I have worn ALL sorts of hats today… Alterations lady… letting the hem out of some pants for my hubby, Painter… painting my closet doors, Food Pantry worker, and finally sewing again… well, a little sewing and a lot of “ripping out!”
You see, I was searching on Ebay and Etsy for a white dust ruffle or bed skirt to use in my new bedroom. I didn’t want anything too lacy or ruffled, or eyelet… so that left just plain white fabric OR possibly something with some macrame fringe like trim or crochet. So many of what I saw looked too ordinary and I wanted something that caught my eye. After looking at 592, (you think I’m kidding?) (well, it was a LOT!)
I would have loved this one…
…and several others that were just gorgeous but the wrong size.
After too many nights of looking, I decided to go with this one… it was brand new, still in the original package.
There was just one problem…it was for a king size bed and we have a queen. But I thought, hey, I’m a seamstress.. I can make it smaller but I can’t buy one and make it larger… I’m pretty sure it’s vintage judging by the packaging. There was a K-Mart price sticker stuck to the outside of the package, but I don’t think it went with this item. It must have come off something else and got stuck on the packages because the UPC code didn’t match up. The price sticker on it was $4.97.
Anyway, I just received it today and as soon as I got home from the Food Pantry, I wanted to open it up and see how it looked… how big it really was and decide on how to go about taking it apart and making it fit our bed… This was my first look at it…
It has box corners that are split in case you had a bed with a footboard… I don’t…
Right in the middle of me trying to figure this out, I got VERY brave and asked my hubby if he could move the headboard up a couple of inches so the design on the front would show instead of being hidden by pillow shams… this is what the headboard looks like…it was made from an antique piano… you can see that post HERE.
Yes, that’s a piece of plywood on top of my box springs… I like a firm bed, and this works perfectly!
And yes, my hubby was very obliging to raise the headboard… and it only took him a short time to get it “just right!” YAY! I’ve been wanting to ask him that for months! He did find a board that I am in the process of painting, that will go just under the bottom of the headboard to keep the pillows from sliding through.
Okay, now onto the actual part where I tear into this dust ruffle. So just imagine with me for a minute… a queen bed is 60″ wide and a king is 80″ wide…so that makes 20″ difference… and if you have box corners it will be too wide… and the corners won’t be in the right spot.
So this is how I tackled it…
I first used a seam ripper and took of the end piece that went from corner to corner…
So now I had one big piece that draped across the bed from the head to the foot area, but it was too wide and the crochet trim was laying on the floor, so I opened up the seam that ran down the middle of the dust ruffle…
and lapped them over one another… making sure my crochet trim was about where I wanted it off the floor about an inch or so…
Then I pinned the lapped sections with safety pins so I wouldn’t lose any pins in the process of hauling it to my sewing machine and sewing it together…
I actually just used a zig zag stitch…
…and then trimmed it off with my scissors as it was on the plywood…
I took that piece that had been lapped over and placed it down at the foot of the bed to be sewn on for an extension of the piece I had taken off earlier. Not only was this dust ruffle a King size, it also had a shorter “drop” length (the length from the edge of your box spring down to the floor or wherever you want it to be) than what I needed. It’s drop was only 10″ and I needed 15″ so it was a perfect fix to use the extra fabric from the width of the dust ruffle and use it to add more length to the end.
I had to eyeball it again and safety pin the end piece I had taken off onto the extension… It was kind of hard to do, I was laying down on my side and on my back part of the time, trying to make sure I got it as straight as I could…
I took it back to my sewing machine and stitched from one end to the other, but left the corners free…
I didn’t want to “cut” the crochet trim because it was finished off on the ends, so I just neatly folded the excess length, tucked it behind and hand stitched the corners in place… I had to make sure I had the sides and the end the same distance from the floor and also matching up the crochet design from the sides and going around the corners and onto the end piece… again, this was a bit tricky…
I got my steamer out and steamed it right on the box spring…
Then my hubby helped me get the mattress back on the bed WITHOUT moving the dust ruffle… Lift it UP AND OVER AND CAREFULLY LAY IT DOWN! :o)
Tomorrow my board will be dry and I can have him screw it in place from the back…
YAY! Another thing done in my room!
Have a wonderful Saturday! I’ll be painting again! UGH!
See you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I just love your new dust ruffle! It’s feminine but not frilly, has a bit of lace but not too much. I think it’s the perfect touch for your room.
Very clever, how you “altered” it to fit your bed the way you want it. I’m sure no one is going to notice the seamed area where you added length to that one drop.
Now, I wonder what your new bedspread is going to look like…
HI Charlotte,
So glad you are okay.. I knew something was missing when you didn’t appear at the top of the comments…. glad all is well…
Thanks for the compliments on the bed skirt… it was more than I bargained for, but it was one of those things once started… had to be finished… so I could make my bed for the night.
I do have my new bedspread and will be showing in shortly… I just finished the closet doors and we’ll put them up tomorrow… they are so pretty and white now! Love them!
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
That was beautiful and inspiring — and what a great price. It looks beautiful and perfect on your bed. Now, as Charlotte says, for the bedspread.
