When summer rolls around, our family replaces our quilts and comforters with lightweight summer bedding. Instead of buying expensive bedspreads from a Bedding & Bath shop, our family looks for frugal solutions instead. With the cost of living as high as it is, finding frugal alternatives will save a family money.
Sheeting
Years ago, our grandparents and great grandparents often used sheeting as a sort of budget summer bedspread. Sheeting is exactly that; a plain colored top sheet which has been placed on top of the bed, over the blankets. With colorful pillows thrown on top, this summer time look is clean and crisp. Sheets can also be clipped to cafe hooks and used as summer window coverings.
My prized bedspread is an antique coverlet made by a great great grandma from an old, white cotton sheet. She embroidered a simple pattern in the center of the sheet using an embroidery technique called a “french knot.” This easy to do embroidery is fast and inexpensive to do, and requires only about $4 in materials. Don’t know how to make an embroidery french knot? Click on these instructions for an easy photo tutorial. For patterns, you can either choose to buy an iron-on embroidery pattern, or design your own using a pencil.
The best bargain sheets are those found at department store clearance sales. For myself, I prefer buying vintage white sheets at the thrift stores. Vintage thrift store linens of cotton tend to be of a superior quality and can be easily bleached.
Flea market and thrift store hobnob bed spreads
While hobnob generally refers to cozying up to the upper crust, it is also a design style that resembles little raised dots. White hobnob bedspreads used to be quite popular and tend to turn up in thrift stores, flea markets, yards sales and on eBay quite a bit. I’ve never had to pay more than $5 for one of these bedspreads which are usually made of 100% cotton. These bedspreads can be bleached (to disinfect) and look absolutely stunning. For an alternative to the white color, both the sheeting and the hobnob bedspread can be dyed to match a bedroom color scheme in the washing machine. Rit dye is one of the easier dyes on the market and costs around $4. For the best selection of dye colors, visit a craft or fabric store.
Discount Draperies and Curtains
Places like Pier One Imports and Cost Plus have gauzy 84″ length drapes that come in a wide assortment of colors and prints. Some of these curtains come with tabs while other have pocket casing, but both styles look great when used as a coverlet. Single panel drapes are priced as low as $10 in the clearance bins and are great solutions for twin and full sized bed coverings.
