5 Easy Ways to Decorate with Sheets
Julie Lohmeier
Free-Reprint Article Written by: Julie Lohmeier
See Terms of Reprint Below.
*****************************************************************
*
* This email is being delivered directly to members of the group:
*
* Family-...@googlegroups.com
*
*****************************************************************
We have moved our TERMS OF REPRINT to the end of the article.
Be certain to read our TERMS OF REPRINT and honor our TERMS
OF REPRINT when you use this article. Thank you.
This article has been distributed by:
http://Article-Distribution.com
Helpful Link:
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Overview
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/dmca1.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Article Title:
==============
5 Easy Ways to Decorate with Sheets
Article Description:
====================
Want a custom, coordinated look that is inexpensive? Use
bedsheets. Yep, the same sheets you cuddle under at night can
turn a bedroom from boring to stunning. A designer look at
Walmart prices.
Additional Article Information:
===============================
1271 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2006-09-01 12:12:00
Written By: Julie Lohmeier
Copyright: 2006
Contact Email: mailto:myhom...@aol.com
For more free-reprint articles by Julie Lohmeier, please visit:
http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Julie_Lohmeier
=============================================
Special Notice For Publishers and Webmasters:
=============================================
If you use this article on your website or in your ezine,
We Want To Know About It. Use the following URL to let
us know where you have used this article, and we will
include a link to your website on thePhantomWriters.com:
http://thephantomwriters.com/notify.php?id=3500&p=load
HTML Copy-and-Paste and TEXT Copy-and-Paste
Versions Of Article Are Available at:
http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/l/ways-to-decorate-with-sheets.shtml#get_code
---------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Easy Ways to Decorate with Sheets
Copyright © 2006 Julie Lohmeier
My Home Redux
http://www.myhomeredux.com/
Want a custom, coordinated look that is inexpensive? Use
bedsheets. Yep, the same sheets you cuddle under at night can
turn a bedroom from boring to stunning. A designer look at
Walmart prices.
To coordinate with your bed, just buy extra sheet sets. Use them
to make pillows, drapes, dust ruffles, round table covers and
more.
Pillows
Buy pillow forms at any sewing or craft store. Measure the
dimensions. Cut two pieces from your sheets with these
dimensions. Sew seams around the sides (or use Stitch Witchery(r)
and a hot iron), remembering to sew with right sides together.
Leave half of one side for a square or rectangle pillow or 1/6 of
the circumference of a round pillow open. Turn inside out. Stuff
your pillow form into the pillow casing. Stitch the opening
closed by hand.
For extra pizzazz, use piping, trims, or beads in the seam.
Curtains
Swags are the easiest to make. Simply cut one width of the sheet
about 24" – 48" tall - depending on how much fullness you want –
whatever is left to hang on the sides will have to do. Hem both
top and bottom by rolling 1", folding in half, and stitching near
the second fold.
If you have wide window or you wish to have the swag fall further
down the side of the window, you'll need to do a bit more work,
but it's still fairly easy. Measure your window width. Determine
how long you want the swag to hang down the sides, then double
this measurement. Add it to your width measurement. Add another
6" -12" to allow soft draping across the top. Measure the width
of your sheet. Compare it to the measurements you made previously
of your window. If your sheet is 54" wide but you want a swag
that's 100" wide, you'll need to essentially cut two widths.
Cut any extra widths as needed. The key for swags, if you need
more than one width, is that you don't want a seam in the
center. Instead, you'll want the full width of the window in one
piece, then seam together the side pieces at the ends of this
center piece. When you piece together patterns, try to match up
the patterns between pieces. This may mean you need to cut your
widths at different points across the sheet.
Hang the swag over a pole or in swag holders.
You can also sew a valance and panels. A gathered valance is
easy. Measure your window width. You'll want to cut widths from
your sheet that is 50% to 100% wider than the window, seam
together, matching patterns. So if your window is 40", you'll
want your curtain to be 60" – 80" wide. You can sew together as
many widths as you need as long as you match your pattern.
Decide the height of the valance. 15" -18" is standard so make
the height that you cut from the sheet 40" – 44". If you want a
small ruffle above the valance add 2" - 4" to the total above.
Sew multiple widths together, right sides facing each other. Sew
the top and bottom ends together with right sides facing each
other. Turn inside out and straighten. From the top seam, line
pins 1" – 2" down from the top. Stitch along this line to create
your ruffle. Then measure down 3-1/2" and mark with pins. Stitch
along this line to create your rod pocket. Put your curtain on
the rod and hang.
Panels are done much the same way. Measure the length you want
the panel to hang. Add 4-1/2" to the length. Add an additional 2"
– 4" if you want a ruffle at the top. Cut this length out of the
LONG part of your sheet. You'll probably want two panels.
You'll need each panel to be 50-100% more than half of the
window width. That means that two panels together will also be
50-100% of your window width. You may be able to cut two panels
from one sheet or you may need two sheets.
