How to Construct a Bed Skirt

Adding a bed skirt can finish the appearance of any bed.

Bed skirts are a type of fabric drapery that hangs between the mattress and the floor. The bed skirts are often used to hide items under the bed, or even to hide an ugly bed frame. Store bought bed skirts can often be expensive. If a store bed skirt is out of your price range, you may be interested in learning how to make your own bed skirt at home.

Things You'll Need

• Light weight cotton
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Measuring tape
• Straight pins
• Heavier weight cotton or other fabric
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Paper
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Wash and iron all of the fabric before using. This helps pre-shrink the fabric if necessary, and also helps with color fastness. Ironing the fabric makes it easier to cut.

2. Remove the mattress from the bed. Measure the top of the box spring on the long and short sides. Add 1 inch to each measurement for seam allowances. Write this measurement down. This is the measurement for the fabric that will hold the skirt pieces together.

3. Measure from the top of the box spring down to the floor. Add 1½ inches to this measurement. Write this measurement down. This will be the length of the skirt.

4. Cut the first measurement from a piece of lightweight cotton. Set aside. Cut four strips of the other fabric that equal the length of the second measurement. Make each strip about 2 inches longer than the box spring measurements. You should now have 4 long strips.

5. Create a rolled hem at the bottoms and sides of the skirt pieces by folding ½ of an inch of fabric up from the bottom of the strip, then rolling the hem up another ½ inch so the ragged edge of the fabric is hidden. Pin into place. Repeat for the bottoms and sides of all of the skirt pieces, but do not do this for the top edge.

6. Sew the hems into place.

7. Lay the right sides of the lightweight cotton rectangle and the fabric strips together. Line the edges up together according to the side that they will be placed on. Pin the pieces together ½ of an inch from the edge of the fabric.

8. Remove the fabric after pinning. Sew the skirt pieces to the center cotton piece. Do not sew the side seams together.

9. Place the dust ruffle back over the box spring. If the edges of the skirt flare out, or look strange in any way, pin them flat against the bed skirt with straight pins.

10. Sew the pinned sections of bed skirt together. Place the bed skirt over the box spring and replace the mattress.

References

• Chez Larsson: Super Simple Bed Skirt
• The Artful Crafter: Bed Skirt