Create Budget Friendly Trim With Fabric

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There is no question that trim can amp up your decor. It can take something from drab to fab instantly. I love embellishing drapery panels, roman shades, pillows, dust skirts...you get the idea. The possibilities are endless. Trim can be used to elevate inexpensive fabric or to spice up ready made items. The only problem with trims is that some of them may only be available "to the trade" or that they are so costly that they send your budget into orbit. Let's look at a few tricks to help you put your personal stamp on a project without breaking the bank.

Pictured above is a Trim I added to a dust skirt. I made it from a leftover piece of embroidered home dec fabric. 

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Often when I find a fabric that I love, but that I am not quite sure what I am going to do with it, I over-buy. The pictured, embroidered floral is a perfect example. I ended up only using a few yards to make a couple of pillows. The leftovers came in handy when I needed a trim to make a dust skirt for my daughter's dorm room a little more special.

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When looking for a patterned fabric to make trim out of, look for a vertical design. One that can easily be cut into strips without disrupting the design.

A friend of mine created these gorgeous drapes for her bedroom. If you look closely at the pillows on the bed you will see one that is made out of the original fabric...pretty clever!

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These window treatments are a perfect example of making high end looking trim from "by the yard" fabric.

Create Budget Friendly Trim From Fabric

 Buffalo check fabric, cut on the bias, makes beautiful trim - as seen in this charming lake house bedroom.

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Striped fabric,on the bias, makes excellent trim as well.

create Budget Friendly Trim

I have added a fabric band along the leading edge of the window treatment below. I had to add several inches of the same fabric to the hemline because the drapes were too short...way to short. So I added the band to make some sense of the added hem.

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The point is, with a little searching, you can make your own, high-end looking trim out of very reasonable fabric.