DIY Network

Quick-and-Easy Compilation Show The Materials Girls share fun and thrifty ways to spice up your interior design with fabric. From "Material Girls" episode DMTG-213

Appliquéd comforters, fun throw rugs, covered wastepaper baskets, colorful curtain panels, elegant placemats, nifty napkins: Think they take a lot of time? Think again! The Material Girls share some of their favorite ways to change a room with fabric, without spending a lot of time or money.

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Kelly shows how to appliqué store-bought comforters with fabric for a custom look. Cat shares a few tips on the variety of fabric glues available for no-sew projects. April shows how to make throw rugs out of faux fur, rug mesh and spray adhesive for a fun, retro look.

Before

After

	Figure A
	Figure B

Flower Appliqué Comforter
From Episode: DMTG-102

Materials:

quilted duvet or comforter
3 fabrics (two contrasting: one for the petals and one for the center and the stem)
scissors
fusible web bonding
pencil or marker
scalloped-edge pinking shears
press cloth
iron

1. Cut out the flower from the fabric that you choose (figure A). Lay out the material and cut out a 3' section of both the fabric for the flower and the fusible material.

2. Peel off the protective layer on the fusible material. Place the wrong side of the flower fabric onto the glue side of the fusible material. Put a press cloth on top (any old towel or sheet will work). Then using a clean, dry iron, press the two fabrics together (figure B).

3. Once the fabric and the web bonding are stuck together, use a pencil or fabric marker (not a pen) and trace a flower onto the plastic side of the fabric. If you are uncomfortable drawing freehand, practice on some kraft paper until you're satisfied and use that as a pattern.

Figure C

4. Cut out the pattern with the scalloped-edge pinking shears (figure C).

5. Now we want to create the center of the flower and the stem. Fuse a piece of the web bonding to a fabric of contrasting color, following the same directions as before. Then use the pencil or marker to trace a circle and a stem on the plastic side. Cut out these shapes.

6. Next fuse a piece of web bonding to the third (complementary) fabric and cut out three small circles.

Figure D

7. Remove the plastic backing from the three smaller circles and fuse them onto the center circle using the press cloth and iron (figure D).

8. Repeat the same process, attaching the center to the flower.

9. Attach the completed flower to the duvet cover following the same instructions, and finally add the stem.

Faux fur throw rugs are a terrific way to extend a room's decor all the way to the ground!

Faux Fur Rugs
From Episode: DMTG-201

Materials:

faux fur
mesh
scissors
pencil
pin
string
spray adhesive
rubber gloves

1. Fold the fabric in half with right sides together.

2. Pin the string to the fold at the center of the fabric and draw a half-circle all the way around the fabric; then cut through both layers of fabric. When you reach the halfway point, move to the opposite side and finish cutting the circle. Pull off any loose fur.

3. Cut the mesh into a circle using the same process as above, but make this circle a bit smaller to keep the edges of the fur from getting into the mesh.

4. Adhere the mesh to the back of the faux fur using spray adhesive. (You may want to wear rubber gloves to avoid getting your hands sticky.) Let the adhesive dry for 10-20 minutes before placing the rug on the floor.

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