Orla Kiely Dishtowels Turned Bathroom Curtain

Do you know Orla Kiely? She is a designer from London and I adore, adore, her stuff. Every single little thing she designs I love.

It started with her bags. I saw them in Anthropologie and I was forever doomed. I especially love her vinyl bags like this one or this one. I don't own one because that price seems a bit steep to me, even though I can usually find them on Ebay for about $100. Even then.

And I know that is a drop in the bucket in the land of designer purses, but it is a big drop in my bucket. So for now, I dream.

But, friends, bags are just the beginning. She also designs things for the home. I would love to do a wall in my house with some of her wall paper. Like this one.

Wouldn't it be fun to open up my cupboard to these mugs every morning?

And these sheets for my bedroom.

I think if I had some expendable income I could go a little Orla Kiely crazy.

But for now, I have a dish towel.

Isn't that fabric amazing?

Last year Target carried a small line of Orla Kiely house wares. Melamine dishes, place mats and dish towels and some storage boxes. It sold out so fast that it was hard to get your hands on any of it.

I could have spent a small fortune. I tried to use self control and bought only 4 dish towels and a tray. I had a vision for those towels. Of course they would not be used as towels.

Originally I thought pillows. But last week I had a new vision.

My bathroom window needed a curtain. (we still have the original aluminium windows and wow! are they in bad shape. A curtain would hide some of the yuck.)

I was on a curtain kick.

Since one towel wasn't wide enough for the whole window, I cut a coordinating towel in half and sewed some on each side.

Despite my complete inability to sew in a straight line, this came out very much to my liking. In fact, if you can't sew worth a darn, making a curtain out of a dish towel is the way to go. You only have to worry about one seam. Just that one at the top that you fold over to make the pocket for the curtain rod. And if you make it "bunchy" no one will even be able to tell if it is crooked. It is a good first time curtain to try.

Adding the curtain inspired me to hang a poster on the blank wall behind the toilet. By adding those 2 things, I feel like my bathroom is just about where I want it.

Here is what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house:

Are you digging those chandeliers?

How about that cheerful beige color?

And all that gold? The floor was a vinyl that was supposed to look like gold veined marble.

Aaron tore out the old sink and vanity. He and my dad painted it our favorite turquoise. Aaron put in that new vanity from IKEA and we had turquoise sheet linoleum put in.

I think it looks a lot better.

I still need to frame the poster. I am thinking of a fire engine red frame.

We also would like a new light fixture from here.

But even without those things done, I am really happy with my bathroom.

Especially that curtain.

If you want to make a curtain yourself, here is a really helpful tutorial. It would have been great if I had found this before I made my curtain. It might have turned out a bit better. Just don't look closely, OK?

I offer you this as an encouragement to sew something up yourself. I often want something custom rather than the same old same old from Target or the like. But if I don't step out and make it myself, I have to go with the boring. Besides, that curtain cost me less than $10. And it's exactly what I want. Try something easy--you might just surprise yourself. I know you can do it. Take it from me, the non-sewer.

Have a good day my friends. Hope your day is inspired by lovely little things--like dish towels and coffee mugs.

Love from Greta

PS. If you do make something, please share!