Bedskirts

Has anyone made a bedskirt?  I have a vague idea of how I want to make it....has anyone done a custom one before?  My daughter moved into a house recently....sharing with 5 other college friends....and I would like to make a coordinating bedskirt to match her valances.

It's a pretty simple project, it just takes a lot of fabric.  You need a sheet or a piece of muslin that is the size of the top of the box spring.  Measure the length of the sides of the bed and the height of the sides to the floor.  Factor in hem allowance and a couple of inches on the ends of the sides so that they can overlap and cut panels of fabric to fit.  If you want a straight hanging skirt, hem the edges and the bottom of each side and sew them with the serger or with French seams to the muslin base. 

If you want a ruffled skirt, measure around the entire perimeter of the bed and multiply the length by 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 depending on how ruffley you want it.  Add hem allowance and cut and join fabric panels enough to make up this length.  It's probably easier to hem the panel before you ruffle it too.  Use a ruffler or run a gathering stitch all the way around the top of the skirt, pull the threads if you're gathering by hand until it looks suitable.  Pin all the way around, adjusting the gathers as you go, then serge the top of the ruffle to the muslin base or use French seams.

Good luck!  I'm sure your daughter will love her bedskirt.

Nicely put, Elizabeth.

Yes, Elizabeth...great instructions!  I just did a crib skirt based on the pattern in the Amy Butler book little stitches for little ones.  It calls for 3 yards or so of fabric for the skirt part, which is a "pleated version".  It was super simple to do, just LOTS of fabric.

Thank You, Elizabeth!  I appreciate your input.  Will have to try it, just have to get to her to measure the box spring, as I am in Hawaii and she's in Portland!

If the dust ruffle is for a bed with a box spring, you might also attach the skirt (made as Elizabeth described) to a 2" band of matching fabric all around, and then it can be pinned to the box spring under the mattress. Saves trying to get the muslin foundation just right under the mattress, and also eliminates sagging (not to mention making it easier to launder/dry clean).