How to Make a Bedskirt

Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest differences in a room. Even better, a lot of them aren't going to cost you that much. If company is coming for the weekend and you don't have a lot of time to make your guest bedroom look spiffy, a new bedskirt will add a touch of elegance. It will also hide the fact that your under-the-bed dust bunnies have been keeping company with a bunch of sock boxes, stacks of magazines, board games and anything else you haven't been able to find room for in the rest of the house.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape Scissors Pins Flat sheet Fabric for the ruffle Sewing machine Thread Iron Ironing board

Instructions

1. Decide on the color scheme before you go shopping for fabric. The bedskirt (which is also called a "dust ruffle") should either be in a complementary shade to the bedspread and/or blanket or should be a bold contrast. If you opt for the latter, however, you'll probably want to sew some matching pillow cases to pull the entire look together. It all depends on your skill level as a seamstress and the amount of time you have for the project.

2. Remove the mattress from the box spring and prop it against a wall or out int he hallway where it will be out of your way.

3. Take an existing flat sheet that you were planning to retire or purchase a new flat sheet in a color that's close in shade to the bedskirt you're going to make. Since the sheet itself isn't going to be seen by anyone, it's more economical to use a sheet you already have than buying a few yards of cotton or muslin and having to sew it together to achieve the surface dimensions of the box spring.

4. Lay the sheet on the surface of the box spring with the top edge of the sheet at the top edge of the box spring. Fold both sides of the sheet inward and the bottom portion of the sheet inward and upward to conform to the exact dimensions of the box spring. Using a row of straight pins placed 2 to 3 inches from the newly folded edges, pin the overlapping fabric together.

5. Cut the excess fabric so that you have no more than 5 inches from the folded edges on the sides and at the bottom. (It's not necessary to hem these raw edges because they won't be seen.) Cutting the excess fabric will make it much easier to work with when you start adding on the bedskirt material. Keeping the pins in place, take this large piece of fabric to your ironing board and press the folds into creases.

6. Measure for the amount of bedskirt fabric you will need. The first measurement will be the horizontal dimensions of the box spring. Using your tape measure, determine how long it is from the head of the bed to the foot. Multiply this measurement by two.
   The next measurement is from the left side of the box spring to the right. If you want to have the bedskirt on all four sides of the bed, multiply this number by two as well. If you want to save money on fabric, though, keep in mind that most bedskirts you'd buy in a store are only for three sides (the left, right, and bottom) because most beds have a headboard that would make a bedskirt impractical for the top.
   The third measurement to take is the distance from the top of the box spring to the floor. This is going to be the width of the bedskirt. To this number, add 2 extra inches because you will need 1-inch to hem the bottom edge of the material and use the other inch to attach the bedskirt fabric to the flat sheet you have just altered.

7. Purchase your bedskirt fabric per the dimensions you have taken. To make things easy on yourself, purchase it in sections (the left and right sides and the bottom) rather than one very long piece. It's also smart to purchase slightly more than you think you're going to need.

8. Hem the bottom edge of each section before you start attaching fabric to the flat sheet.

9. Pin the bedskirt fabric section to the flat sheet before you put it through your sewing machine to ensure that all of the edges come out even. The raw edge of the bedskirt fabric should extend no more than an inch over the flat sheet edge. Since you're only doing a straight stich and nothing fancy, make sure that the "bad" side of the bedskirt fabric is on top of the "bad" side of the flat sheet when you start sewing. (When you're done and flip them over, it will look beautiful.)

10. Place the completed project on top of the box spring and bring back the mattress.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have a sewing machine, a quick and easy version of making a bedskirt is to go through all of the steps above but instead of attaching the bedskirt fabric with thread, use double-sided bonding tape (you can find it in fabric stores and drug stores) and your steam iron to bond both fabrics together. The only downside is that this method is not going to stand up to a lot of spins in the washing machine. Another shortcut you can employ is to purchase a fitted sheet to go over the box spring and affix the dust ruffle with a succession of straight pins. (Just make sure that they're not poking out where they can cause snags or scratches.) If you're an accomplished seamstress, you may want to incorporate pleats and ruffles in your design of a bedskirt. This will require extra fabric and more time.

• Moving a mattress is not the easiest task in the world, especially if you have a lot of breakable objects in the room such as lamps on nightstands and pictures on the walls. Recruit someone to help you with this task.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish