Floral Shower Curtain from Vintage Sheets

Floral Shower Curtain from Vintage Sheets

Our guest bathroom is a cute little room, but without a window, is only illuminated by artificial light. As a result- and I’m not sure why I never noticed this before- our existing shower curtain was doing nothing to brighten the room. But instead of running out to the store for a new one, I decided to upcycle one of my vintage sheets into a floral shower curtain.

Guest bath before changing out the shower curtain

Vintage sheets are such an amazing amount of fabric for the price, aren’t they? Long and wide, and when found at the thrift store, they’re usually just a couple of dollars.

I selected a couple of options from my collection of vintage bed sheets and draped them over the rod. We hemmed and hawed but finally settled on this one to turn into a DIY shower curtain.

Vintage bed sheets for upcycling as a floral shower curtain

Here’s hoping that it really brightens the room and works well in our cottage style bathroom.

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How to Make a Shower Curtain from Vintage Sheets

Before I begin, allow me to be perfectly honest. I took the easiest route imaginable to create a DIY shower curtain. Believe it or not but I used the old one as a template before laundering it and giving it away. 

First, I laid out a vintage sheet on the floor, right-side facing up. Then, I placed the existing shower curtain on top of the vintage sheet.

Making a cloth shower curtain from vintage bed sheets

I used the top of the sheet as the would-be top of my shower curtain and safety pinned the existing curtain to the sheet.

Then, I trimmed down the side and across the bottom of the sheet, leaving enough of a margin to incorporate a ¼ – ½” double-fold hem on the side and a 1” double-fold hem across the bottom.

How to make a shower curtain with vintage bed sheets

Next, folded the hems and stitched them on my sewing machine with a basic straight stitch.

Hemming a long shower curtain for a cottage bathroom

Then. Came. The. Scary. Part. At least for me… buttonholes.

I could have used grommets, but I wanted to face the challenge of buttonholes. So, I practiced on scraps of the sheet that remained after I trimmed it. When I felt quasi-comfortable with making them on my floral shower curtain, I set out to mark my sheet where each buttonhole would go.

And again, I used the old shower curtain as my guide:

    • End buttonholes were ¾” in from the edge;
    • Buttonholes started ⅝” from the top edge;
    • Buttonholes were ¾” long; and
    • Buttonholes were spaced 5 ½” apart.

Whew, it was a lot to measure and a lot to keep straight. But using those measurements, I took a fabric pencil and drew buttonhole lines all along the top of my floral shower curtain.

Measuring the placement of buttonholes on a DIY shower curtain

But I did it!!! Maybe it wasn’t the perfect buttonhole, but it was close enough for me.

How to make buttonholes for shower curtain rings

Lastly and with the straight pin in place, I used my seam ripper to split the buttonhole open. 

Who knew you could actually use the seam ripper for a good reason instead of a bad one?!

Sewing buttonholes on a cloth shower curtain from vintage bed sheets

Floral Shower Curtain from Vintage Sheets for a Cottage Style Bathroom

After the last buttonhole was split and all threads were snipped, I hung the shower curtain in our cottage bathroom with the plastic liner.

Of course, Cottonball sensed “change” and had to assist. And I realized that it needed to be ironed before being photographed again!

Floral shower curtain from vintage bed sheets for a cottage bathroom

But there it is, in all it’s pretty glory. I seriously LOVE my floral shower curtain that was made from one of my vintage sheets.

I was afraid it would be too “girly” but he’s just so astounded by how much brighter the room is. Definitely a winning project for our cottage style bathroom!

Floral shower curtain for a cottage style bathroom from vintage bed sheets

Now, if only our master bathroom wasn’t a walk-in shower, I’d probably make another one right away. Especially since I’ve mastered (or, “mediocre’d”) the buttonhole.

And if you enjoyed this upcycling idea for a vintage sheet, then you may also be interested in this collection of repurposing ideas for vintage linens!

Upcycling projects for vintage linens and vintage tablecloths

Craft on!

S

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. 24cottonwoodlane says

    What a great idea! I love how this brightens up the whole rooom 🙂

  2. So cute! I’ve been trying to come up with a new shower curtain for my bathroom but the ones you buy in stores are not long enough (for my liking anyway!), I don’t know why I never thought of using a sheet!

    Tania

  3. I did the same thing just the other day when I had had quite enough of an old, outdated and ugly curtain for my son’s bathroom. He loves it!

  4. Love it. Im fallowing you now… You are great. I wanna try it 2.

  5. Very pretty! But does it work as well not being waterproof?

  6. What a cute idea. And such cute little helpers too! Thanks for linking up with us at the #HomeMattersParty and I hope you’ll join us again!

