Bedding-Design yourself bedding

News come from: Visional textile(Ningbo)industrial corp

        Is it time to have your bed examined? We so tire of the linens we sleep on daily. So why not go under cover as your own designer and perk up the bed with a new duvet and accent pillows. In my case, the duvet gets quite a beating with two kids, a dog and a cat, and a husband who is a manly man. But where to shop? I have found it frustrating at times to locate ensembles that work for my rooms, despite massive selections available at department stores and small specialty shops throughout San Francisco. Take the time I updated my 12-year-old daughter’s room from princess classic to a mod teen retreat. I went on a mad search for turquoise and orange motifs, looking everywhere from area shops to on-line sites. After months of searching for the right shades and textures, I threw my arms up and went the DIY route, buying my own fabric and heading to the best little secret in SF for interior sewing, Dreams, at 921 Howard Street.

        The result was a cool assortment that I layered on the bed, including a custom gathered bed skirt, Euro shams, a duvet and accent pillows fabricated by Dreams, which I mixed with bright orange organic cotton sheeting and a crazy blue quilt. You never need to customize your own sheets with so many good organic cotton sets now sold by Pottery Barn and other local retailers. Gorgeous quilts also can be easily found at West Elm, Nancy Koltes Home, Sue Fisher King and Scheuer linens.

         I prefer to make my own bedskirts because so many of the ready-made designs have a short drop (12” to 14”) and I prefer that the skirts touch the floor and slightly puddle for a more custom look. And you can use some beautiful printing blanket, carved blanket and Jacquard blanketto make it more easy.

        Euro pillows (24” squares) also are fun to design yourself with personal touches, such as contrast welting, ruffles or ruching. I’ve made a variety of duvets for myself and design clients, always using the softest and most washable cotton available so that the quilt cover holds up to daily use. Many pretty ones are on the market if you can find the color and pattern that work best.

        If not, head to Dreams, which will tell you the exact amount of fabric to purchase for the project you have in mind, then give you a quote for the sewing when you meet with the owners. Another thing I really like about this source is that they also sell premium down pillows and fillers, so if you need better inserts for your bedding, you can buy them while you are there. They also carry fabrics and ready-made sheeting or duvets to mix in with your custom bedding.

        In terms of other sites to get your fabric, here are a few of my favorite retail spots:

         Satin Moon Fabrics, 32 Clement Street, San Francisco: run by two charming sisters who are always threatening to close their busy little shop, this is where I found the retro geometric orange print for my daughter’s bedskirt and Euro shams and where I have scored other unusual fabrics over the years. A great choice for kids’ rooms because they have vintage patterns in the back that work so well in the nursery, as well as a good supply of gentle textiles that work best on the bed. (News come from: Visionaltextile(Ningbo)industrial corp)

        Britex Fabrics, 146 Geary Street, San Francisco: A room of high and low upholstery fabrics to choose from, including cotton and linen weaves which are good for accent pillow covers and duvets It’s been around since the Fifties and even top designers like Donna Karan shop upholstery fabrics here. Best to get your trims elsewhere because they can be quite costly at Britex.

        Calico Corner, 1100 Howard Avenue, Burlingame: Not just for housewives making A-line skirts, they have ample inventory of attractive trims and right-off-the-roll fabrics, plus books with additional fabrics you can order. They have great sales with remnants that are often just enough to make some great pillows for the bed. Also, they have plenty of lightweight fabrics which I prefer for bed skirts.

        The Silk Trading Company, 1616 16th Street, San Francisco: Known mostly for their exotic silks and luxurious, ready made draperies, the shop in the SF Design Center district makes its own custom line of bedding, but I prefer to buy fabrics here and have items made my self. They also do sewing but simply send it out to someone like Dreams, so you might as well go to Dreams. They have good sales as well. But you should be careful what you buy because it will be impossible to return. They are strong in fabrics but weak in the customer service area.

 *Design tips:

        Try to include a solid piece in your ensemble, such as with the sheets or duvet, to subdue the business of the bed and add calm. Too much calm can be Calvin Klein sleepy, but too much pattern can give you a migraine.

        Match your bed skirt and euro shams. It really gives a custom look to the bed and you can tie in a color with the duvet and sheets.