A Peek At The Guest Bedroom Bedding (and How I Salvaged A Big Mistake)

I took a few days away from working on the guest bedroom (and anything else house-related) because I reached a point where I was having trouble finding things I needed — things I’m used to purchasing locally and never having trouble finding. I presume because supply lines are being affected by COVID, things that I assumed would always be a short car drive away whenever I needed them are now getting harder and harder to find. Have you noticed this as well?

So I’ve kind of been in a holding pattern the last few days as I wait for things to arrive, and in the meantime, I’ve spent a few days working on some not-so-blogworthy things around the house.

I had hoped to have my draperies done by now. Last Friday, I headed to Joann Fabrics to pick up lining so that I’d be prepared to spend the weekend sewing. But there’s no white mid-weight drapery lining to be found locally. It as a little shocking to see that entire section of the store completely bare. I even had a hard time finding what I needed online, and finally had to settle for a brand that I’ve never used before. It should be here today. So in the meantime, I still just have fabric draped over a curtain rod.

My new woven shade arrived, though! I got the same one that I used in the rest of the house. I get the Blindsgalore Natural Woven Shade in a color called Hana Tranquil. I buy them lined with blackout lining, and I get the top down/bottom up style.

guest bedroom progress 1

But y’all! I don’t know what happened, but evidently I put the wrong measurement on my order. When I saw that box sitting on my front porch, I was so excited for about five seconds, and then I had this sinking feeling because it looked way too long. I tried not to panic and convince myself that it was probably a lot of foam or other packaging to keep the ends of the shade safe in the box.

It wasn’t. The shade was SEVEN INCHES TOO WIDE!!! What in the actual heck? It seems like I’d know how to use a measuring tape, right? I mean, it’s something I do pretty regularly. I install trim. I build furniture. I can use a measuring tape!

But not this time. I had a custom made lined woven shade that was seven inches too wide.

I considered ordering another one, but this one took quite a while to receive, and I didn’t want to wait over a month for a new one. So I decided to take a chance and try to cut this one down just like I’ve cut down unlined woven shades in the past — using my miter saw.

I had to move some hardware (the little pullies and cord locks that just screw on to the wood top rail) over a couple of inches on both ends, and then I marked off 3.5 inches on either side. Then I rolled up the shade as tightly as it would go, put the entire thing under my miter saw, held my breath, and cut very slowly.

AND IT WORKED!!

I was so shocked that it cut the lining fabric so smoothly, but it worked! I was so relieved that it worked out. And the shade still functions perfectly.

And as you can see, my little upholstered stool came in! I got this one from Target. And as it turns out, it’s the perfect height! So I won’t have to do any modifications on it at all. It’s perfect as is.

I’ve also started working on the bedding, but I’m waiting on more trim to arrive. I decided I wanted white bedding with just a touch of yellow. I purchased this bedding set from Overstock, which is just a lightweight quilt with two pillow shams. I’m so pleased with this quilt. I got it out of the package and washed it immediately, and it’s so soft. It has that washed brushed cotton feel to it, but I’m pretty sure it’s a cotton/poly blend.

But I wanted to add some color to it, so I used Wright’s Double Fold Quilt Binding (which is basically a really wide bias tape) in yellow.

guest bedroom progress 2

I could only find three packages of the trim locally. Lots of places were out online as well, but I finally found them. Hopefully they’ll be here early next week, and I can finish up the quilt and make the two pillow shams. .

guest bedroom progress 4

I had hoped that three packages (nine yards) would be enough to at least do the quilt, but I had this section at the top and side – about a yard-and-a-half – left to do after using up all three packages. So…I wait.

guest bedroom progress 3

Anyway, it seems like things just take a little longer these days. Things that I’ve just always assumed will be available locally are now a little harder to find. But, we just have to adapt and be patient, right? It’ll get done when it gets done! 😀

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42 Comments

  1. I did a big sewing project in March, new curtains, euro shams, and bed skirt. The stores had just started opening. Everything sewing wise sold out quickly from people making masks. Looking on Amazon I found trim etc. mostly made in China with 6 weeks waiting. If I had not gone to Hobby Lobby the first day, the first hour I would not have gotten drapery liner, white cloth, or even white thread. I hope our country starts making these products again.

    1. Curious on your seam binding. Do you prefer sewing one side then the other, or do you try to catch both on one pass? Usually, one side is a little narrower.

      I’ve done it all kinds of ways, including zig zag stitches to make sure I don’t miss an area. Just curious as to your technique.

