No More Faking It

Welcome to the 316th Metamorphosis Monday!

Thanks for sharing all the wonderful stories about your Barbour jackets in the comments on Friday’s post. I had so much fun reading those. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during the process of researching and finally buying a Barbour coat is that Barbour coat owners love and are passionate about their coats. They talk about them like you would a trusted and well-loved friend.

I wore mine out for a casual dinner on Valentine’s night and again today (Sunday) for a mid-afternoon Starbucks/Whole Foods run. I noticed today, it’s one of the few coats I have ever actually felt comfortable in while driving. Normally coats are just too bulky and uncomfortable to wear while driving.

Okay, I have a long-awaited (at least for me) Before and After for you today.

A Long-Awaited Before And After

Back around the middle of November, not long after I purchased a tartan duvet, HERE, I shared this picture below of my winter bedding. The bedding I’ve been using on my master bed for many, many years is super summery. I still love it, but I’ve always dreamed of having two sets of bedding, one for spring/summer to use April through September and a second set of bedding for the fall/winter months, October through March.

Tartan Bedding, Ralph Lauren Style

 

When I purchased the plaid duvet, I was hoping to find the exact same fabric so I could have a dust ruffle made. My bed has a 25-inch drop, so anytime I purchase bedding, I always need to have the bed skirt custom-made. Since I wasn’t able to find the red plaid fabric anywhere, I did the next best thing and purchased six large tablecloths in the same tartan fabric.

The seamstress I chose to make the bed skirt was, unfortunately, all booked up until after Christmas. So, just for fun, I opened up a few of the tablecloths and tucked them in under the mattress to simulate how the bed would look with its bed skirt in place. The photo below (which is the same as the one above) was the photo I shared with you back in November in this post: Dressing the Bed in Tartan, Ralph Lauren Inspired.

Of course, I fessed up in that post that the bed skirt was really just, pretend. If you look closely, it’s easy to see the bed skirt looks suspiciously like tablecloths because of the narrow, ribbon-like trim running along the edge. Yep, totally faking it, but hey, it worked to give us an idea how it was gonna look! 🙂

Tartan Bedding, Ralph Lauren Style

 

Measurements were taken in mid-January and on Sunday (yesterday) the bedskirt was at last ready. So, what do you think? Could you get cozy here with a good book on a cold winter’s night? There are plenty of those happening here in Georgia this week! Brrrr!

Williams-Sonoma Tartan Plaid Duvet

 

Remember the LOVE pillow I shared in a previous post? (Love pillow is available here: Love Pillow.)

Love Pillow 2

 

I’m using it on the bed for the month of February…an ode to Valentine’s Day.

Tartan Plaid Bedding For Winter

 

I didn’t do a very good job of placing the pillows on the bed today before taking these pictures, but hopefully, you can get an idea of how it looks with the real bed skirt in place.

Williams-Sonoma Tartan Duvet and Tartan Bedskirt

 

I still need to work on a solution for my floppy flange on the red tartan pillows. The flange is so wide, it refuses to stand up.

Pottery Barn Red LOVE pillow

 

Since the bedskirt was just delivered on Sunday, I think I may leave the winter bedding in place through the month of April instead of swapping it out for my summer bedding on April 1st as I had planned. That will give me a little more time to enjoy it.

Tartan Plaid Bedding For Winter

 

Update for Fall/Winter 2015: This bedding is back again this year. You’ll find it here: Tartan Bedding

Have you ever used tablecloths or sheets to make something when the fabric was nowhere to be found?

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters for this Met Monday!

Met Monday

 

If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday, you will need to link up the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz.

In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Please observe these few rules:

Only link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, DIY related.

Do not link up if you’re doing so to promote a website or product.

Do not link up a post that was just linked last week since a lot of readers will have already seen that post.

Please do not link up more than 2 or 3 Before and Afters each week. Thanks!

