Half A Lace Panel Is Better Than None

They didn't block the light in an already dim room.

They didn't add too much extra fussiness to a space filled with pillows.

And the color was spot on.

However.

After hanging up there for so long, there was obvious signs of wear and fading.

It was time to pack them up and find something new.

At first, I was sure I would replace them with valances.

Then, while shopping online, I found some truly gorgeous panels and began to rethink that decision.

Unfortunately, as I've said before, the internet is often a liar when it comes to colors and I ended up buying and returning way too many panels before I finally settled on making my own.

With a little bit of bargain fabric and some ball fringe, I was set.


Until Christmas rolled around and I put up one of the non returnable, clearance priced velvet panels I'd purchased months before...and I feel in love with the clean, white look.

So much so, that when I put the fall panels back up in January, they didn't feel right.

They overwhelmed me and I needed something different. Again.

I suddenly missed my plain red valances and was at a loss as to what to put in the room.

I even went as far as taking a photo of the room, putting it in PicMonkey and mocking up different curtain looks.


I shopped for new fabric and ordered samples.

But nothing was right.

So believe it or not that room sat curtainless for weeks.

I know.

The horror.

Then one day, I was in my kitchen staring at my lovely new red curtain panels and it hit me.


I needed that fabric in the living room, as well.

It was bright, fresh, had a definite pop, but unlike the busy floral, the checks had structure and weight to anchor the room.

That's what it was missing.

Plus, the cottage was small enough that it would make sense to repeat the pattern in another room.

It all fit.

Done.

Or so I thought.

You see the more I sat with the idea, the more I realized that I did want the living room to look a little different than the kitchen. I wanted a cozier feel in there. And a little more cottage charm.

But how would I get there? 

The obvious answer was trim, but this fabric didn't really call for trim. It's so striking on its own. I was afraid trim would take away from its stately charm.

Then I thought about lace. What if I added a few lace panels to the windows, with the checks?

Not so they covered the windows, that'd be too much lace for me, but what if they just peeked out a bit, from behind the checks? Almost like trim.


I thought it would warm up the room, add that classic cottage feel, without looking too old fashioned and soften the paneled walls and stone fireplace.

Of course, the edges of the lace panels would have to be super fabulous since that's really all you'd see. So I started shopping and found out rather quickly that lace panels with fabulous edges are pri-cey!

And I needed four. Yikes.

That wasn't really going to work for me, since A) I'm cheap and B) when it comes to decor, I change my mind a lot.

That's when I came up with a new plan...which was to buy 2 cheap panels with slightly less fabulous edges and cut them in half to make four. 

I found these locally for $8 each. Much better.


I mean, I was never going to close the lace to cover the windows, that room gets too dark. Remember, I just needed the edges to poke out a bit. So I was good.

This technique would work for those times you just want an accent on a window as well. I have them up there now and they look great alone. Not skimpy at all.

As a matter of fact, their original fullness would've been overwhelming in this room.

How To Cut Lace Panels

Now, cutting lace isn't always an easy task. It moves. It shimmies and shifts. So to cut it, first, I clipped it together with these amazing little green numbers from a kit I got from Santa.


Much easier to work with than pins...especially on lace. Have you ever tried to pin lace...with all the holes? Yeah. Not a simple process.


Anyway, I folded the panels in half lengthwise and clipped both top and bottom.

Then I placed my hand firmly on the fabric and cut. What you can't see in the photo is my daughter's hands holding it down in other places.


To get a straight cut, it was most definitely a two person job.

Once the cutting was done, I just clipped my altered panels on the rod with rings.
And there they'll stay until I get to part two of this DIY.

I didn't bother to hem the cut sides, they're fine and no one will see them. Besides lace can be squirrely to stitch and right now nothing is fraying.


And I'm lazy.

When I get the machine out to make the checked panels, I may change my mind, but so far, this little cheat is working out fine.

And that's good enough for me.

For now. 😉


What are your thoughts on lace?