There's nothing like colorful bed linens to warm up a dorm room or bare-walled first apartment. But you don't have to spend a fortune to add color and style. Not when you can make your own DIY duvet cover, pillowcase, pillows and throws. Here's a sampling:
- A DIY Duvet Cover: Pale batik stripes, nautical motifs, wild polka dots - the sky (and fabric store) is the limit when it comes to duvet covers. A DIY duvet cover is nothing more than an over-sized pillowcase to protect the down-filled duvet. This easy-to-sew project can be completed in a matter of hours, or made as creative as you'd like. Click here for the how-tos for a duvet cover like the one pictured, above.
- Colorful Pillowcases: Make coordinating pillow cases out of scrap fabric, and add a little extra pizazz to that dorm bed. Click here for instructions on making your own pillowcases.
- A Bolster Pillow Cover: A dorm bed is both sleeping quarters and lounging space. But add a bolster and some pillows, and you'll up the comfort - and decor - factor considerably. Coordinate the pillow cover with the rest of the bedding, by following these easy directions for the bolster pillow cover.
- A Cozy Fleece Blanket: Help your college kid turn his dorm room into a cozy nest by whipping up a simple, fringed, fleece blanket. It will keep him warm and cozy, and remind him of home. And a fleece blanket is a great project for younger siblings to make too. Find the how-tos for this cozy fleece blanket here.
- Easy Throw Pillows: You can spend a lot of money on fancy, decorator throw pillows. But they're so easy to make - and when you're the one sewing, you can make them in the exact fabric and style you want. It's a total win-win. Here's how to do it.