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Comments

  1. Your new bedskirt looks wonderful and it’s perfect for the wintery weather we are getting this week.

  2. This is like one of those eye exams, Susan…which one can you see clearer, A or B. Seriously, you did a great job faking it, but I can see the clean lines of how the real one falls, and it’s really beautiful. Love the LOVE pillow on there too – just the right touch to take you through March (will it EVER come?). Ugh…our snow just started, looks like you’ll be lucky to get just the rain, no freezing stuff. We’re in for 6-10″, our first heavy one of the season. Ugh. Monday. It only gets better from here. Thanks for hosting…a bright spot in the day.
    Rita

    • lol Yeah, I guess it is a little like that. 🙂 I thought we were going to get freezing rain/snow but it looks like we dodged the bullet. Stay warm, Rita! Spring is coming…won’t be long now!

  3. Thanks so much for the party!!

    Hugs,
    Deb

  4. Thank you for the always fun party!
    Blessings,
    Pam (www.everydayliving.me)

  5. So glad that yo finally got your bed skirt, Susan! It’s gorgeous! Thanks for hosting!…hugs…Debbie

  6. Everything looks gorgeous! The bed skirt came out perfect, although your “tuck” method with the tablecloths looked pretty darn good! As I was looking at the bed skirt views, you just gave me an idea. One of those “duh”, why didn’t I think of that myself. I have hardwood floors in my smallish master bedroom & have throw rugs on each side of the bed that are always all over the place. (Even put one of those rubber pads under each one, but they dry out). Why didn’t I ever get one larger rug like you have & put it under the bed? No more chasing a throw rug around! Thank you Susan, for once again, sharing your home & wonderful ideas with us!

    • Thanks Gina! The rug I have is 8 x 10 in size, in case that’s helpful to know. I need to pull it a tad bit further toward the wall behind the bed, but that’s as far as I could get it under the bed when I put it there myself. It’s tricky getting a big rug up underneath a bed, but I do like they look there.

  7. Gorgeous, Susan. Is your bedroom set Thomasville? It’s beautiful! I like the idea of switching out the bedding for the seasons. You are my inspiration! Have a great week!

    • I don’t think so but it could be. I bought it from a furniture store in a nearby town about 20 years ago. Unfortunately, they are no longer in business. I can’t remember now if they carried Thomasville. Thanks, Nancie!

  8. Seriously Susan, I NEVER would have known you were faking it if you hadn’t mentioned it in your previous post, but now that I see the ‘real’ skirt, yes, it looks even more beautiful!

    Thank you for hosting!

  9. Susan, I love the new gathered dust ruffle! If you don’t mind doing a little sewing, you can undo the stitching that makes the flange and add a layer of batting to the whole front side of sham (on the inside). Then stitch the flange stitch line again. Not sure if that makes sense?? I always like to add batting to the flanged shams that I make for clients. Flopping flanges are a pet peeve of mine! Thanks for hosting!

    • I think I may try that, Jan. I asked the seamstress who made the bedskirt about adding some to just the flange and she said she couldn’t do that, it wouldn’t work right…that she would have to rebuild the entire sham from scratch to do it right, which was going to be very expensive. I like your idea of add it across the whole front side of the sham. I’m not sure if the overstuffed, down, pillow insert would still fit though. I bought my inserts from a company online that makes them and they always make the inserts a couple of inches bigger than the pillow cover/sham to help really fill it out. So those inserts are pretty big. It might still work, though! Thanks for that suggestion!

  10. The bedskirt is magnificent!…and I can see why you would want to have the bedding up for a while longer…the bedding is so very beautiful and classic as your bedroom with that spectacular chandelier!…I have been eyeing that pillow, however waited to long as it was sold out in our store…Have a great day Susan and thanks for hosting!!

  11. Oh you are so very inspiring!
    Your whole bed ensemble looks absolutely fabulous!
    I think Ralph Lauren himself would love it!
    To answer your question bout using or making tablecloths
    into something else……I once made an apron from a
    tablecloth that had a nice print design on it.
    Loved wearing it til it finally wore out!
    Back to your bed…..will be thinking upon it through-out
    the day!
    You did one super great and fantastic job!
    🙂

  12. Your dust ruffle looks great. I’ve used sheets to make dust ruffle, and years ago, I used them to make a light weight coverlet with matching drapes for my bedroom. Must have been in the early 70’s. I’m glad you found the table cloths so you could have the matching dust ruffle. Great idea!! Thanks for hosting!

