I Am Still Digressing.....Not Stalling.....

I will subtitle this entry, "A Good Investment". I went over to Kathi's place again this morning and discovered that she had tried the pleating method. Not bad for a first time.

The biggest problem was, she had no guide lines on the mousepad that she was using for a pinboard.

That is my fault. Long ago, when I first did the curtains on here, I told how to make one. I just didn't stop to think that a lot of you haven't been here that long.

So...This morning I am redoing my pin board so that you will be able to make a proper one with me.

The best investment that a person can make if he or she wants to make curtains and upholstered furniture is a slab of acoustical ceiling tile. They come in 2' by 4' sheets from any do it yourself store and yes, you can buy just one. They look at you kind of funny because they question the sanity of tiling a 2' by 4' ceiling....What kind of room is that? Don't even bother to try to explain. You will just dig yourself in deeper....

The first photo is the front and back of the acoustical tile. The front is patterned in various ways. This one seems to be the most popular. The back is the side you want for the pin board. The piece that you see is marked for cutting some bed forms.

To do the pin board, you need 1/4" ruled graph paper. I buy what they call "Planning Pads" in the office supply area of Walmart. Four sheets of this will suffice for a large pin board. You can make it any size that you want.

The one that I have used and reused for years is 12" by 18". When it starts looking abused, I simply take off the covering and start over.

You want the back(smoother) side up. Using clear tape, line up the paper to cover the area. You will probably have to over lap the sheets. When you do, be sure to match up the lines, going in both directions. This makes aligning the curtains as pie....Why do people say that? Sometimes pies are complicated.
After the sheets are aligned, cover that with waxed paper and wrap the ends around to the back. I use blue Painter's tape to do this part.

I made my board 12" wide on purpose, so that the waxed paper would just fit. No overlaps here.

You can just stop with the wrapping around. I decided to go one step further this time. I edged the board with the blue tape. It keeps the edges of the wax paper from tearing.

You may be asking, "What am I going to do with all of that ceiling tile that is left over?"

Actually, you made a good investment....I think that the last time I purchased one of these, a couple of years ago, it was around $6.00.

Here's what you can do with the rest.....

It cuts easier than balsa wood and had no grain. Thus you can cut it in any direction.

If you want to make beds, upholstered furniture or bases for some wicker pieces, this is the stuff to use.

All of the items with Tessie in this photo are based on ceiling tile. You see, the tile is 1/2" thick and far more inexpensive than balsa. It can be cut with a saw or with a utility knife, if need be. The bed has two thicknesses of it for the base. Tessie's chase has two. The chair has two. Both types of bassinet have three.

See the white oval piece to the right? That is what is under the swan.

You can get a great deal of furniture from on sheet and you won't be sorry that you made the pin board either. It will last for years and more years.

OK....I am now done digressing. I will finish the curtains tomorrow. I promise! Honest!

Thanks to all of you for voting. Please don't stop now. 11 days to go!

See you tomorrow.