Wondering what to do with the miles of lace adorning an old wedding dress? Dye it and give it new life as window dressing! These blue lace bistro curtains look lovely hung from a simple tension rod in a bedroom, guest room or powder room.

You will need:
- 1 metre of lace
- Fabric dye in the colour of your choice
- Scissors
- Sewing notions or hem tape
- Tension rod

Click here for the full-size image.

Here's how to do it:
Step 1: Dye the lace according to the manufacturer's instructions found on the label. Allow time to dry and iron.

Step 2: Measure the window dimensions and decide if you want traditional ripples in your curtain (fabric should be cut wider than window width) or if you'd like a more modern look (fabric should be exact measurement of window width). Add 5 cm (2 inches) to the length measurement to accommodate the casing. Cut accordingly.

Step 3: Fold the top of the curtain panel down 1/4 inch and press. Fold down another 1.5 inches and press. Sew as close to the bottom fold as possible, reversing at the beginning and end of your seam to reinforce. Press firmly. Our lace has a beautiful scalloped edge so we didn't hem the bottom. As lace doesn't fray easily, we chose not to hem the sides.

Step 4: Feed the tension rod through the casing on the lace and install between your window frames.

Get inspired with more tips, expert advice, recipes and DIY crafts in our weddings feature.