  13. Absolutely beautiful!

  14. Susan, it looks beautiful. Worth the wait! How clever of you to buy the tablecloths. 11 years ago, I hung tablecloths from Tues Morning on my bedroom windows. It was supposed to be temporary, until I could afford something else. They are still there! (And you thought it took a long time to get your bedskirt!) Thanks for hosting.

  15. maybe if you tried a little starch on those ruffles that might work..not sure but worth a try. I know who starches anything anymore..but remember those poodle skirts? lots of starch in those undergarments.

  16. Your “real” bedskirt looks terrific! How smart and thrifty of you to use tablecloths off Ebay! Your new LOVE pillow looks perfect on the bed too! Thanks for hosting this wonderful party each week!

  17. Hooray for you- it’s finally done! That was a long time to wait but well worth it. It does look great! My mother would buy the flat sheets and make matching drapery to go with our bedding and their master bedroom. She did a good job at it too and they were pinch pleated and looked professional. It’s really a smart way to get the fabric needed since the sheet goods are so wide- of course the windows weren’t very tall so she didn’t have to try to make 84 or 96″ ones like everyone wants today. Your bed look so warm and inviting- fluffy and cozy!

  18. Roxanne Bernard says

    So worth the wait! It looks spectacular!! My rice bed also has a 25″ drop…this is becoming more common with the extra thick mattresses being sold these days. Hello, Manufacturers…are you listening?!? I once made a dust ruffle out of Mario Buatta sheets to match his comforter and used the pillowcases to make cornice toppers. If it is lined and gathered enough, nobody would ever guess! Question…how did you get so much loft when you folded your comforter at the foot of your bed? It looks so inviting! I am up the road in Clemson, SC and we are preparing for The End of the World ice storm later today. We Southerners take our storms seriously! Stay warm!!

    • Hello Manufactures indeed! They need to get with the times! I asked Williams Sonoma why they didn’t at least offer the fabric so folks could have a bedskirt made. She said they do on some things and she wasn’t sure why they didn’t for this. The Mario comforter and toppers sound so cute…my son would have loved that!
      Oh, about the duvet at the end…the reason it’s soooo fluffy is two-fold. When I bought the down duvet/comforter thingy that’s inside many years ago, I bought one with a high loft (600) rating. You could probably sleep in an igloo at the north pole under this thing! So it’s already pretty fluffy.
      The other reason it’s so fluffy is it’s a king size down insert inside a queen duvet. When I had a duvet cover on my bed 20 years ago, I went with a King size so it would hang down further over the sides of the bed. I never really liked that duvet and it stuck out on the sides way too far, probably because the insert is so fat and fluffy. So I only used it for a few months. I just put the insert away and never used it again. I forgot it was a king size until I measured it after I purchased the tartan duvet. I do like how it looks inside the tartan duvet and it doesn’t shift at all because of how it’s attached inside. You can see more about how it’s attached in this post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/how-to-insert-a-duvet-comforter-inside-a-duvet/

    • Roxanne…meant to add, I hope the weatherman is wrong and you don’t get that storm! They had been predicting snow and ice for here but it turned out to just be rain…thank goodness! Yeah, Georgia is the same way, especially after Atlanta’s snowmageddon last year!

  19. Your bed looks so comfy! I have a set of tartan sheets that I love breaking out every fall. I think I need a new duvet and bed skirt to compliment them 🙂 The Love pillow is the cherry on top. Thanks for sharing!

  20. That room so warm and inviting. What a great idea on the tableclothes. Thanks for hosting.

  21. Hi, Susan,
    Your bed turned out beautifully! You must feel like “The Princess and the Pea” when you crawl into it at night! It looks so cozy and inviting. I applaud your seamstress. I can’t imagine the task of making such a large bedskirt. It must have been quite heavy to work with. But, then, I barely sew buttons on any more!! If I were you I’d spend time just standing in my hallway, just looking in at that stunning room. Your taste and accomplishments are always so inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing.
    Rosie

  22. Your bed is absolutely beautiful. Your previous post about changing up your bedding for each season started a trend in our family. I showed it to my daughter & we both bought new duvets for ‘Christmas ‘ bedding. Hers was so versatile. She found a quilt @ TJ Maxx that had polar bears on one side & small hearts on the other. I just purchased a new spring summer quilt that I placed on the bed over the weekend. Thank you for the inspiration.

