Pro Tricks

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Flirt with a Skirt

Do you have a sink in your home that has unsightly pipes still showing? I do, and one of my next home projects is to get this little garage bath under control. I’m planning on wrapping the sink with a skirt and you can do it too. Choose a fabric that is fun, colorful, and coordinates with the other design elements in the bathroom. This treatment really lends a sweet cottage feel and can be the inspiration for a total theme bathroom.

To make a gathered skirt, measure your sink’s height, add 6 inches for hems. For width, measure around the side and front of sink; double this figure. Cut fabric. Hem top, bottom and sides of skirt. Gather fabric 1 inch from top edge. Attach hook-and-loop fastening tape to inside of skirt and to the sink. For a finishing touch you may want to embellish the gathered area with rickrack, braid, fabric covered buttons and so on. You could use the same fabric for a shower curtain, the trim on the curtain, tiebacks, window valance, ruffle on valance, a stool cushion, but just not all of the above areas at the same time. Use it sparingly and mix with other patterns and solids for the best overall look.