This old house, while quirky and full of charm, is not without its challenges. Case in point: the wall-mounted porcelain sink in our upstairs bathroom. Love the high-back splash guard; hate the exposed plumbing.
Right away, I imagined a fabric sink skirt with a large box pleat, trimmed in grosgrain ribbon. You see them all the time in magazines. But when I checked with an upholsterer in town, for a self-adhesive skirted sink with trim, it was going to cost $750! And that's without the fabric! Enter: Designer DIY. A couple of months back, while shopping the Dollar Tree for a Dorothy Draper-inspired table setting, I came across a bunch of plain, white flour sack cloths. They're simple, beautiful and, best of all, washable! For the table, I trimmed them in green grosgrain ribbon, then used them as napkins. But as luck would have it, they would also be the perfect length for a skirted sink, made from Dollar Tree towels!
After a quick stop at Jo-Ann's for Stitch Witchery and Velcro, out came the sewing machine and glue gun. First, using Stitch Witchery, I adhered black grosgrain ribbon to the bottom edge of every towel—11 in all. Next, to make the skirt, I planned and pinned each towel to Velcro, layering them to achieve a box pleat effect. After a simple stitch to sew it all together, I adhered one side of the Velcro to the apron of the sink, then attached the skirt. Finally, I hot-glued grosgrain ribbon across the entire top edge, just to give it that finished, decorator look. The only difference is mine cost about 15 bucks!
I love the tailored box pleat effect. I think it's sophisticated and masculine. The extra storage space is great too!
And would you believe I finished this little project about three minutes before our friends Seleta and Peter arrived for the weekend? Guests are so good that way. They make us get up and do it!
I agree with you that having guests is a sure-fire way to get those lingering projects DONE! Love the sink skirt. $750 is OUTRAGEOUS!
I adore skirted sinks and this one with the grograin trim is so pretty. I may have to try this with my not to cute pedestal sink.
This is a fantastic idea, Eddie! Very chic, and perfectly appointed for the style, shape, and age of the sink and your house! I love it!
wow! i love seeing your before and afters! great job! i love this idea because there isn’t a lot of sewing involved!
o.m.g. I’m totally going to do this in my bathroom. yay, a project for this weekend.
Hello, Eddie. You are a genius! This looks beautiful and I admire your creativity. I really enjoy your blog.
Eddie!
Everything you create is wonderful!
Eddie,When is that book coming out of all your ideas and more. Can’t wait to see the next project.Everyday is like a birthday when I log on and see another project you have come up with .So So Great.
Thank you.
it’s so cute! i do love a bargain up-grade these days – who doesn’t?
I die. Amazing. Love it.
Good God man start a summer camp so I can send my kids, better yet I could work there as a counselor!!! You strike my as one of the funnest, funniest people. And the handicrafts would be amazing.
Everything you do is so chic. Amazing! Your new house is going to be stunning when you’re all done with it!
Love it!!
I tend to favor buying yards of “curtain lining” from the remnant rack at Calico Corners for things like that, but your solution is super easy & obtainable by everyone, there are thousands (literally) of those Dollar stores across the country. Rock on!
You have such incredible and sensible solutions up your sleeve! I am always amazed and inspired each time I visit! Can’t WAIT to see more pictures of the farmhouse!
You are hilarious. I keep my Hermes boxes under the bathroom sink too! But seriously, I love the look, and you are the Wiz of Stitch Witchery!
Isn’t Stitch Witchery the best? It has joined the ranks of duct tape in my book!
look at you! such a cleaver idea!
So charming and practical!! Love it. Thanks for the inspiration.
This looks fabulous. I’ve used fabric and velcro before to make a sink skirt, but you’re SO clever to use sack cloths!
One teensy, weensy quibble, if I may…
I did the same thing to an exposed wall mount in the upstairs bathroom in my house. But I affixed the fabric to the underside of the sink, not the front. That way, the fabric hung down, but drips did not catch on the top.
I don’t know how washable grosgrain ribbon is. And my bathroom is used by my two young boys, who are experts at dripping.
Putting the velcro underneath allows you to remove it whenever you’d like and not have velcro exposed on the topside, too.
LOve it and LOVE Dollar Tree….