    • Teresa, just read this comment again and wanted to say thanks! I wish I had done this a long time ago so I know you’ll enjoy having a summer and winter look!

  23. Your seamstress should be able to tell you what product to use to stiffen your floppy flange, if you want to sew it yourself. If not, I’d go to JoAnns (or another fabric store, and check out the interfacings (multiple types of stiffness) or use wide horsehair braid. If you go the batting route maybe something like “Thermolam”. As far as your bedskirt goes, while it looks gorgeous, your “fake-out” looked just as good, and I like the edging!

  24. Wow, that is gorgeous. I am a quilter and I collect vintage fabric and linens and have sewed just about everything over the years. Being creative is a must to make things work sometimes. I just love what you have done here. Wonderful!

  25. Your bed skirt turned out great! I’ve used table runners from Pottery Barn to make curtains for the kitchen. Easiest thing! Oh, if you find a solution to the floppy flange, please share. Happy Monday!

  26. That bed should be on the cover of a magazine Susan, truly, it’s just gorgeous! ( with the table cloth AND the skirt ! )
    We’re freezing up here in Montreal – although we don’t have the snow that Boston got – it’s really unbearably cold – you get brain freeze just being out for a few minutes – minus 22 celcius ( or minus 10 in ” american ” lol )
    Have a wonderful week – and thanks so much for the party
    Hugs,
    Suzan

  27. Oh I adore this look. If they ever come out with Gunn tartan bedding I’m in!
    Thank you for hosting.

  28. I would love a bed like that — just gorgeous! It’s so warm here that I’m already using the summer sheets, and I’ve been looking for a lighter duvet color already. Have a cozy week! 🙂

  29. I love it and the complete look. Your bedskirt is lovely and completes it very well. I am a tartan lover too, even though I don’t have any, I still admire it very much.

  30. Wow! She did a lovely sewing job, it looks beautiful. The love pillow is cute for Feb. Perhaps you will find a different pillow for March too, that would be fun. I spied a little tartan zip bag beside the bed, at least that is what it looked like to me. Enjoy your beautiful tartan bed!

    • Thanks, Patty! Yeah, they made a little bag to coordinate with the bedding and I didn’t buy it at first. Then I thought how perfect it would be for storing away the things I keep on my bedside table like a flashlight (in case of a storm) lip balm, lotion, pen and sticky notes, etc….

  31. Your finished bedskirt looks great Susan and the bed so cozy. Just love the red tartan. Thanks so much for hosting. Hope you have a great week.

  32. Yay! Looks great. 😀

  33. Love the tartan, love all the red and really love the soft yellow of your walls too! Thanks for the inspiration!!!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

  34. Susan, it came out wonderful! That was a long wait but you have it done perfectly now. Oh yes, I have ‘cheated’ using sheets and fabric before. It’s something I do quite a lot. But I can’t tell on myself! Thanks for hosting!

  35. Your bedding is beautiful! I do switch out my bedding seasonally as I just like the change! As for your question – I often see fabric I like and get an idea in my head for something different. Last Christmas I bought a beautiful tablecloth but did not get the matching napkins at the time. I then decided I wanted them but they were sold out. Waited till the tablecloths went on clearance on line and bought another. Sometime this summer I will make my own out of that clearance tablecloth! This past New Years Eve I was throwing together a tablescape when I found out we had last minute guests coming. I wanted a white table runner and took a tablecloth that no longer fit my table and cut it, embellished it with some silver trim and it was perfect! Thanks for hosting.

  36. Your bedskirt turned out so beautifully! Both the finished one and your fake job look really nice. I have used some Ralph Lauren sheets to make slipcovers from for my sofa and found that sheets provide lots of fabric, especially king-sized top sheets. I’ll have to keep my eye out for tablecloths to use in home decor sewing–great idea you had! Thanks for hosting Metamorphosis Monday. This is my first time linking up–happy to join with all these many great links!

  37. Linda Palmer says

    I love your winter bedding. Yes, I have used flat sheets that match my comforter-bedspread for dust ruffles, pillow shams, and for curtains. In addition to matching perfectly, it’s less expensive than buying the matching items already made.

