Easy Curtains and Bedskirt

As part of my ongoing makeover of my friends Bruce and Alison's master  bedroom, we updated their window valences and bedskirt. Read more about the makeover here.

The old window treatments were made by Alison and were quite pretty. They matched one of Alison's quilts and were very effective at blocking light. Part of the makeover goal was to lighten up the room and make it more neutral so that her quilts could be switched out and still coordinate with the other fabrics in the room.

The new window treatments are made from burlap and have a brown velvet ribbon woven through the bottom. They let in a lot more light but still provide privacy. Aren't they pretty?!

The treatments were easy to make. Create a rod pocket on top wide enough for your curtain rod. Hem all the edges. Or if you cut the burlap right, you can use the salvage edge for the bottom and forgo the hem. For the ribbon treatment, Alison measured up from the bottom and pulled the horizontal threads out of the burlap until it was the width of the ribbon. Then she put a safety pin on the end and wove the brown ribbon through the remaining vertical threads.

I thought we would have to count the vertical threads to ensure the weave was even. Alison gave it a go and eyeballed it and it turned out great. She is much looser in her decorating than I am. I would have counted and tripled the time to make it! If you need more detailed instructions on how to make the window valance, let me know.

Now I don't have a before picture of the bedskirt. It was a sage green, coordinated with the handmade quilt and had split corners for a footboard. Very basic.

To make the new skirt take the old bedskirt apart. You want to remove the ruffle part and keep the decking part (the part that sits over the box springs). We reused the decking and sewed the new skirt to it. If you wanted to save the removal part, you could just use an old fitted sheet.

The new bedskirt is a simple strip of burlap the length of the decking to the floor. Alison cut it so that the salvaged edges are the bottom of the skirt, so she didn't have to hem it. Sew burlap strips together to fit the width around the bed minus where the headboard. Sew this long strip to the decking. Alison's came out great and fit perfectly the first time around. If you need more detailed instructions on how to make a bedskirt just let me know.

We spent $8 for 4 yards of burlap (with a 40% off coupon) and $8 for two spools of velvet ribbon. The existing bedskirt was free.

For under $20 and a little time at the sewing machine, you can update your windows and bedskirt. Quick, easy and cheap - how I like all my projects. Alison is a great seamstress, but anybody who can sew a semi-straight line can make these.

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