Red Toile Shower Curtain and Matching Valance

 My grandma found this gorgeous red-orange print set of curtains at a museum sale. I've never seen toile in this color before. The background is a lovely warm cream.

I sewed the curtains together to make one large shower curtain, which attaches to the rings with tied ribbon. The leftover fabric was just enough to make a slim valance, and my mom contributed some antique doily lace to trim the bottom.

Lacy Bed Canopy

This isn't exactly a sewing project (although I did use an embroidery hoop! ;) but it was fun to make and I wanted to share the tutorial with you all. :) It's super simple; just thread a large embroidery hoop through the rod pocket on a set of curtains and hang from the ceiling! It's provided a very cozy atmosphere to my room and lovely place to read. Surprising how much better I sleep under a protective canopy. ;) Plus, the curtains I used are leftover sheers which match the ones hanging from my windows!

Ironing Board Cover

I whipped up a new ironing board cover on Sunday evening in about twenty minutes. Really, it's that simple and easy! I used this tutorial for the basics--it's really not that difficult to figure out. All you do is take off the old cover, cut off the drawstring, use the old cover as a pattern for the new one, and sew the old drawstring to the new cover. The ironing board pad/foam underneath stays as it is.

I used a lovely purple gingham cotton to match my valances and the fabric on my chair cushion. It adds a lovely, fresh dimension to my room! The old cover was really nasty and the print was abstract irons on a tan and white background--not exactly pretty. There is something so refreshing about lavender! I love it.

There was only one thing I was unhappy about with this project--my ironing board is different from the one used in the tutorial and so the drawstring of mine, with its iron print, shows on the topside of the ironing board a little bit. But it's pretty minor, I can deal with it. ;)