  38. Linda Palmer says

    I love your winter bedding. Yes, I have used flat sheets that match my comforter-bedspread for dust ruffles, pillow shams, and for curtains. In addition to matching perfectly, it’s less expensive than buying the matching items already made. I’ve also used Christmas tablecloths to make pillow shams for the holiday.

  39. Love all your plaid! I too change my bedding for the seasons. Spring brings about a lovely cream and floral set. But my favorite was when I finally snagged a Ralph Lauren Chaps Summerton set at an incredible price from Kohl’s. It’s perfect for the winter months and worth waiting a few years for the price to become reasonable for my wallet. Love your style and inspiration!

  40. I love the finished look. That combination of tartan plaids is my favorite, although I like almost all tartan plaids…

    As to using tablecloths or sheets for other projects, yes…I have used sheets and bedspreads as tablecloths and I have also used sheets instead of wallpaper to do a whole wall in one of my daughters’ rooms…This last was done by tacking the sheets up on wall at top and bottom with flat head thumbtacks and then nailing a decorative strip of molding on both edges to cover the tacks…worked great!

  41. Susan, when my email notification came through for this post, I laughed and decided I’d come back to tell you that I think you should have titled this post “no more faking it in the bedroom”. The hits on this post would have been huge!

  42. Susan, the ruffle looks spectacular!! I too would keep the bedding on an extra month.
    Now I am wondering just what we are going to see with your tartan tablecloths. Obviously tablescaping but you could make yourself a cute Tam!! 🙂
    A question, I too have a heavy high bed, how on earth did you lift it to put a rug underneath?

    • lol I don’t have any left, they are all in the bedskirt. I was kind of hoping she might not use all six, but she did. I may have to buy another one because I loved the look of the tablecloth in my dining room in this table setting: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/a-winter-table-setting-with-cher-blanc-by-noritake/
      About lifting the bed, it was awful trying to do it alone. I don’t recommend it! I don’t remember exactly now how I did it…I just remember lifting one leg at the time and how difficult it was working it up under there. Tough on the back! Now that I think about it, I should have removed the mattress and box springs…it would have made the bed a lot lighter! I didn’t think about it back then, though.
      Okay, sorry to sound dumb, but what’s a Tam? 🙂

  43. Love the new bedskirt Susan! It looks amazing.

  44. Leave it to you to track down the fabric in the form of tablecloths, and find some one to make that beautiful skirt! I would have just tucked them under and continue to fake it! How much fun to have a summer and a winter look. I got some ideas over the weekend to jazz up my master for spring, so hopefully I will be sharing that soon 🙂 thanks for the great way to start the week!

  45. Charlotte Bruce says

    I would not have known they were tablecloths if you hadn’t said anything. I think it was VERY innovative, creative and imaginative and just downright fantastic brain work! I love it when people do things like that and I have to give myself credit for doing something like that every once in a while! lol Good going. Love it.

  46. Norma Wagner says

    Suson, had you not confessed about the tablecloths , we would not have know. I absolutely love the winter look for your bedding but I am partial to the summery bedding because I have the same bedding. Your seamstress did a wonderful job on the bed skirt . I look so forward to your posts (as you know from the problems I was having with them). They are always so interesting. Thanks for sharing, Norma

  47. Oh, gosh that looks just beautiful!!! So very polished and smart……..cozy too!!

    I love using tablecloths for curtain panels, and for a quick cover on the sofa, used one for a dressing table skirt also. Sheets are another handy item for use as curtains, tablecloths, making shams or pillow covers………inexpensive way to have coordinates!! Love your style……xoxo

  48. Hi Susan- there’s an inexpesive product used for hat making called buckram (you can get it at JoAnne’s) that would work to stiffen the flanges on your pillow shams. If you could get another tablecloth, your seamstress could make new shams for you cheaper than trying to rework your existing ones. Buckram is impregnated with a stiffener so it can’t be washed but you may be able to dry clean it.

  49. The bedskirt turned out great glad you went with the gathered style I think it adds softness and a bit of feminitity to all the tartan. For some reason the fact that it is a red tartan seems to be more feminine rather than say a navy or a green would. Is that just me or do you agree? I like your new “love” pillow as well – nice touch.

