How to Make a Bed Skirt

The comforter set in the picture came sans skirt. We didn’t realize that until we got it home and unpacked it.

I’ve never sewn anything so large and it was a bit cumbersome to work with, but other than that, the bed skirt was very simple to do.

To make a box-pleated bed skirt like this, measure the top of your mattress and cut a rectangle of light-weight white cotton the same size plus 1 inch (to allow for ½-inch seams on all sides).

Round the footboard-end corners just like the mattress. Sew a rolled hem along the headboard end.

Measure from the top of the box spring to the floor and add 1 ½ inches (1 inch for a rolled hem at the bottom and ½-inch for the seam at the top joining the skirt to the white cotton base). This is the height to cut the bed skirt fabric.

I used 3 yards of 60-inch wide fabric for our king bed and made the skirt in 3 strips. No need to measure length (only the height). Just cut the fabric into three strips. The strip for the foot of the bed will be cut to size later.

Sew a 1-inch rolled hem down the side and along the length of the two side strips. Be sure to figure how they will hang so that you get the headboard-end hems correct (facing each other). Measure from the headboard end to the middle and mark with a pin to position a box pleat.

The box pleats are 8-inches wide so require 16 inches of fabric length. Measure 16 inches from the first pin and pin again. Bring the pins together with the pleat fabric to the inside; pin the pleat flat, press and baste. Repeat for the other side of the bed.

Sew a 1-inch rolled hem along the bottom of the remaining strip. Form and baste a box pleat in the center. To join the side strips to the bottom, form similar box pleats, hiding the joining seam inside the pleat. Cut off the excess length from the footboard strip and sew the strips together.

Press the assembled strip. Press a ½” hem along the top edge. Lay the white cotton rectangle right on top of the mattress to assemble and assure a perfect fit. Pin the strip, right side facing right side of the white cotton rectangle and sew a ½-inch seam.

I don’t know how much it would have cost to have a seamstress custom make a bed skirt for me, but it wouldn’t have been cheap. In addition, I saved all the time waiting and running back and forth to place and pick up the order.

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