Lemons to lemonade

Did you know you can't return opened bedding to Ikea?

I didn't.  But it's true.

The return policy says "used" but actually means "opened."


I bought these cute, inexpensive duvet sets for the girls' room.  I don't know why: maybe to avoid painting stripes in the bathroom?  (as you can see, it reverses to stripes.)  Maybe because I am having a buffalo check moment?  Maybe because you can't leave Ikea empty handed?  Maybe because they are just so durned cute?  At any rate, I sort of knew the stripes ran the wrong way for the space, but I opened one up any way, because I am visual like that.

We'll skip the unfortunate encounter at Ikea returns (though the girl at the desk was both helpful and sympathetic) and go straight to my plan to salvage.

Because the girls' beds are just on box springs on the floor, standard bedskirts don't work, and the box springs have been mostly exposed for most of the last two years.  Pretty, I know.  I've been meaning to sew simple covers to make the room look more finished and add another layer of color and pattern.  While I was originally thinking something small scale and geometric, maybe a block print, I do miss the plaid that once lived here.



Buffalo check stands up to the bold sort of scandinavian floral on the window, and on the box spring the two patterns will be separated by the white duvet cover.  (Right next to each other they fight like cats and dogs.)



It will be almost like I bought the girls those hastens beds, but in pink.  (They should really make that, don't you think?)

My eyeball measurements tell me there is JUST enough fabric to get two box spring covers out of the one twin duvet, and I can use the striped side to make pillow cases for those moments when I am feeling pink-pattern-crazy.  (Happens all the time.)  And the truth is, I probably would have been hard pressed to get the yardage I need for any less than the cost of this set.

So there you go:  lemons, lemonade.

I have a lot of sewing to do.

Have you had to "make it work" lately?