    • Victoria, I never really thought about that but I do totally agree. I’ve been envisioning a tartan/plaid bedskirt in my mind for years as I plotted my winter bedding, just wasn’t sure how the rest of the bed was going to look. 🙂

  50. Hi Susan! Oh, your bedskirt looks lovely and your bed looks so comfy cozy and ready for me to pop in and take a little snooze! I would never have thought of plaid looking so elegant but it sure does on your bed. Hope you’re doing well and thanks for hosting your party.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia 😉

  51. I couldn’t get here earlier today so will wait til next week for my posts. Your new bedskirt looks beautiful! The old one was a great fake however!! I would leave it up too!! Love that pillow as well.

  52. Sandra Speer says

    Would have written sooner, but just thought you had a solution already…for your pillow shams… To give you an example, think of little girl’s party dresses…and then I’ll tell you that a friend of mine had to have dress after dress made for her daughter while she was in dance classes…for exhibitions. They use fishing line in the hems! Yep, just plain ole fishing line. And before you ask, if it won’t hurt a little girl’s gentle skin (on her legs), it isn’t gonna hurt anyone. I WOULD suggest, however, that you “seal” the ends of the wire… And, yes, they DO have different weights/sizes/gauges of wire, so take your choice…at ACE, perhaps! RE: sealing…it could be as simple as twisting/embedding the ends under a tab/covering it with hot wax from a glue gun, etc., etc…just so the ends don’t poke you, lol You can do this! Photographers use fishing line all the time to “float” things, or hold something in place…so do window dressers… There’s always “pipe cleaners”, lol…

    Let me know if this solves your problem…
    Hugs,
    Sandy

  53. So you’ve been working towards this completed look since November! I have to say it’s gone by fast for me 🙂 Looks not only beautiful but so warm and inviting on this cold, cold night. If the back of the LOVE pillow is plain, maybe somehow you can add letters (applique/iron on) that say NOEL, and get additional use of it?

  54. Wow, your bedding turned out so beautifully! Ingenious to use tablecloths in the same pattern! Beautiful tartan! I also love the idea of the tiny bag on the nightstand, clever and handy.

  55. Cynthia Christensen says

    Susan…..another option for your sham could be “collar stays”. They are available in different sizes, and you could probably create a little channel by hand stitching in the corner seam of the flange on the sham. Maybe….could be….just thinking…these little things just bug me to death until I find a solution Sandy’s suggestion of pipe cleaners sounds good too.

  56. Judy MacDonald says

    Wow, Susan, it’s just beautiful! Your seamstress did a wonderful job at lining up the pattern. I’m a stickler for details like that. Sweet dreams!

  57. An old designer trick to keep floppy flanges from flopping during photo shoots is masking tape along the seam .. back side, of course.

  58. Susan, Your bedskirt came out lovely and you were smart to have someone make it for you. I’ve made one and altered another and I had to set (throw)them aside when my gathering stitches would break and come back to them later. Imagine that!! Heavy duty sewing requires heavy duty machines and a large table behind the machine to rest the usually heavy fabric and most of us are not set up to accommodate this kind of task. My toes are always cold so I would have to add a couple of runners/rugs on each side of the bed during Winter. Believe it or not, it is about 23°F in Central Louisiana right now at 1:45 a.m. The rain has gone and thankfully, no snow/ice today. My heart really goes out to those folks where the snow storms are so fierce, especially the elderly. To strengthen your pillow flanges, I would make a flat sleeve, insert belting or plastic needlepoint canvas and hand tack it about every half-inch to the back of the flanges. You could use felt for the sleeves. I order my felt from Prairie Point Junction in Cozad, Nebraska. They have a beautiful array of colors, sizes and thicknesses and are nice ladies. They have a great website and weekly letter. No, they are NOT paying to tout their products.
    I once used patriotic r,w&b sheets to make a tablecloth for a 4th of July picnic – it was about 95°F and raining so we celebrated indoors. I simply cut the sheets to fit my table. No sewing – I just covered the “seams,” with patriotic garland, confetti, votive candles and used paper & plastic tableware. My cousin who sews lots more than I do has made blouses, jackets and pants from vintagee jacquard tablecloths. Thanks again for your lovely blog. I look forward to reading it, although I have bought too many books these last few weeks. Oh, what the neck? It was my birthday on the 13th & I usually treat myself to a few books. I do most of my reading on my Kindle, but I do like color photos in my decorating & gardening books. The closest library is about twenty miles from my very rural home.