As for the painting, it’s a bit of a pain, but the clean fresh okk of new paint is so rewarding.
HI Marilyn,
Yes, now onto the bedspread… I’m getting there… with my closet doors ready to be put back up, hopefully tomorrow, my room is looking very nice!
I’ve about had my fill of painting lately… I’m ready for something else… but I know what that will be… the flooring in the rest of the house… I think when the kids leave Thursday, my hubby is going to want to get started on it… then, of course, there is going to be a new guest room to decorate too… Oh dear.. I hope I move along faster on it than on mine… But it’s already painted, and just needs to be decorated…the fun part! :o)
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Doing the guest room should move along faster, as you probably won’t need to have it ready to sleep in every night!! 😂
That is a really nice bedskirt! Good choice. Thank you so much for the sewing reason.
Thank you Debi,
The back of the package on the dust ruffle says it’s 100% imported cotton and only has 2% shrinkage. I’m not exactly what kind of cotton it is, but it’s so tightly woven I could hardly get my safety pins through it… It’s really tough stuff…
I like it too… it’s simple but has a little bit of pizzazz!
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, the first thing I noticed was how nice that crocheted edging looks with your new floor. Good choice. 🙂 Then the second. What a ton of wrinkles. How will they ever disappear? Found out. Steamer magic. Great tailoring fit on the bed skirt too. Amazing how much work to do to complete the look, but everything is coming together so well. And then the headboard fix. Raising the height and adding a piece really makes it fit nicely in front of the window. Can’t wait to see it with the added board. Maybe some day you’ll paint it black with gold accents. My vote. Ha ha! 🙂 So, has a bedspread been found or still looking? Maybe you’ll find a Kingdom mirror too. 🙂 I do believe you have the ceiling height to accommodate one. 🙂
I finally finished hand sewing on the lace edging on one of the little dresses in progress here. One more to go with sewing down the waist lining, and I think they will be done. Yay!
Have a great weekend. Hope you get a few minutes of Jeanne time. 🙂
Hi Joy,
I noticed that too.. not as much in person as I did when I saw one of my photos…
It was quite wrinkled… no telling how many years it had been in the package… but my steamer did a pretty nice job of getting the wrinkles out… the air conditioner floor vent is under the bed at the front and when the AC comes on, the dust ruffle blows out just a little bit… I think that will help any lingering wrinkles too.
I am very happy with the headboard being just a little bit higher… I was sad that the design on the front of the bed didn’t show when I stood my shams up a little.
I know you’d like to see it black, but I’ll just tell you now, don’t hold your breath… I like it white… :o)
Yes, a bedspread has been found…after 3 tries… and hundreds of searches.. :o)
I never knew there were SO many bedspreads and quilts…
I would LOVE to have a full length mirror in there, but I don’t have any wall space to put it on… maybe I can do one in the guest room…
I’m glad “someone” is getting some sewing done… because it sure isn’t me! :o(
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
You know I’m only kidding about painting your headboard. The white looks great. Maybe you need some pillows with black. 🙂
Wonderful bed skirt choice….you don’t have all that fabric in gathers. The smooth, tailored look with the addition of the crochet lace would be my choice, too. How fortunate you have the skills and tools to make this piece work for you. Well done.
I see Joy added her suggestion of black once again, and she even added a touch of gold! Made me giggle.
Well, the big excitement here today will be Mouse Man coming from Terminex. I no longer wish to share our home with the cute little critters. It’s war here at 618. May the best woman win.
Jeanne, I don’t think any one of us can get you to slow down a bit to take some moments to relax and enjoy yourself. I think your joy is getting your project punch list knocked down pronto. Good luck. It’s all going to be magnificent. Congratulations on the bed dust skirt.
Hugs,
Sally
Hi Sally,
I’m glad you like the dust ruffle…I debated about getting one with the gathers, but liked the looks of the more tailored ones with something at the bottom… I think it’s just right!
I had to laugh at your Mouse Man coming today… Rebecca was house sitting for a couple we know and they had a mouse convention there a few months ago… she was there for 2 weeks and caught 8 mice… the old fashioned way…with traps… :o)
I told my hubby today, I’d like to go on a day trip somewhere after the kids leave… maybe somewhere in the next 2 weeks or so… I’d like to get away from my “to do” list… :o)
Thanks Sally,
blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Lucky you, not only did you find a lovely dust ruffle/bed skirt but you won the auction too. You are so clever to take a king size and make it fit perfectly to you liking. The crocheted edge is such a nice finish… Very clean and polished looking, good choice. Enjoy your weekend however you chose to spend it. We are casually house hunting… Which means I really have to Really love it to pack up all my stuff and move again. Keep your fingers crossed for me… I would love a larger kitchen 🙂
Linda… My prayers for a quick and complete healing of your knee. Hugs to you
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend
Hugs
Ingrid
HI Ingrid,
I was very fortunate to have found this dust ruffe in great condition. It’s vintage, but I have searched for information on it and can’t find anything. For it to have been in the package and not have any age spots or stains is remarkable…
I was very pleased with it…
Rebecca and Karn are coming back to get all her stuff Monday and stay till Thursday… it will be hard to see her leave then because we know it will be a while before we see her again…
How fun that you are are house shopping… it’s always fun to go see the different places and wonder what you might find… I hope you find your dream home… will you be staying close to where you live now? Happy House Hunting!
