More on that later this week!

What do you think?  Would you try short curtains in your home?  If you're thinking not, maybe you'll change your mind after reading through the cost breakdown.

Cost breakdown (tax not included):

main fabric (4 yards): $24

lining (4 yards on sale): $12

rod: $10

rings: $2.40

pin hooks: $2 (the heavy duty ones can be found at your local upholstery store)

Which makes a total of $50.40!

P.S.  Have you read Emily A. Clark's article on this new curtain trend in the most recent House of Fifty?