Kathy 🙂
$750!! I think prices like that inspire you to think outside the box. You got it just right. I recently made curtains for my granddaughter’s room with $1 a yard material from Ikea and also trimmed her dollhouse windows using velcro. Its very 70’s blonde wood chic.
SHUT UP!!!!! 🙂 Fan-freaking-tastic!
love it love it! love your creativity and resourcefulness. now, if I could only learn how to use a sewing machine!! 🙂 thanks for sharing.
This is too stinkin’ perfect : ) Seriously. I LOVE this idea & am already thinking of how I might be able to use it within my own home…
At the moment I’m trying to recover from an estimate from an upholster & am really thinking hard about trying it myself. If can do curtains & duvets, why not a sofa?
Thanks again for the great inspiration!
Very cute! I did something very similar when I was in college and lived in the dorm. We had horrible sinks though, and I made a skirt for it. I think I used either velcro or a pressure rod. I can’t remember which. Anyway, it looks great!
You are so smart. Don’t you love Stitch Witchery. You might appreciate my pillows-out-of-placemats project:
http://sosylvie.typepad.com/so_sylvie/2009/04/simple-pillow-project.html
Cheers! Sylvie
Love it!
The black grosgrain looks so sharp.
Part of the fun of having guests are the projects that get done before they arrive:)
This is incredible! You never fail to impress, Eddie.
This is SO pretty. I’ve always been scared of skirt sinks (lace toilet paper holders and ducks are rarely far behind) but this is just a fantastic look, and so sophisticated. I have a sink with exposed plumbing and I’ve just been stumped on what to do about it. I think this is the answer! P.S. Love the use of the wedgewood plate too.
oh goodness, I wish I saw this before I ripped mine out last summer! What a great idea!
I am now trying to decide what to do with the sink, maybe an outdoor planter? Too tacky?
Vintage chic! Do we get to see more of this bathroom soon? I hope so.
Yay for the dollar tree! That looks amazing!
How fabulous that the towel length worked out! (And…$750?! Didn’t you move OUT of the city to get away from prices like that?!? lol!)
I skirted my ugly builder laundry tub on legs with a Target shower curtain, (so it would be water-tolerant and easy to clean), with the same aesthetic and storage benefits. I used the leftover material in a matching window valance. Laundry is never fun, but at least it’s more fab now!
BTW, my blog post this week is on bath updates for $150 or less.
Eddie, Looks awesome. The Dollar Tree rocks! Deana
Love it!!!
{ Lindsey }
http://www.coveiter.com
Wow…your sink skirt is fabulous & looks like a million bucks!!!
I do love the Dollar Tree. You never know what will inspire you there. Your sink skirt looks all of the $750 price tag it would have cost you to have someone else do it. I think your economical, chic solution is just perfefct.
***** Eddie, darlin’~ You missed your calling as a MILITARY SPOUSE!!! “We” DID things like that, especially when arriving in foreign countires!!! There was a time, “waaaay back when”, I actually (temporarily, of course!) hung a tad of fabric over a window w/ tacks and… ta- da… DENTAL FLOSS!!! (And it WORKED, but I didn’t have enough left to “do right by my teeth” that night ~ I thought it was a small price to pay, tho, for a bit o’ privacy for the evening!!!)~~~~~ Hugs, Linda ***
Ingenious! Love it!
No wonder we love you so! Of course, I’ve seen those very same flour sack cloths at the Dollar Tree near my neighborhood, but did I do something brilliant with them??? Well, not YET anyway!!!
Hi Eddie,
This post inspires me to think outside of the box and to unleash the designer in me. You should write more posts like this!
Eddie I am all about black and white bathrooms. This is a great fix for something that was not up to par for Eddie. It looks so crisp and clean, I love that. It is true having a party or overnight guest is a great impetus to get those last minute projects done,I can not believe someone would charge $750, did he know you were Eddie Ross and you know better, shame on him. Love your finished look, Hugs Kathysue
I love the fact that you didn’t want to or couldn’t justify the $750.00 skirt so you came up with this elegant solution. Love all the black and white and the Jasper and transferware. The fresh flowers with the touch of green, perfection. Affordable perfection and isn’t that what we all want!
This posting brightened up a dreary spring day you.
I have to agree w/Kathy who said that she attached her skirt from underneath, therefore avoiding spills. If it was hung from underneath it would also show off more of the sink front – which is so elegant in it’s simplicity.
