Decorating with Sheets 

We all know that sheets are useful, but just what CAN
you use them for? The following is a list of things for
which I personally have used sheets.

Decorator fabrics are expensive! Even for the Decorator! Did you think my discount is substantial? Think again! Even as a professional, I have to think twice before buying those gorgeous fabrics. Years ago I discovered the joy of sheeting. Not only is the price reasonable, but the availability and selection are wonderful! Check out your local discount stores and the many bed and linen catologues available for free. Either online or through regular mail. Ask my husband how many of these I get each month! The hard part is making a choice!

1) Covering furniture
2) Covering beds
3) Tablecloths and placemats
4) Hanging storage in your child's room
5) Drapes and Cafe Curtains
6) Pillow Covers
7) Room Divider
8) Bed Canopy

Furniture Covers

For a large sofa, you will need two king sheets. Sew the BOTTOM ends together and cut off the border on one end. Stitch closed for a finished edge. Drape the fabric over the sofa and tuck the joined, sewn part into the cushion at the opposite end of the sofa. Let the remainder fall to the floor and measure where to cut the sheet to allow it to touch the floor after hemming. The key is to tuck deeply into all the cushions, smoothing as you go. At the corners, carefully arrange the fabric into neat folds and tuck again. Tie all around the sofa below the seat cushions with a matching cord or ribbon and you have a fresh, new look. This works for chairs, also. Finish off the look with contrasting pillows!

Bed Coverings

Have you ever looked for months for the perfect duvet cover? I have. Frustrating! So make one! After locating the colors/pattern you want, you simply sew the two of the needed size together, leaving most of one end open for inserting the comforter. Note: Measure the size of your comforter and find the sheets that are as close as possible. You can always sew a hem to make the perfect fit. Use hook and loop closures, or buttons, if you can do button holes. A contrasting color can be used to make a bedskirt. And again, make coordinating pillows! If you have a dark comforter and want a light look for summer, then use white sheets as liners for the chosen sheets to keep the dark color from showing through.

The look is a nice, soft swagged top dressing. If the window needs to be fully covered, use four sheets, letting two of them fall straight. Nice touches are greenery in the corners! Acceptable drape lengths are: to the sill, to the bottom edge of the sill, to the floor, or piled on the floor. But if your sheets fall somewhere between the sill and floor and you do not want to cut and sew, don't worry about it. Rules are just guidelines, not carved in stone!

Pillow Covers

Think about all the pillows that make a room look luxurious. Pillows piled on the bed, the sofa layered with sumptuous pillows, inviting floor cushions, etc. Now think of how dusty and dirty they can get! Solution? Sheets! Using coordinating colors and patterns, make pillow cases out of pillow cases! The "envelope" kind, or the "pillow sham" kind with the opening covered in the back. Any way you want to make them so that they can be slipped off and washed! Hook and loop closures work well and are easy to do!  Roll pillows, large square pillows, your own shams with a tailered look or ruffled look, the varieties are almost endless. All sizes and shapes, covering your old pillows or new pillow forms, or using poly stuffing to create your own shapes.

I go on pillow-making binges where I make so many I have to give them away. If your storage allows, make enough to change them out for the different seasons! Nice florals for spring, Christmas themes to usher in that delightful time of year, you get the idea! Contrasting pillows look great at any time. An easy to make accessory!

Room Divider

On my website there is a room divider that I made to cover an old A/C unit in a corner that will eventually be removed. You do not need to have something to hide, however, to enjoy a room divider!  Room Dividers are useful for hiding things, but are great for just being decorative. You need some sort of frame, like an old room divider that you found at Goodwill or Salvation Army. Or you can make your own frame! Three simple panels hinged together. Six feet high is a nice height. Mine happens to be a bi-fold closet door! As long as it is in a corner, the danger of falling is not a problem. I have used bi-folds as dividers, but always be sure they are in a place where somebody is not going to trip into them. Bi-folds do fall easily!

Once you have your frame, you need to choose your sheeting. For a three panel, you need two king sheets. I like to put a solid color on one side and a pattern on the other. If your panels are frames with nothing inside, then you will need twelve small tension rods. If you have a solid paneled frame, you need twelve small cafe rods. Still with me? Tension rods fit well into the frame, while a solid frame requires screwing the cafe rods into the wood. One rod for top and bottom of each panel, on each side. Cut the sheet into three equal pieces, using the SIDE of the sheet as the TOP. This way, you get the fullest fabric possible. This will not work if you have a pattern that looks funky turned sideways! In this case, cut the sheet lengthwise with the pattern as it should look. Now measure for the panels, leaving room for rod pockets and hemming at both ends. Duplicate this with the second sheet. Now sew the sheets and attach the cafe rods, if that is what you are using. Otherwise, just insert the fabric panels onto the rods and put into place.


NOTE: if you have a frame that is too narrow for two tension rods to fit, you can use cafe rods at the frame corners.

They are cheaper than tension rods, anyway! Trim with fringe, ribbon, cording, or whatever you like. Be creative. And please, put your divider where all can admire it! Move it around to suit the seasons. They are good for blocking drafts in cold weather, or sun in the summer.

The dotted line on the left, is where your rod should be.  The three rectangles on the left, represent your three sheets.  Leave two inches open at this point (X) so that the middle sheet can go over the rod hardware.