How to Make a Queen-Size Bedspread

If the spread on your queen-size bed was fashionable when George Bush Senior was president, perhaps it's time to update your look. The best, quickest and most economical way to have exactly the bedspread you want is to make it yourself. With a sewing machine and a little patience, you can design and create a bedspread that will not only fit your queen-size bed perfectly, but will give your bedroom the exact look you want.

Determine bedspread size. Standard queen size mattresses are 60 inches wide and 80 inches long. You need to decide how far over the sides you want your bedspread to hang. An overhang of 9 inches will cover the sides of the mattress; 18 inches overhang will cover the box springs. Or, if you want to forgo a dust ruffle, measure your bed from the top to the floor and add that measurement to the 60-by-80-inch mattress (double for the sides).

Choose your fabric. Anything can become a bedspread; it doesn't have to be a quilt or comforter if you have enough warm blankets underneath. A patterned queen-size sheet with a high thread count for the luxurious look can be a bedspread, so can an ethnic throw from such stores as Pier One. If you're buying fabric to sew together, keep your preferred bedspread size from Step 1 in mind.

Assemble your bedspread. If you need to stitch together a bedspread, you will need backing so the seams don't show when the covers are turned down. A queen- or king-size sheet could be the perfect size, depending on how much you want hanging over the sides of the 60-by-80-inch bed.