  7. I am addicted to old sheets like you and this is a great idea for repurposing.It really brightens up that space.

  8. Looks like you and I have tons in common, I have a basket filled with vintage table cloths,napkins, lace and fabric.. this is a great ideas, thanks for sharing this on Dream Create and Inspire! Also love a link back it would be so appreciated. :)) Maria

  9. sherrygcole says

    This is great! I love repurposing items. I’ve used sheets for curtains, but I have not thought of shower curtains.

  10. Wow! This really did brighten up the bathroom! Nice work!
    And yay for you for winning the showdown against the dreaded buttonholes! haha!
    Thanks for linking to Fiber Tuesdays!
    Susie
    http://www.ouicrochet.com

  11. Jann Olson says

    I love the vintage look and it really did lighten up the room! Thanks so much for sharing it with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

  12. It also gives movement to the room. (P. S. I have the comforter that matches your old curtain!)

  13. Who would of thought to use sheets for curtains! Awesome idea! Thank you so much for linking up to Merry Monday this week! I am sharing your post tomorrow on my Twitter. We hope to see you next week for another great party! Have a great week!
    Best,
    Kim

  14. So very ingenuitive! It really does brighten up the room. And I have to say, the picture of the curtain with Cottonball is my fave! So adorable. Thank you for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in this week’s issue.

  15. totally cool idea! love the vintage sheet and what a fun way to spruce up your bathroom and play with cats at the same time! You could even make several and swap out as seasons or your mood changes.

  16. Seriously Sarah, you had me at ‘vintage’…but what a sweet and gorgeous result from a floral bedsheet. I agree that you’d never think such a simple thing could make such a difference, but your guest bathroom is much lighter, and fresher than before. Your kitties are cuteness personified. Thanks for sharing this one at Five Star Frugal…Love, Mimi xxx

  17. I love this bed sheet that you made into a shower curtain and I like the fabric with the flowers!

  18. Good for you for learning to make buttonholes – this opens up so many opportunities for you. I like fabric in my bathroom, so even though I have a shower as wide as a bathtub, I hung a bedsheet on a tension rod in front of the sliding doors and pulled it to one side as you might with a regular curtain. It doesn’t interfere with the doors in any way and adds the element of color and fabric that I like. I also hung near the ceiling, a valance made from the fitted sheet and I love the look. Almost as pretty as your bathroom!!

  19. This is such a neat idea!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  20. Great idea…there are so many great patterns on bed sheets …never thought of using one for a shower curtain..love this one…Thank you for sharing at Share it One More Time

  21. I would have picked A as well. The more open pattern lightens up the bathroom. Using a sheet is a great economical solution for a shower curtain. Thank you for sharing at Vintage Charm.

  22. I love this idea! So pretty. My grandmother always made her own curtains and stuff. I’ll pin this!

  23. Beautiful, and I see you have your helpers, again! Thanks from all of us at Throwback Thursday for linking up to us this week! We can’t wait to see what you’ll bring next week. 🙂

    Mollie

  24. You mastered it and I would love to take a peak in your garage! Thanks for sharing with us at Celebrate Your Story.

  25. That looks great Sarah! Check out the one I made and avoided the dreaded buttonholes!

    http://justsimplesomethings.blogspot.com/2012/11/800-shower-curtain-and-valance.html

  26. Lovely project and your little helpers are so cute. Thanks so much for sharing your creative project at DI&DI.

  27. Sarah E. Carroll says

    Even without a liner water won’t go through and it will not mildew. Save lots more time: Get a spring rod . .and make a hem at the right length for your space (with spring rod you can raise it for tall families.) . just hem it to fit rod loosely at whatever length you want. In mine what was left made a valance for the bathroom window. If you want some weight to hold it down a few pebbles in the bottom hem will do, just don’t forget to remove them when you put the curtain in the wash. . Just make 2 or 3 small pocket openings in the lower hem. I didn’t even buy the sheet it was in the unused pile since I no longer have any twin beds,, but was an interesting print.

  28. Thank you for sharing… Good ideal..

  29. Great Ideal… Thsnkd

  30. Candes Spencer says

    I have a walk-in shower and I still have shower curtain in front of it. We have replaced all fixtures with oil rubbed bronze, but haven’t gotten around yet to dealing with the brass look in the shower. It gives me a way to dress up the bathroom and hides the brass until we decide to bring the shower door frames up to speed with the rest of the room! You should put one in your bathroom too. I love mine!

  31. LOOOOVE your idea using vintage sheet!! I get sheets whenever I can find em when thrifting! Cool idea..thank you!!

  32. I love flowers and the curtain is just lovely. I also love your little fur babies, too. They are absolutely beautiful.

  33. susana juarez says

    Gracias!. Tengo tiempo queriendo hacer una cortina de baño pues no encuentro diseños a mi gusto en las tiendas. Con esta idea podré hacerla, pues tenía duda sobre cómo hacer los orificios para los ganchillos Gracias de nuevo 🙂

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