Ideally, you would make a full 3" hem (add 4" extra inches to
your length measurement above if you do this hem), but for
simplicity just make a simple shirt-tail hem at the bottom by
marking 1" off the bottom. Then turn half of this under. Stitch
near the top of rolled over fabric. On the top, fold down 4-1/2"
from the top (5-1/2" to 6-1/2" if you want a ruffle). Of this
folded over fabric, turn 1" under. Stitch near the bottom where
you folded the extra material underneath. From the very top of
the panel, measure 1" – 2" (based on the size ruffle you wanted)
and line pins. Stitch along this line to create your ruffle and
your rod pocket. Put your panels on the rod.
Dust Ruffle
Take a plain sheet and lay it over your box springs. Mark around
it ½" to 1" (5/8" is the standard seam width) bigger than the box
springs on all four sides. Cut this out and make a shirt tail hem
along one short side. Cut 9" tall widths from your sheet (you'll
need the height of your bed plus 1" if your bed is higher than
standard). You'll need enough widths to go around two long
sides and one short sides of the box springs cover you just cut.
Stitch these widths together with rights sides facing each other.
It is best to gather these widths onto to the box springs cover.
To do so, you'll want your total width of the cut sheet lengths
to be 25% longer than the total measurements of the two long
sides and one short side. Make a shirt-tail hem rolling up 1"
from the bottom of each sheet length, turning it under at ½" and
then stitching near the end of the fold. Pin the cut sheet
lengths to the box springs cover, gathering as you go. Again,
you'll want right sides of the fabric together as you sew. Flip
over when done. Place on the bed. The short side with no dust
ruffle goes against the head of the bed.
Round Table Cover
Make a circle wide enough to cover the table down to the floor.
Measure from the floor on one side of the table, across the
center of the table to floor on the other side. Add 2". This is
your diameter. Make a circle with this diameter. Make a
shirt-tail hem rolling 1" from the edge in half and then sewing
down near the fold. Voila. You're done.
Shades
You can also make matching blinds using sheets, fusible
interfacing, and Stitch Witchery(r) - no sewing. Buy a shade the
proper width for your window. Cut the fusible interfacing the
same width shade. For length make it the height of the window
plus 10-12 inches. Measure and cut your fabric to be 1-1/4 inch
wider than the fusible interfacing. Center the fabric over the
interfacing and iron according to the directions. Turn under the
ends on both side and iron down with Stitch Witchery(r). Fold up
2 inches from the bottom for your shade pull and affix with
Stitch Witchery(r). Remove the original shade and staple your
new designer shade to cardboard pole. Be sure to hang on the
proper side so that when you put it up the right side is showing.
Hang your shade on the shade hardware.
These directions may seem harder than they actually are, but with
an hour or two and some matching and coordinating sheets, you can
decorate an entire bedroom.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Julie Lohmeier is the veteran of numerous home remodeling and building projects. From working hands on and doing much of the work herself to hiring contractors and construction managers, she has seen the entire spectrum of home improvement. She shares her remodeling tips, home decorating ideas, and other various rants at http://www.myhomeredux.com. Subscribe to her free newsletter at: http://myhomeredux.typepad.com/blog/2005/09/get_my_home_red_2.html
@copyright 2006, Julie Lohmeier, www.myhomeredux.com
Use this report in its entirety with proper acknowledgement and copyright.
--- END ARTICLE ---
Get HTML or TEXT Copy-and-Paste Versions Of This Article at:
http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/l/ways-to-decorate-with-sheets.shtml#get_code
.....................................
TERMS OF REPRINT - Publication Rules
(Last Updated: May 11, 2006)
Our TERMS OF REPRINT are fully enforcable under the terms of:
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.2281.ENR:
.....................................
*** Digital Reprint Rights ***
* If you publish this article in a website/forum/blog,
You Must Set All URL's or Mailto Addresses in the body
of the article AND in the Author's Resource Box as
Hyperlinks (clickable links).
* Links must remain in the form that we published them.
Clean links should point to the Author's links without
redirects having been inserted into the copy.
* You are not allowed to Change or Delete any Words or
Links in the Article or Resource Box. Paragraph breaks
must be retained with articles. You can change where
the paragraph breaks fall, but you cannot eliminate all
paragraph breaks as some have chosen to do.
* Email Distribution of this article Must be done through
Opt-in Email Only. No Unsolicited Commercial Email.
* You Are Allowed to format the layout of the article for
proper display of the article in your website or in your
ezine, so long as you can maintain the author's interests
within the article.
* You may not use sentences from this article as an input
for any software that steals sentences from others in
order to build an article with software. The copyright on
this article applies to the "WHOLE" article.
*** Author Notification ***
We ask that you notify the author of publication of his
or her work. Julie Lohmeier can be reached at:
myhom...@aol.com
*** Print Publication Reprint Rights ***
If you desire to publish this article in a PRINT
publication, you must contact the author directly
for Print Permission at:
mailto:myhom...@aol.com
.....................................
If you need help converting this text article for proper
hyperlinked placement in your webpage, please use this
free tool: http://thephantomwriters.com/link-builder.pl
=====================================================================
ABOUT THIS ARTICLE SUBMISSION
http://thePhantomWriters.com is a paid article distribution
service. thePhantomWriters.com and Article-Distribution.com
are owned and operated by Bill Platt of Stillwater, Oklahoma USA.
The content of this article is solely the property
and opinion of its author, Julie Lohmeier
http://www.myhomeredux.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
---------------------------------------------------------------------