Floral and Plaid Bedspread and Curtains for a Teen

Now that we have built a bed for Justice's room we need bedding. Curtains wouldn't hurt either. Fabric is one of my favorite design elements. It makes a room. I sat down with Justice at the beginning of all of this and we had a conversation about the fabrics. As I mentioned here, Justice picked the floral first. Then I suggested several fabrics that would coordinate.

Fabrics we are working with

Once we knew which fabrics we were going to use, we discussed how she wanted to use them in the room. I knew she needed a bedspread and curtains. Then there were accessories that would get a fabric treatment, such as a bulletin board, ottoman cube and upholstered bed. She favored the floral. So that was assigned to the bedspread.  I started by going to the thrift store to find a comforter in good condition. I found a twin comforter for $5.00. Threw it in the washing machine twice (just to be sure). Then measured it completely. Of course the fabric isn't the same dimensions as the comforter. Since the fabric would have to be pieced I decided to mix it up a little more. Once I had my measurements, I divided the longest length by three. Then cut out two panels of the floral, two of the plaid and two of the solid, adding an inch in all directions for seam allowance.

Completed bedspread

For the front I sewed the plaid in the middle of the floral. I did the same for the back, putting the plaid in the middle of the solid. Then sewed the two sides together on one side. Ribbon was added over the seams all the way around, front to back. Two more sides were sewn up and one was sewn part of the way so that I could insert the comforter. Then closed it up using a ladder stitch. Here is an excellent tutorial on the ladder stitch. It was a revelation for me.

The reverse side of the bedspread

Then we discussed what type of curtains she wanted. Panels, valance or possibly a roller shade? Roller shade it is. I've made one before and loved it. So I was pleased with this decision, as it allows us to use two of her fabric choices and it's very attractive when hanging.

Roller shade

She picked the plaid as the main fabric for the shades. I lined it with the floral. The windows were measured. Justice has two very different length windows. I added two inches on all sides to allow for seam and to make the shade larger than the window casing. She has blinds so the shade could not be installed inside the window frame. I made a channel at the top for the curtain rod. At the same time I sewed ribbon onto the shade. There is four lengths of ribbon, placed several inches from the sides on the front and the back of the shade. When we hang the shade the ribbon will hold the rolled up shade. A channel was also made at the bottom to insert a dowel rod. This aids in rolling the shade. I picked up two inexpensive curtain rods for $5.00 each at a supercenter.

 The stripe fabric is to be used on accent pieces throughout the room. I'll show everything in use and detail in the completed room.

Money spent:

$5.00 comforter
$1.00 ribbon
$10.00 curtain rods