Hello, hello! I am so excited to be back for another installment into this room makeover series. I love that it is FORCING me to get off my booty and get it D-O-N-E! It is a kick in the pants that is very needed, I assure you. This week I am going to show you how to turn a simple closet into a dynamite reading nook for your little peep by making a simple, colorful curtain.
Right now my husband is in the middle of his seemingly never-ending training journey to becoming a doctor, so we are living with my dad (who is a widower) in his big, beautiful house in order to save money on rent and start paying down my man’s student loans. I love living here for many reasons, but one is that my kids each have their own big room, complete with a walk in closet. Spoiled, I know! However, since my son wears nothing but jeans and t-shirts he doesn’t even need a closet! We have all of his things in drawers! So, what to do with an empty walk-in closet? Why, turn it into a reading nook, of course!
We are lucky that we already had this darling little blue armchair, which fit into the closet perfectly. It was in my in-laws’ basement from when my hubby was little, but they helped me refinish it and make it new a few years ago. They are the best. Anyway, I stuck the little chair into the corner of the closet, added a little tub full of blankets so that he can get cozy while he reads, which he loves, and I moved all of my fiction picture books into his closet. Organizing all of those dang books was the most time-consuming part of this process BY FAR! And that doesn’t even include my non-fiction books or chapter books! I used to teach elementary school, and I spent thousands of dollars on my classroom library. I am a children’s lit addict. But we didn’t have kids back then, my husband was on full scholarship (undergrad), and our rent in Northern Utah was $400 a month including utilities! Crazy, right?! Anyway, I’m glad I bought books frivolously back then, because now my kids and eventual grandkids will be able to enjoy them for years to come!
The reading nook looked alright at that point, but it didn’t have any Dr. Seuss flair, and if a reading nook is attached to a Dr. Seuss room it needs a bit of flair, don’t you think? I decided to make a colorful curtain for the space to close it off and to personalize and brighten up the space. I also made a little Cat in the Hat pillow with which I am in love. But if you want to know how to make the pillow you will have to come back next week for the final installment of the series: DIY fabulously fun pillows!! The final details of the reading nook came together when I walked into a Michael’s store and saw a big display of Dr. Seuss posters and cut outs, meant to be used in classrooms. Hence the books and the massive Cat in the Hat on the wall. Too fun, and so easy for Mama!
Now let’s talk curtains! You can use this method to create curtains for a window or to create your own little reading nook. You don’t need a walk-in closet. A smaller closet would be just fine, except you would put soft pillows or a bean bag in there with a basket of books and a little lamp. Your kid will love it! I always craved a “secret” spot like this as a little girl, and I usually just ended up hiding under my covers with a flashlight reading books. A closet reading nook is so much cooler!
For this curtain I bought a simple curtain rod off of Amazon, and I used about 3 yards of Celebrate Seuss Bright Stripes Fabric. It is the same fabric that I used for my Tube Valance Tutorial a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love it.
Start by installing your curtain rod. I made my husband install it on the inside of the closet.
Next measure your closet opening. Every closet will be different. My closet door was 85 inches high by 32 inches wide, so I cut my fabric about 91 inches long and 34 inches wide. I wish I had done it a bit wider, but that was how much I had left after making the valance. I was aiming to leave enough on the side to be hemmed and enough on the top to have a nice large pocket to slide the curtain rod through.
Begin by ironing the edges of three sides of your curtain so that they have a 1/2 inch hem. Then sew around the three sides. Be sure to backstitch!
Next you will make the pocket for the curtain rod. I folded my fabric over about 5 inches and ironed it into place. Then I sewed along the bottom of the fabric so a nice, large pocket remained.
That’s it. Seriously. Can you believe how simple that was? Now go slide it onto the curtain rod of your closet reading nook or your windows! Can you believe how much people charge for curtains now that you know how simple they are to make?!
Be sure to come back next week to learn all about making fabulously fun and SIMPLE pillows. And be sure to share pictures on FB or email if you make your own curtains using this tutorial, especially for a reading nook. Do you think my little cutie likes his?? He makes me smile. Rascal.
Thank you Sarah! That is so much fun and such a great way to get your kiddos excited about reading! Like I mentioned above, having my own personal reading nook like this would have been a dream come true. I typically found myself building a fort on the floor of my closet to disappear into reading land with a FABulous book, a flashlight, my pillow, and blanket. Sarah, you are incredibly talented and I can’t wait to see project #4, DIY Fabulously Fun Pillows. Stay tuned, everyone…because, I can guarantee next week’s project will be “Fabulously Fun!”
Did you miss our previous Dr. Seuss Room Makeover projects? No worries…click here for project #1, Tube Valance Tutorial. AND click here for our project #2, Stool Covers.
What was your favorite reading spot…or better yet, what was your childhood dream?
Happy Creating & Happy Seuss!