As always, I am in awe of your creativity. This is a prime example: what one can do with flour sacks . . . Bravo Eddie!
Well done!!! Another brillant project of Cheap-But-Oh-So-Chic Styling from our darling ER! Lovely! I adore black-and-white — fresh and classic!
Jan at Rosemary Cottage
Dollar Tree has towels like that?! For a dollar?! I’m going to have to go check that out! I would like to know if grosgrain ribbon is colorfast when washed too. I want to use some on drapes I’m making…
Love it! Classic, simple, elegant and creative. Just remember–hand wash, iron while damp on the reverse–a little spray sizing will keep it crisp.
Fantastic, I am inspired.
I decided a while ago that if there is something that cannot be absent in my home? are a hot glue gun, velcro and stitch witchery. It’s amazing what you can do with them. I made a whole shower curtain using stitch witchery and a hot glue gun.
P.S. I love that floor and chair.
This is why I really love your blog. Great ideas that are truly accessible to any skill set and any budget with beautiful results. Dollar Tree is awesome, too!
What a great skirt — cannot believe the $750 quote and no fabric either! WOW! Your bathroom is so sophisticated yet retains the vintage charm.
what a fabulous looking solution! the ridiculously priced alternative couldn’t possibly have looked any better. i love the look of the entire area…so warm and inviting.
Eddie, is there a Nobel Prize for Crafty?
How perfectly classic and beautiful. Is it really as easy as you say!??
$750 IS outrageous! They must have priced it high because they didn’t really want the job? Really at any price, it’s a better DIY project. Great job, makes me wish I had a pedestal sink I could skirt up!
LOVE it!! What a great idea! I’m gonna have to stop by the Dollar Tree to pick up some of those. They are great.
The first time I ever came to your blog, was for the trip you took to Dollar Tree to show all of the wonderful things you can get there, and what you can do with them. I’ve always loved Dollar Tree, and think of myself as one who thinks outside the box, but you have helped me to take it a few steps further. You’re great!
Genius!
I simply adore your blog and have been reading all the older posts — I’ve never heard of Gorham polish! Perhaps it’s not available in the midwest! I am adding you to my Friends list.
Eddie, I love the skirt and the fact that it’s a new sew creation is the icing on the cake! I have a sink like that in my basement. I hope I find fabric like that.
I can’t believe you found that mixer for 24$!!! What Sallys do you go to?
I love your cookies for Easter…I had alot of catching up to do. I love your blog! Mary
That is gorgeous. You are so incredibly creative and inventive! Only you could make something so chic out of Dollar Tree finds!
I did this years ago with a gingham plaid at my mother in laws house. Their home was built in the 50’s and had the original sink in there like yours. I re-decorated their bathroom and LOVED doing this to the sink!
Excellent!! Very chic and manly!!
Christy
love it!!!!! Stunning and inexpensive! I could sit and read through your archives all day…what joy!
Wow! That is fabulous!
Eddie, how did you adhere the velcro to the apron of the sink! Hope all dollar trees have these towels…. I’m a copy cat!
Eddie
you have the golden touch. thank you for sharing your blessings of skill, taste and nerve to try anything!
xo jody
I had a sink JUST like that in my first house and added a fabric skirt to it and loved the look. The challenge was finding the right adhesive to keep the Velcro attached….only had adequate success with that part.
Tricia – Avolli
Looks great!!! I am doing something similar to make a vanity!
Wow, what a fabulous job you did…it looks lovely! I love the b & w tile, so lucky that was already there. Thank you for sharing your jouney in your new home with us:)
What a great project Eddie! I love your ingenuity.
Awesome!! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to link to this project from DollarStoreCrafts.com (next week).
Heather
Eddie, you’re so talented – why don’t you just teach yourself to sew? Think of how many more amazing things you could do!
Great job…looking forward to what you do with the rest of the house
Eddie,
Sweet project and so cute hiding old Hermes boxes underneath — vintage with a sense of humor for those who peek!
xoxo
Evy
Eddie, this is a fantastic transformation. It’s looks so expensive. You would never know it cost you only $15. That’s what I love about budget decorating. Simple, beautiful, affordable. The black ribbon is the Pièce de résistance! Bravo!
PS I know what you mean about waiting for company to come to get things done! Ha!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
you are talented!
