DIY Bed Skirt

A bed skirt really finishes the look of a well dressed bed.  But, don’t y’all know bed skirts can get pricy?!  I’ve been helping spruce up my husband’s family’s beach place, and none of the beds there have bed skirts.  I had some spare fabric at home in colors that would work well, so I came up with an easy way to make a bed skirt.  Let me show you how!

 

 

First up, here’s the before pic of the bed:

And here’s a peek at the finished product, complete with all new bedding:

 

Basically all I did was create three long panels (one for each visible side of the bed) and two little pieces for the two visible corners.  For the height of the panels I measured from the floor to the top of the box spring, then added 3 inches.  For me, this number was 21″, so that’s the height of my panels/pieces.  It will vary greatly depending on your bed, so be sure to measure.

I finished off the sides and bottom of each piece on the sewing machine, but you could easily make this a no-sew project and use iron-on hemming tape to finish them off.

I didn’t even worry about the top edge of each piece, since it will be hiding under the mattress.  I knew I wanted an inverted box pleat in the middle of each side, so I added about 12″ to the length of each long side to account for that.

 

For some visual interest I hot-glued grosgrain ribbon onto each panel, using a ruler to be sure the ribbon was straight.

I prepped all of the panels at my home in the mountains, so I’d be ready to put them together at the beach.  My plan was to use a staple gun and simply staple the panels in place, right to the box spring.  When I got to the beach all ready to staple, it turned out the frame of the box spring was not wood.  It was a metal frame, so no dice.  Instead I used an old flat sheet spread out on the box spring and used safety pins to attach the panels.  It took longer, but achieved the same result.

I started with the two little corner pieces, and carefully wrapped them around the corners of the box spring, folding the top edge down like I would wrap a gift.

Next I did the long sides.  I pinned each end and the middle first.

Then I carefully folded and pinned the box pleat in the middle.

I added pins about every 6 inches, to keep the skirt in place.

And, that’s that!

Now, this is an quick, semi-permanent project.  The construction of it doesn’t allow for easy removal for cleaning, but the reality of my world is that bed skirts aren’t things that get cleaned often, if at all.  In a couple of years I’ll probably be itching for a new look, and I’ll upcycle this fabric for another project.

You may have noticed I re-covered the headboard, too.  I just used a staple gun to secure new fabric right over the old upholstered headboard.  It all feels much more fresh and sophisticated.  Next up:  those lamps and something to go on the wall over the bed.  And, don’t you know I have some ideas!