Ikat Stenciled Drapes

So . . . I posted a little teaser of my latest project on Friday – the ikat stencil by Elizabeth Chaffee, featured by Design*Sponge last week – and ohmigoodness, was it a project.   AND . . . it was also ridiculously AWESOME.  Check it:

Yeah.  I made DRAPES, people.  DRAPES!  And aren’t they the coolest?  I’m in love with them.  I am also in love with myself for actually freaking making them, ’cause that was a labor of love and I am so not kidding.  I wanted them so bad that I wasn’t even thinking straight – like, dang girl, that’s gonna be a lot of work – but I powered through and I can’t stop staring at them.  DRAPES!

Okay, so anyway, this is the deal . . .

First, that stencil freaking rocks even if you cut it out with an exact-o knife and scissors.  Elizabeth suggests using a stencil-burning tool, because she is a genius and does not have a death wish, but I don’t have a stencil-burning tool, so there you go.  Other, less elegant methods work just as well (they also take forever, just so you know).  Second, I used cheap craft paint from Joann instead of the nice screen-printing paint, ’cause I was at Joann and that’s all they had laying around.  Mine is also kinda crunchy.  If I were to do this again, for a living room or something, I would definitely invest in the nicer paint.  Third, I used duck canvas, which is perfect for this project, but you do also need a darker fabric behind it if you’re making drapes.  Otherwise, the light shines through and makes the pattern darker and less attractive.  I just hung a pair of olive green curtain panels behind these.  Fourth, to create an ombre effect, I used two colors (Americana brand acrylic paint in Terra Coral and Flesh Tone).  I painted one line in the darker color and then gradually incorporated the lighter color as I moved to the top and bottom, using a little water as well at the palest sections.  Five, it’s super cute, right?

I love this pattern so much that . . .

. . . yeah.  More ikat stuff coming soon!