how to use up two yards of burlap

Back in December, I bought two yards of burlap from Joann Fabrics.  I wanted to wrap it around the bottom of our Christmas tree bucket.  I loved how it looked all month and then, when January came and the tree was gone, I didn't want to put it away. 

So I kept it out, just waiting for another excuse to use it.  I finally found one when I had to make the flower arrangements for a friend's baby shower.  I cut little pieces off of the big one, but there was still a lot left. 

I continued to leave the burlap out, draped over the back of a chair.  I figured I'd be more inspired to use it if I could see it every day.  And then, last week, I was overcome with the urge to make a curtain for the shelf above our washer and dryer. 

I checked my fabric shelves for a piece that was large enough, but the shelf is 72 inches long and that would be a really long fabric scrap.  Then the burlap caught my eye.  I knew what I had to do.

I had never sewn with burlap before, but it's not unmanageable.  I learned that you can't sew too close to the edge, because it unravels, and you can only iron it on a low setting, because it smells like a locker room.  I wanted to add a little bit of color, so I cut strips of this coral-pink fabric about 3 1/2 inches wide and made a thick trim to sew along the bottom of the curtain. 

I made the actual curtain about twice the length of the shelf and then sewed gathers at the top before I hung it. 

Hanging it was tricky.  I attached five ribbon ties to the back and tied it to the shelf, but that wasn't enough to keep it taut.  I added a few clips along the back and that helped, but I am still brainstorming better ways to secure the curtain to the shelf front.

The nice thing about working with burlap (and gathers) is that you don't have to be super precise.  A little extra wrinkle here and there just adds to the charm! 

After this project, I have a medium sized piece of burlap left.  It is currently in use as a table runner, but I'm already thinking about what I could do with it next!