Custom sewn is a cinch

While my mother was teaching my older sister how to sew, I was way too busy playing kickball with the boys in the neighborhood.
I realized my error years later. I coveted my relatives' ability to whip up a pillow, curtains or tablecloth on the sewing machine at a whim, and was determined to acquire the ability, even if I had to teach myself.
And I did. I purchased a used Brothers sewing machine and, after trial and error, figured out how to thread a spool and needle. I can now sew a straight hem. That's pretty much the limit to my sewing abilities but I've found you can do a lot if you can sew a hem. You can make pillows, curtains, cushions, tablecloths, napkins, even chair and sofa covers.
I've made curtains out of tablecloths, antique fabric remnants, sheets and lengths of leftover yardage on sale at the fabric store. With my little hand-me-down sewing machine, I've adorned them with trims, lace and funky chenille balls. I've made curtains to cover unsightly glass shower doors, to spruce up louvered closet doors and shade massive sliding-glass doors.
My upstairs guest bathroom curtain is actually half of a round tablecloth I purchased at Big Lots that coordinated with the shower curtain. I simply cut it in half, hemmed the trimmed edge and tacked it to the wall with decorative tacks. I used the leftover half of the tablecloth to create a cushion for the wrought-iron vanity chair in the bathroom.
My guest bedroom features a cacophony of vintage fabrics in a variety of colors. I truly have no color scheme in this room. I simply mix and match vintage fabrics of all hues and patterns. My guest bedroom curtain consists of a strip of vintage barkcloth, part of a long tattered curtain purchased at a yard sale. Forming a ruffle beneath it is a piece of red-and-white checked vintage tablecloth.
My guest bathroom louvered door is covered in a black toile fabric, purchased at Wal-Mart for $1.96 a yard, and a black-and-white checked napkin. I left the fringe on the napkin showing and simply attached the black toile beneath. Then I gathered the curtain on a simple pressure rod. You can push it aside to open the louvered door of the little-used storage closet.
For the master bedroom, I used strips of contrasting material to anchor and lift the curtain, giving it a pouffed look.
All of this was accomplished with just simple sewing basics anyone can teach herself.