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I haven’t received your posts since your Wednesday post. I have to find it via the old e mails.
OK Cancel that last post. When I went back to my e mails it was there.
HI Anne,
Oh good, because I don’t know how to fix it when the emails stop coming to someone…
Glad you found them….
Blessings, Jeanne
What a lovely job you did on your pretty dust ruffle. Can’t wait to see what you get for your bedspread/comforter or whatever you choose. I’ve cut down a king size dust ruffle to a single bed size but my dust ruffle was gathered and all I had to do was take it off the top back to the size I wanted, cut the top and then sew the ruffle back on. But now I need to repair my king size dust ruffle and I can’t seem to get motivated in that direction. My bed has been without its dust ruffle for months. The fabric they use for the top does not hold up well, especially for me who keeps things forever. I was going to take the ruffle totally off and recut the top but when I really looked at it most of the damage was just in one area. I tried one method of fixing but didn’t like it and think I have a better idea but it means I have to pull out the other stitching. It’s been out of sight out of mind so I guess I need to put it where I can see it as a constant reminder it still needs to be done.
I finally got around to reading about the Kingdom Mirror. It was hilarious. I wish she had mentioned where the man got it. It really is a beautiful piece and I know why she couldn’t resist buying it. I’m definitely going to go back and read some of her other things.
I’m working on romper outfits for my two Boneka dolls at the moment. I think when those are finished I’ll take some pictures. Joy wanted to see the dress I made for my Paola Reina out of the tiny print mattress ticking fabric I got from French Fashions. They sell tiny print fabric and small trims especially for doll clothes. Many of the fabrics are absolutely beautiful. Many tiny print specialty fabrics I’ve never seen anywhere else. And my Sophie wants me to take a picture in her plaid pleated skirt I made for her after watching Jeanne’s tutorial. And there are a few others that have asked to be included in the group photo.
I think I always access the blog by going to the past one. I actually keep it open so that’s easy to do. I’m not sure whether it has shown up all the time lately or not. Since I don’t look for it there I just delete it without thinking because by the time I see it in my e-mail I’ve usually already read it for the day.
HI Barbara,
A gathered dust ruffle certainly would have been easier, but even though it took some time, I’m happy with the results… Now I need to start thinking about what I’ll be wanting in the guest room when we start fixing it up… :o)
I know what you mean by those Out of sight, Out of mind projects… I’ve got quite a few of those too! Maybe one day we both will be all caught up on our projects! :o)
I’m glad you liked the story of the mirror… wasn’t that funny? I have had a few stories sort of like that… not that big of an item, but some where my hubby had to take something apart to get it home! :o) Cindy told me she thinks she has stopped writing her posts for now, but the one about the Kingdom Mirror keeps circulating because it was one of her best!
You mention of plaid pleated skirts made me realize I missed the whole back to school fashions for my dolls… Oh well, I guess the wedding took precedence!
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, wow, you did an awesome job! It perfectly fits your bed. I can’t wait to see how you will dress your bed.
Hi Dorothy,
Thanks for liking my new dust ruffle… I’ll be showing my room very soon… today I finished painting the closet doors… hopefully they’ll go up tomorrow and then I’m on the home stretch!
Blessings, Jeanne
You are the clever girl…yes..good idea to just make it smaller and a Queen wouldn’t have been long enough on the end anyway! Adding the extra to the headboard is really smart too. It’s a shame to hide all that pretty carving.
When we re painted our bedroom over the winter I bought two King spreads because we have XL twin beds . My plan was to make valances for over the drapes with what I cut off the width of the spreads. Good idea right? Well…I haven’t done it yet. Also going to make a topper for the bed stands out of the pillow covers to keep the top of the bed stands from getting scratched. Another good idea…not finished🤔🤠either! Now that I have admitted it maybe it will get me moving to finish them🥴
Enjoy your weekend with the Newlyweds
HI Kathie,
There seemed to be lots of king dust ruffles but not as many queen sized ones… It was a little time consuming but I got what I liked and now that it’s done, I really like the way it looks.
Yes, and I am thrilled to have the extra height on the headboard… I’m like you… it’s a shame to hide the prettiest part of the headboard! :o)
It’s okay to have “projects” that aren’t finished… we all have them and eventually we usually get to them. We have done more to our house in the last 2 years than we have in a really long time… It was just finally time to get the rest of the house done… Since the pandemic hit we have finished Rebecca’s room, my sewing room, my kitchen, our bedroom and soon we will have the flooring done for the sitting room and the computer area. That’s going to make a HUGE difference…
We WILL enjoy our time with Rebecca and Karn… knowing it may be a while before we see them again… I’m still a bit weepy over how far she is away… but staying busy has helped…
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne