Awnings

I'm guessing that by now you all are thinking that the creative decorator side of me has dropped off the face of the earth. It isn't so, but I don't have any proof. I've promised a few times previously that a Project Heidi post is coming soon and one hasn't shown up yet, so I'm not promising this time around (even though more are on the way).

Until then, I want to show you one of the things I miss the most about my old house:

I often lamented over the lack of character our starter house had. No great features or architecture. No moldings. Plain, flat doors. Boring. In an effort to add charm and character, I decided to make awnings for the four windows in the front room. It was the best decorating scheme I cooked up over there.
For each pair of windows, I purchased 3 decorative metal plant hangers. I might have spray painted them black if they weren't already. The hooks for the top bar were simple hooks purchased at Target. The rods were made out of metal pipe cut to size at Home Depot and spray painted black.

Once I had the hardware up, I measured and cut squares of fabric. I used the sewing machine to edge, make narrow pockets for the rods, and even managed a box pleat in the center of each awning. Voila! I can imagine making the fabric part more simply, maybe just tacking it on rather than sewing pockets for the rods.

These awnings accomplished exactly what I wanted them to do. I loved the feeling they gave the front room. A little architecture. A little softness. A little personality.

Had we stayed in that house any longer, I might have experimented with other fabrics. The fabric above is a small tan and white pinstripe, but I would have loved to have a fabric for each season, particularly a bold awning stripe.