Mock Off Monday {Shower Curtain Edition}

Before I begin, I just want to say that today's project is not 100 percent knock off. Now don't go gettin' your panties in a wad. I said it wasn't 100 percent knock off, but it is about 85 percent knock off. It's merely a simplified version. But if it makes you any happier, I'll explain to you how to create both versions. Sound okay?

Here is what inspired my project.

Isn't she gorgeous? I love the cascade of ruffles.

Now, here's my version.

I know, I know, not quite as luscious as the Anthro version. But I still love it.
I kept my color scheme simple...solid white {muslin}. I made my shower curtain for my {beachy chic} bathroom so I wanted it to feel really light and ethereal.

I also wanted a slightly tattered look, so I didn't even bother hemming the edges. I ripped all of my muslin rather than cutting it, that way I could have raw, frayed edges. Not only do I like the way it looks, but it cut off a lot of sewing time.

If you are not into the frayed look you will have to hem the the two side edges and bottom edge of all your strips. {note, you will need to hem all four edges on your first layer as the top hem will be visible. The rest of the layers will overlap so it isn't necessary to hem the top edges of them...unless you have OCD or just really, really want to.

Here are the supplies needed:

*An old shower curtain {preferably white, or a lighter color/fabric cut and sew together to form a 72in. x72 in. square. I used a pair of old curtain sheers {they were $3.99 at Ross, just in case you don't have anything on hand to use} that I cut to 36 1/4 in. and sewed together {36 1/4 plus 36 1/4 equals 72 1/2 in.}. I allowed for a 1/2 in. seam allowance. If you are new to sewing, that simply means that I stitched 1/2 in. in from the edge of the fabric.

*10 strips of fabric cut down to 9 in. x 72 in. {depending on the width of the fabric you use, you will need anywhere from 4-6 yards of fabric-possibly double or triple that if you decided to ruffle your layers. Whether you prefer the fullness of ruffles or the simplicity of layers you will need the same number of fabric strips. However, the ruffled version will require more fabric for each strip. You will have to gather each layer before stitching them on. I guesstimate that you will need double or triple the amount of fabric for the ruffled version, but that could vary depending on how thickly you gather the fabric. To gather fabric you simply cut your fabric strips to right width {9in} then run them through a sewing machine with a gathereing foot. You may have to sew 2 or 3 strips together for them to be the desired width {72 in.}. It's a bit of trial and error. The other option is to loosen the tension and lengthen the stitch on the sewing machine and then gather the fabric by hand. I actually prefer this method because I can control how thick the gather is. Gathering can be a pretty time consuming process. It isn't necessarily hard, it just takes a lot of patience...obviously I don't possess that quality which is why I opted for my lazy, err simplified, version instead.

*12 strips of fabric cut to 2 in. x 7 in. {These will be used to make the tabs at the top. You could also use ribbon}

Once you have all of your pieces prepped...the square piece is ready, all of the strips are hemmed and ruffled or ripped, and your tabs are cut, you can start assembling.

Lay your square piece out. Then fold your tabs in half and place 1/2 down from the top edge of the square piece, spacing them out about 6 inches. Then, match your first layer to the top of the square piece and pin the three layers together at each tab. Now you are ready to stitch along the top...about 1/4 in. in from the edge.

For the second {and remaining layers} measure up 2 inches from the bottom of the first layer and mark. This is where you will sew on the next layer. Continue measing up two inches from the previous layer and attach new layer. You will end up with overlapping layers.

You can see the 2 inch overlap here if you look closely.

Repeat this process until all ten layers are sewn on. As you get further into the project you will be managing a lot of fabric as you sew. Just take your time and stitch slowly. It took a good hour or two to sew on all of my strips. This process will be longer if you are sewing on ruffles simply due to the massive bulk you will be handling. But, it will be well worth all the effort in the end.

Eventually you will end up with a little something like this

Or like this if you went with the ruffles.

Anthro's Flamenco Shower Curtain retails for $118. I ended up spending about $15 to make my simplified version, which means that for $30-$45 {ish} you should be able to make a ruffled version. I always love it when I can save myself a couple of bucks...or in this case, over $100.