I have been pining for a ruffled shower curtain but I'm not willing to spend large amounts of money on it. I was roaming pinterest when I found this blog post on DIY ruffle shower curtain. I modified the instructions some, but I followed her basic outline. So here you have it - the steps to make your own ombre, ruffled shower curtain!!
What you need:
1 twin size flat sheet - $4.97 (bought at Walmart)
2 full size flat sheets - $9.47 each (bought at Walmart)
fabric dye (color(s) of your choice) - $3.79-$4.99 (depending on the color - bought at Hobby Lobby)
about 10 hours of time :)
Step 1:
Cut your full size sheet (I used a little bit of the second sheet, but if you have sheet with different measurements you might only need 1 sheet to cut) in 5 inch strips. I used a tea box as my ruler so I didn't have to keep whipping out my measuring tape.
Step 2:
After you cut your plethora of ruffles, you want to use a zig zag stitch to prevent them from fraying. I ended up getting lazy and only zig zagging the bottom of the ruffle and leaving the top part because you wouldn't be able to see that when it was all finished.
Step 3:
This was my favorite part, and the best part is that I made it up as I went along! After you finish your zig zagging, it is time to dye your bottom pieces for the ombre effect. I had no clue what I was doing, and didn't follow a single direction on the container :) I read that you are supposed to stir constantly for 30-60 minutes...who has time for that? I had to dye 6 strips and I didn't have 3-6 hours to spend stirring fabric. So here is what I did. I put a little bit of dye in a big bowl of hot water. I then dipped one ruffle in the water, swirling it around for 5 minutes.
Take it out to compare it next to the white piece of fabric and decide if you like the way it looks. I rinsed my strip in cold water, and hand washed it with a little detergent and hot water. Wring it out, and hang it to dry. Next, add a little more dye (think a tablespoon or so) for your next ruffle, and another tablespoon for the one after that. Since I needed my bottom layer to be dark enough to cover izzie's hair, I bought black and added a little in the last 2 ruffles. I kept taking my ruffle out after having dunked it in dye for 5 minutes to check the color next to my other pieces.
Make sure your ruffles are all the way dry - here in no humidity Arizona, it took about 20-30 minutes!
Step 4:
Starting at the bottom, it is time to attach your ruffles! I figured I should write that excitedly even though it is a tedious process, haha. So what I did was find the middle of the sheet and the ruffle, and pin it there. Then pin it again at a quarter.
I hand ruffled the remaining fabric as I was sewing with a straight stitch. Let me just say that this part takes FOREVER!!
eventually it will feel like the ruffles are taking over, and you become buried in ruffles.
Step 5:
Buttonholes! This is where you will put your shower rings through. A normal shower curtain has 12 holes...I managed to miscalculate (I'm horrible at math) and ended up with 11 button holes? Still not sure how I managed that.
Anywho, I made buttonholes using a tiny zig zag stitch since I lost my buttonhole foot for the machine and off course promptly found it not 5 minutes after I finished my project!
Here is the final ombre, ruffled shower curtain!
I am so in love with the way it turned out, the ombre couldn't have been any better! If you end up making one, leave a comment so I can see your unique version of the DIY ombre, ruffled shower curtain!!
That's really cute!
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