Whether you’re staging a home or trying to add some touches to your current or new home without spending a lot, you’ll find that sheets are a great source of attractive, affordable fabric.
A “regular” king size sheet is around 76-78” x 80”. It’s almost square. The California King is closer to 72” x 80” and since there frequently isn’t much difference in the price, I prefer to buy the king (sometimes called eastern king) rather than the California king. Of course, when purchasing sheets for a bed, you don’t have a choice. When purchasing sheets to make other treatments, you want the most fabric for the money. Those extra few inches of fabric might be just right for making a set of cloth napkins, a table runner, or for trimming another fabric treatment.
For a tablecloth, you’ll want excess fabric to hang over each side of the table and you also need to reserve at least ½” for a hem. If you have a standard rectangular table, it’s generally going to be about 36” x 60”. You will use the sheet sideways, which means you won’t need to cut anything off or hem those ends. Then, cut a piece about 24” wide along one side and remove it. Hem the sides of the large piece, touch up with a warm iron, and you have a new tablecloth.
The remaining piece will have banding or edging (or at least most sheets do across the top). This part is great for making a window valance. Cut a piece about 48” wide for a standard window (or wide enough to cover the window and scrunch up a bit). Snip the back layer along the seam, where it won’t show. Hem the other side then snip the same way (just inside the hem). This will make a no-sew rod pocket. Hem the bottom of the valance, press, and hang it up. To add a ruffle, sew a straight line through the center of the edge banding and use the lower half for a rod pocket.
The remaining fabric can be made into a table runner, a couple of place mats, or some cloth napkins, by simply cutting into rectangles and hemming the edges.
At many discount stores, a single, flat, king size sheet can be purchased for between 5-10 dollars. Can’t beat a deal like that for brand new fabric treatments. Even high end sheets can frequently be a great bargain when compared to the cost of yard goods.
Another View of Window Treatments