    • Thanks, Ashley and you are so right! I knew I would be in over my head if I tried to make it myself, especially since I wanted it super full and I knew it would be lined. Plus, it has a 25″ drop, so as you mentioned…tons of fabric. My machine just couldn’t handle all that fabric. I know I’ll be using it forever so decided I better let a professional make it.
      Thanks for the ideas for the floppy flanges. Great tips! I love the sound of your patriotic tablecloth! Sorry about the book buying. It’s one of my weaknesses. I guess there are worse vices, right? 🙂

  59. Well well well….. I didn’t even know we sold the duvet. So I guess next holiday season I shall be buying such a duvet and table clothes to match. I have a high bed too and just gave up trying to get bed skirts to fit. Not only is it high but I had the nerve to buy a super pillow top mattress to go with it.

    Well guess I shall be on the look out for table cloths on sale that I love that can be made transformed into bedskirts for the seasons. I think I might have a favorite too. We have a blue tablecloth that we sell that is set out for Hanukah. I could see using that for a bed skirt and finding a pretty blue duvet to go with it to use for the winter months. I don’t want to copy you too much. (even though I might)

    • Yeah, the tablecloths work great in a pinch but it’s a rather expensive proposition if you want the bedskirt to be really full. It takes A LOT of tablecloths. It helped finding them on eBay but I still spent more than I had hoped. I think it’s worth it, though…to get the look I want.
      You copy all you want, Jeri. I’m totally honored/flattered anytime someone can use something they see here on the blog. That’s really the whole point of this blog is to hopefully provide some inspiration. So please copy all you want. If I see something I love online or in a magazine, I will totally copy it, too! 🙂

  60. IMHO and being a hobby sewer; your seamstress did an astounding job on the bed skirt! (ie: Its fullness, length, pattern match and how the horizontal bands are placed is perfect. ) Chances too Susan, it is also better made than one you would purchase off the shelf. All around looking good …. ☺. Warm hugs -Brenda-
    P.S: Table cloths also work well for dining room chair slipcovers where there isn’t a lot of wear as the fabric is often the correct weight, usually pretreated for stains and due to their wide width are also very economical for something unique.

    • Thanks, Brenda! Can you believe I don’t have a single tablecloth left for a tablescape. lol Good thing I set one table with them before I turned them over for the bedskirt. 🙂 Yes, it is definitely made a lot better…I do love it and if it holds up like the other one I’ve had for 10+ years, I’ll be a happy camper. Thanks for the tip about the dining room chairs. Ummm, I’ve been wanting to recover mine. I’m tempted to look for a pretty tartan tablecloth, although I guess that won’t go with my drapes in there.

  61. Oh Yes! I sure could snuggle up in this cozy bed with a good book especially with this frigid cold we are getting. It was worth the wait and tracking down the tablecloths to make your matching bedskirt, it is gorgeous! I’ve done the same thing in a guest room, using large sheets for a bed with a tall drop. It was so easy and looked great. Thanks for sharing your beautiful bedding, I think you will enjoy it for a long time.

    hugs

  62. Susan, your idea for using the tablecloths to create your bedskirt was ingenious! I purchased one large tablecloth to go with my napkins that go with my plates, but wouldn’t have thought of how you made that bedskirt. That’s what I love about your blog, whether it’s tablescapes or things around your home – you think outside the box! Can’t wait to see what you have in store this next week. I’m in Memphis, and we’re getting a little more wintry mix tonight. Can I just say I’m sick of it?

    • Thanks, Martha! Oh, I so know how you feel, I feel the same way. We had rain today but thankfully, it has warmed up a little. Stay safe and warm…hope the wintry mix passes fast!

  63. Great job with the bedskirt. I love how honest you are with sharing that the first pics were staged and then updating us on the finished product.
    I also love the little tartan purse on the nightstand. Cute little accessory.
    http://runwright.net/2015/11/02/big-weekend-bigger-week/

  64. Joan Burgert says

    Where did you get the blue and green tartan pillows that you also have on your bed? I have been looking for something like that for a long time.

  65. Is your Tartan bedding flannel?

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