      Everything is looking fab so far!!! What a gift to be a able to see it in your head!

      1. I sew one side and then the other. I’ve done the other way, and I find that doing them separately gives a cleaner result in the end, especially in the corners.

      2. I’m an interior designer. Right now we are so busy I can barely breathe. Things are not going to be available. The design industry is booming. Some people are not going to receive their items until 2021. Of course we’re not finding what we need. Manufacturing facilities are working at half (or less) capacity. And if anyone is sick, instead of calling out a day or two, workers are out for two weeks. I have to constantly remind clients we are in the middle of a pandemic!! I think the progress made given the circumstances is amazing!

  2. It’s looking gorgeous! Here in the D.C. area supplies are not as they should be either, so I know how frustrating that can be first hand, too. In the end we will be so relieved! I’m redoing my main guest room, too!

  3. I’m checking IKEA daily to see if the local store has the bookcase I want back in stock. Talked to a sales associate who said when things shut down, most manufacturing did too, and it took a while to get things back up and running. That, combined with fewer available trucks, has caused back orders on a LOT of things. She said at one point they were 20 trucks behind on just one day! A different day I went to our local Tuesday Morning and was shocked to see almost half the store empty! It looked like the end of a store going out of business sale. But there were signs on every aisle saying “No, this store is NOT closing. We are just having trouble getting stock in at this time.”

    1. I bought two Ikea Eket hanging cabinets months ago, thinking the suspension rails would be in stock shortly. The delivery date for the suspension rails has been pushed back for weeks, now it is early November 🙁 We were told they can’t get ships from Sweden right now. Was the guy pulling my chain? haha

  4. My local Joann’s has been out of a lot lately and the decorative fabric area is looking pretty bare. I’ve put off a few projects, though not all sewing, because I couldn’t find what I needed. I’ve spent my time doing something less fun, organizing my crafts, hardware, and clothes. I look forward to manufacturing ramping up and finding what I need again.

  5. I keep hearing at check out at Home Depot that they have been really busy with homeowners doing projects since Covid started. And Joann has been swamped with people sewing while home. And then, yes, the shipping has probably slowed down too. We have gotten so spoiled with stores always having what we want, when we want. I love Amazon’s quick delivery times! Good news is that so much more is available to purchase on line, than ever before.

  6. We have a lumber shortage here in the midwest. Almost all new housing has halted because prices are up 30%. The lumber yard said it’s because of the trade issues with Canada.

    1. The lumber issues are due to your president’s actions, which are illegal. Every Canadian knows about this but I guess it doesn’t make the news in the usa. Last year Kristi mentioned higher prices and didn’t realize why, either.

      1. Tariffs on Canadian lumber went into effect in 2017. According to MarketWatch, the increase we’ve seen this year is simple market-driven supply and demand.

  7. In SoCal our lumber prices are astronomical. We can’t get an outdoor teak dining set from a large department store until November. We can’t get a freezer until January! Sheds at a big box store are also months out. It’s frustrating but we have to remember that manufacturing plants were shut down for a time with the rest of us. Don’t even get me started on shipping/delivery times!

    1. I’m embarrassed to say I paid $18.83 for a 2″ x 4″ x 8’…….and I had to buy four of them!!! I bought them in Georgia at Home Depot. Just nuts 😬

  8. Awesome, pulling together so nicely. I lovely how you modify ready made items. I painted a new end table a while back, felt like I was committing mortal sin covering new wood!!! Love it.

    And the delays and price increases…. so many factors. Canadian and Chinese tariffs, factories slowed or down. I signed a porch building contract in May. A nick of time on pricing but windows due in next week, and roof trusses just delayed, AGAIN, to 10/8. Wow. I never dreamed my goal of Thanksgiving dinner with remodeling might be impacted. Did the kitchen this summer. Sink kept getting delayed and faucets prices increased. Finally told sink was coming in October. Cancelled, a more expensive plumbing showroom had the sink. So grateful to have a sink and functional dishwasher!

  9. I’m in Canada. One 2×12 that’s 12 feet long is $72 CAD. I live in an area where lumber is harvested daily with trucks driving through town. It’s not trade issues here. It’s a cash grab due to demand.

  10. Guess we have been spoiled when it comes to having what we need/use always available.. It will be some time before things are back to some sense of regularity.

  11. I just wanted to say that I admire you – how you do so much yourself and your “give it a try” attitude. Glad the shade worked out

    1. At least the blind was 7” too wide rather than 7” too narrow!

      How will you finish/sew/seal the lining’s cut edges? Or do they need finishing?

