Painted-On Canvas

Jeanette Chaney of Country Design Style transformed a standard canvas drop cloth into a grain sack–patterned curtain with painter’s tape and her custom-mixed “almost” black paint. “Drop cloths make wonderful window coverings, plus they add softness to the room,” Jeanette notes.

First, Jeanette instructs, cut off the sewn edges of a new canvas drop cloth and then cut the cloth to size for your window, adding 14" to the length to accommodate the folded-over valance effect. Wash and dry the fabric. Pull threads to fray all four sides. Along the top, apply 1" painter’s tape at the frayed edge. Apply a second strip 1/4" down from the first, a third strip 1" down from the second, and the last strip 1/4" down from the third. Press the tape down firmly with the back of a spoon. Use a small foam roller to paint the masked-off stripes. The paint coverage will be uneven, but that will give the design an authentic grain-sack look. Remove the tape and let dry. Fold the striped area of the fabric down about 14" and hang your curtain from a rod using curtain clips. ★

PHOTOGRAPHED AND DESIGNED BY JEANETTE CHANEY OF COUNTRYDESIGNSTYLE.COM