Squirt Gun Tutorial

Hey Friends here is my tutorial for SQUIRT GUN CURTAINS for kid's week! This was so fun and really pretty easy. 

Supplies:

        Squirt Guns--your choice. I used the 8 pack from Wal-Mart

        Acrylic Paint--Pick out as many as you like for your theme

        1 Sheet--Size is Dependent on Window size

        Curtain Rod

        Coordinating Thread

A few tips: put them in some old clothes and SHOES! Unless you live somewhere where being naked is an option. Also, having more guns than colors of paint is a great idea, they clog up pretty fast. The boys favorite colors to use were the glow in the dark, which they sell in a multitude of colors and also the shimmer-metallic paint.

Step 1: Decide your necessary sheet size. We need the 3 or so inch section that is doubled at the head of the bed for the top of the curtain where the rod will be inserted, so really only pay attention to the width compared to your window.  If you never plan to close the curtains than being slightly smaller is no big deal. I will attach a photo at the bottom of this post of the curtains I made for my living room with 2 twin sheets-not recommended for this project. Although there is ZERO sewing required when you do 2 twin sheets!

For your reference here are the standard flat sheet dimensions.
      Flat Sheet Sizes

• Twin--66 x 96 inches (or 167 x 243 cm)
• X-Long Twin--66 x 102 inches (or 167 x 259 cm)
• Full--81 x 96 inches (or 205 x 243 cm)
• Queen--90 x 102 inches (or 228 x 259 cm)
• King/California King--108 x 102 inches (or 274 x 259 cm)

Step 2: Hang your sheet outside in an area that is cool with being painted :)

Step 3: Fill your squirt guns 2/3 the way with paint and add a splash of water. Have the kids shake them up. Experiment with thickness for your specific squirt guns. The less water the better the color.

Step 4: When you're all done squirting, leave it out to dry while you get cleaned off with the hose.

Step 5:  Turn the sheet into two curtain panels with fun double zigzag stitching on the edges in coordinating thread.

How did I do this you wonder... Once the sheet is painted and dry, throw it in the dryer on high heat to seal in the color (Disclaimer: I did not wash them to test this). Now you're going to cut the sheet down the middle, like you're dividing the bed in half foot to head. The key to cutting is you want the top of the sheet where you put your head to be where the rod goes through so it will be at the ceiling when hung. Choose your stitch for the top and sides. I used a twin needle zigzag in two colors: red and blue. First I stitched the top along the existing stitches in the sheet. Then I stitched the already hemmed edge just for the color effect, again right along the existing stitches. Lastly hem the raw edge, I folded mine over about half an inch. Repeat with the other panel! DONE--Easy right. You can do this with any sheet you find. I have striped ones in my living room :) Pending on your window you'll need to decide on the size sheet to buy. My living room has a wider window so I used 2 twin sheets, for the kids' room I used the queen size.

Step 6: Decide if you need to hem your panels. You could also do this when the sheet is still in one piece... I think the easiest way is to use iron hem tape :)

Step 7: Insert Rod--To allow the rod to go through the top portion of the curtain, cut a little slit next to the hem on either edge. Make sure you only cut it as wide as the rod and ONLY CUT THROUGH THE BACK OF THE FABRIC!!!! You don't want to be able to see your slit in the front. I suppose you could hand stitch reinforce the slits, but I haven't and they work great!

Step 8: Bring in the munchkins for their smiles!

When you hear, "Wow, that's great! I love all the colors!" from a 4 year old you know you've done something right for kids week. I said, "You made that!!" Little man said, "I know!" with a giant smile! The curtains are so fun for their room and the glow paint adds the "stars" element! They kept saying, "Turn off the lights!!"

 

The total cost for this project was $10 for the flat sheet, $1.57 per paint color, $2.99 for squirt guns and then a rod if you don't already have one. I'd suspect most of you have all the supplies on hand already.

Now go gather up the supplies and release the kiddos to make their own room decor. Pillow cases to match would be super fun too! That's next on our list for the boys :)

Thank you to my friend Cassie for letting me borrow her cute kids! And a big THANKS to her parents for letting us paint their yard and still feeding me! Oh, and her dad for getting the rod hung up. {Normally I would do that myself, but I had surgery 10 days before this and am being a good girl and following the doc's instructions, much to my dismay!}

If you make some link up, because I want to see your creativity!! Oh and here's my living room ones. Aren't these awesome sheets and it was even more fantastic that they were on clearance!! SCORE! Confession: I iron tape hemmed them while they were on the rod...lazy or ingenious, you decide!

<3 Melissa Delight