      1. I won’t finish the edges. It is blackout lining, so it has that rubberized backing on so that the fabric won’t fray. And since it’s not visible at all (neither from the front or the back from the outside of the window), I’m not going to worry about it.

      2. I feel you on the measurement issue. We’ve been replacing our downstairs curtains & hardware with triple rods (a sheer, a curtain & a valance). I don’t see at all, and my mom is an amazing seamstress (she quilts & used to make wedding dresses).

        We picked out fabric for valances for our dining room, living room, family room & patio slider. She made them and they look beautiful, except that we shorted the living room window by 30 inches! How did I do that?!

        This is giving me to opportunity to re-think the color and go back to the color I originally wanted in the dining & living rooms. (Navy blue vs. Gray)

        I just can’t believe I did that!

  12. Oh, I have been so frustrated lately too. Seems like they have everything until you put it in the cart on line, and the dates for pick up or sending are weeks away. (if then) The ONLY place I have been getting things fairly well is Amazon. Two clothing orders were done 3 weeks early for an event, and RUSH was paid. Still not here, and/or arriving AFTER the event. Time to just stop buying and putting things off for a while. Maybe then they will catch up, and be actually ready for our orders. By the way…the room looks lovely.

  13. I’m continually *finishing* a kiddo room/bath in our home. Ikea stuff is getting to be quite the hassle. Before, I had a semi-regular a volunteer thing I do downtown. The volunteer gig is in a holding pattern. The few times I made the specific trip instead there were lines or most of my wants were out of stock. We’ve ended up buying the toy storage as it’s popped up on an online marketplace for a set with bins for $75. We’ve gotten to buying more from local people used than new in all of this.

  14. My closest JoAnns is our if sewing machines, even the display model.the Mgr said nothing is coming out of Asia right now! That said the Catheys sewing machine repair shop has a ton of 9000$ machines I’m convinced don’t need a human other than to turn it on!!

  15. My local Home Depot has very little lumber for sale and available appliances are months out. Ditto for the fabric shops. I am looking at building my dream home on family property and even the applications for severances have been delayed to the point where it will be next spring before they are approved. With lumber prices and stock-outs the way they are, I am in no rush to build, or even do home projects. Ugh.

  16. Just wondering, did you ever finish your studio moldings, trims and switch cover plates? Not much left to do there, oh, I forgot you were going to build the cabinets in there too.

  17. Lumber is through the roof, if you can even find it. And anything coming from overseas anywhere is I would guess at least another six to twelve weeks out. Then it will have to get through customs. I’ve heard it will take us AT LEAST two years to become close to normal as far as merchandise goes. I’ve tried to buy supplies through normal sources for a few more masks for just my family, but I came home with just a bit of fabric that I settled for. Ended up finding other supplies on Etsy, and probably paid more than normal. It’s frustrating, but I tell myself at least I’m healthy enough that I CAN be frustrated……some are not! I will wait while the world regroups.

  18. I spoke to a Joann’s employee one time I was in there in the last month or so, so not right after they reopened or when the run on making homemade masks was in full swing. She told me that they were still receiving their usual fabric orders (same amount however many times a week), but it just never refilled the shelves because they had been SO depleted in those early weeks.

    I’ve ordered online with them since then, and if you don’t mind waiting 7-10 days, it’s okay. 🤷‍♀️

  19. Kristi. I love everything you have done. Just beautiful but that wall is out of this world…. gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing all your projects with us.

  20. Just wondering (you don’t have to answer)… how much have you paid for all of the things you purchased your new beautiful room? As I’ve commented before, you have beautiful taste. I partically admire your color choices.

  21. Kerrville TX Home Depot has a two-month wait for my dishwasher! Unbelievable, but what can we do? Clearly this disruption is due to the pandemic affecting manufacturing and shipments. Good to know it isn’t just my area affected. I did notice a Walmart in Uvalde, TX being redesiged and updated and many new products have arrived including hand sanitizer! So maybe WM is getting it’s act together

  22. I am loving the blue headboard. It makes the gold highlights on your painted wall stand out amazingly. And those yellow curtains and bedspread…this room will be breathtaking!

  23. I think your wooden bedframe should be gold…I always appreciate wood tones and have them as accents around my own home. But, your color choices are always outstanding and you do tie everything together with color – the dresser in this room, your kitchen cabinets, etc.

    I just feel the headboard stained isn’t quiet hitting the right note for me; however, that could be just me 🙂