Wow! That looks amazing.
You can truly transform, that is certain.
Seriously clever! The end result is amazing and it fits so perfectly with your flooring.
You are genius. Only a designer with FIERCE taste can make something so inexpensive look positively chic. You continue to amaze me. I peeked at that pretty skirted sink every time I passed by the bathroom while we were visiting.
xoxo
Seleta
I LOVE this! AND I love those sack cloths, I used those same ones to make a “French grain sack” tabel runner (you can see on my blog). I also used some pretty blue floral napkins from Dollar Tree for the ends of it. LOVE Dollar Tree.
Thanks for sharing your amazing, thrifty talents!
what a terrific transformation. And I’m DROOLING over that black wedgwood dish you placed on the backsplash. 😉
this is off the charts- ingenious!! Come on Eddie you need a vacation …you and Jaithan head to the beach and come see us–
Shut your fabulous designer mouth, can you come to my house and do some designer DIY…I promise it would be worth your while! love it.
Eddie you AMAZE me! Seriously fabulous!!!
Ronda
xoxo
WOW, what a transformation! I just love the dollar store. You never know what you are going to find.
Oh how I love the dollar store!!! Am helping a friend dress a wine reception tonight… the table cloths for the wine tables- canvas painter drop clothes from Home Depot $9!!!!
I whipped up my dress, prom night! Nothing like a little pressure -like a date or a guest to make something so swell and in a jiffy!
Very chic, Eddie. Those flour sack towels come in SO handy, don’t they?
I love all your projects. May I correct you on one thing? It’s Czechslovakia, not Checkoslovakia. My sister-in-law is from Slovakia–and you should see her glass collections !
I love the addition of the skirt! I can’t believe you got the material at Dollar Tree! I check them out occasionally and will have to go again to see what I can find. Also, I’m wondering what’s hidden in those Hermes boxes!
love it! looks fantastic
Great idea Eddie!!!!!!!!! I live in West Virginia so I get to see Dorothy’s great work all the time at the Greenbriar! If you ever want anything from there…let me know and I will send it to you!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!Love it!
You are amazing as usual. I love the tailored-but-casual look.
I’m consistently surprised at what people come up with from the dollar store. This is no exception. Your work is beautiful!
How absolutely lovely! Looks very European and chic. Keep up the good work – I love seeing the things you design and create, and it certainly inspires me to look for projects for my Victorian house here in London.
Greetings to you from London,UK
Jane
This is an amazing idea. I’ve been looking for a sink skirt everywhere that doesn’t look cheap and polyester! I did this project without sewing anything- all stitch-witchery and velcro. Looks perfect! Thank you so much!
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Back to the velcro. Any suggestions re:making sure the velcro holds? We have made some beautiful skirts to cover plumbing at my daughter’s reception site(ergo -no glue guns on sink). I am now concerned that they will be on the floor before the first course.
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I love the look of skirts on bathroom, and kitchen sinks…however, in my experience of trying this look…it only lasts for about the first few actual using of the sinks,…dirty dish stuff, dirty soap, toothpaste, etc. It’s all going to show up on the skirt…to be the least bit successful, the skirt must be under the edge of the sinks, and still be prepared for frequent washing.
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sink looks like good. great design I am really impress from this design.
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love it love it! love your creativity and resourcefulness. now, if I could only learn how to use a sewing machine!! 🙂 thanks for sharing.
wow all those garments are so amazing and fabulous I don’t come to your blog as often as I would like, but whenever I do I see some really amazing things keep up the good work! =)
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Yeah great stuff.
As usual you not failed to impress eddie.The best thing about it is black grosgrain.
I wonder how you got so good. This is really a fascinating blog, lots of stuff that I can get into. One thing I just want to say is that your Blog is so perfect!
Wow that’s a cool makeover of that wash basin. I always like that back and white combination in bathroom, ans its a good idea to cover up the sink base, water outlets should always be hidden.
Wow! That is fabulous!
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$750! That’s ridiculous. You need to shop elsewhere for a seamstress.
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Eddie, Help! I made a skirt for my pantry (double) sink out of a drop cloth. I attached one piece of velcro to my pantry sink, using double faced tape, and the other to the skirt . Unfortunately the double-faced tape was not strong enough to hold up the skirt . . . it keeps falling off. Anuy suggestions?
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