Shelbee on the Rags: “Carolina on My Mind” Rag Curtain

If you remember November, you might recall my latest creative adventures which I have named Shelbee on the Rags. I have been creating unique curtains and wall hangings from unwanted clothing (a.k.a. rags). This raggery idea came to me in the summer when I couldn’t find the perfect curtains for my bohemian bedroom makeover so I decided to make my own in the hippie aesthetic that I desired.

I did not use unwanted clothing for my bedroom curtains because my initial intention was to sew patchwork curtains from fabrics that I chose at JOANN. Quickly realizing that my sewing skills were not up to par for an undertaking like 3 large patchwork curtains, I decided instead to cut up all the pretty quilting fabrics into strips and so began my very first raggery project.

In addition to Bohemian Blues (my bedroom curtains), my other completed rag curtains include Aqua Allure (my cloffice curtain), Bohemian Ragsody (commissioned by Solitary Consignment), and Saved from the Landfill (on sale for $150 plus shipping).

When I visited my dear friend Becca in North Carolina this past October, I asked if she would like a custom rag curtain for her home because I never gave her a proper housewarming gift except for an $18 ashtray. It’s a really cool ashtray but not a sufficient gift to celebrate Becca’s purchase of her forever home. Since we are bohemian soul sisters, I had already anticipated her enthusiastic response of “Of course, I want one!”

So here’s how it works…

The process begins with an idea followed by a color palette. Becca had specifically requested earthy tones in reds, oranges, and greens. Well, throw some brown and yellow into that mix and you have the colors of a North Carolina autumn.

So as soon as I finished Bohemian Ragsody for Solitary Consignment, I set to work on Becca’s curtain which is aptly named Carolina on My Mind. Taking inspiration from our recent road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, the astounding beauty of the fall foliage heavily influenced the outcome of this curtain.

The next step is to visit the thrift store for my fabrics. For my raggery projects, I primarily shop at the Salvation Army Thrift Store because each day they designate a specific tag color as $0.99 items. I strictly limit my purchases to those items. After all, I am cutting them all up into rags. No need to spend more money than necessary. However, I will sometimes purchase 50% items if I absolutely adore the fabric and the item is very large like a bedsheet, a curtain, a robe, or a muumuu.

Each rag curtain uses approximately 50-70 garments so my overhead cost is exactly that. Although I do also pull some unworn and unwanted things from my closet to add to the rag pile. I believe I donated about 20 things from my closet to Bohemian Ragsody.

Shopping day requires a lot of patience and time. It generally takes me about 2 hours to search through all the racks looking for only the designated $0.99 ticket colors. I try to purchase at least 50 garments to begin each project, focusing first on the scarves, then the sheets and curtains and other linens. They are the easiest to cut into strips. Next I do a run through the dresses followed by the shirts then the skirts. Obviously the larger sizes give me more fabric but I don’t pay much attention to size because I get a sufficient amount of strips from each garment anyway. I do avoid super tiny garments like crop tops and tank tops and kids’ clothes. Those items definitely do not have enough fabric to be worth my time or my dollar. I also stay away from pants unless a print is really speaking to me. Pants are just really troublesome to cut into strips.

Then I carry it all to the register and start pulling up photos of my latest raggery project to show the cashiers because they all now know what I have been doing with these large purchases of $0.99 items. In fact, one of the girls who works there has already discussed commissioning a rag curtain for herself after the holidays.

After my purchase, I take it all home, painstakingly remove each stapled on tag, and launder it all to remove that icky thrift shop odor that I abhor. Weather permitting, I line dry all of it to get that fresh air smell infused into every fiber.

Then the cutting begins. I do have a cutting board and a rotary cutter for ease and practicality. The cutting is a very tedious process but I actually do enjoy it. It generally takes me a few hours each day for about a week to cut all the clothing into strips. Once I have all my strips laid out in my rag palette that Jeff made for me from sheet metal, the tying and knotting may commence.

But before I start tying, I do a little meditation, burn some sage, and turn on some Reiki energy to cleanse any negative energy from the fabrics while retaining all the positive. Then I say a little prayer to my spirit guides to direct my creative energy. Finally, I trust the process and start tying. Saving unwanted things from the landfill, one knotted rag at a time!

Carolina on My Mind is currently hanging on the outside of a closet door in my bedroom until I visit Becca in seven weeks to deliver it. I will add some photos to this post once we have it all installed. I can’t wait to see this curtain in its new home!

If you are interested in my other raggery creations, click here for the full list. 

Keeping it on the rags,

Shelbee

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