January 3, 2012

My Boxing Day Score And Project Idea!

By Andrea

Happy New Year, Readers!  I hope you all had an excellent holiday season.  For me, no holiday season would be complete with out battling at least a few crowds on Boxing Day (our equivalent of Black Friday, on Dec 26th).  Well, I was definitely glad I headed out to the big city this year!  Crate and Barrel has an excellent selection of Marimekko bedding, which adds a great mod touch to any bedroom.  I found the Lumimarja sheet set in rust on clearance for half price.  Score!  One of my favourite Marimekko prints!

However, no duvet covers left at all!  What’s a Marimekko loving gal to do?  I was almost debating walking away, when I realized that the sheet set contained a flat sheet – which I generally don’t use, as I find the duvet cover eliminates the need for it.  This is kind of personal preference, but it works for me.  Anyway, this gave me a total brain wave – take the flat sheet, which I wouldn’t use, back it with a coordinating solid, and voila!  A matching duvet cover!  I used a brown marble to back it, and here’s the final result:

(Please disregard the doggie on the bed – he apparently liked the new bedding so much, he wouldn’t get off!)

Here’s a shot of the brown marble that I backed it with:

Now, this is a project idea that’s definitely not necessarily just for new sheets.  Have a vintage set that you don’t have a coordinating duvet cover for?  You can do the same thing!  You could also take two flat sheets and make a reversible one.  Making a duvet cover is quite easy.  I seamed the backing fabric to make it wide enough, then sewed along the top and two sides.  For the bottom, you have a choice – you can put a zipper, buttons, velcro, or just leave an opening (which is what I did, as I have many duvet covers that are this way).  I made the duvet cover in just under an hour, so it’s a super quick project to do.

I hope this gives you some ideas to spruce up your bedrooms in the new year!