When you live in an older home, circa 1950, with a basement laundry area, you just might not have all those wonderful modern, out-of-sight hook-ups for the washer and dryer.
So what’s a gal to do when she doesn’t like looking at the vent and the water faucets?
Create a cute laundry room skirt to hide the “unmentionables.”
It really is an easy solution. And a pretty cute one too!!
Last year, I happened upon a bag of miscellaneous fabrics for $1 at the thrift store. It was truly a mixed bag. When I decided to create a skirt to hide the “unmentionables” in my laundry room, I went to my new fabric stash and found a piece of Mary Engelbreit fabric that was long enough to do the job….and the colors would work with my new creamy yellow wall paint.
I have always liked Mary Engelbreit’s whimsical characters. They are so happy. So, why not use this black fabric with colorful whimsy to create my new pleated laundry room skirt.
HOW TO: Create a NO SEW Cute Laundry Room Skirt
{to hide the mechanics behind the washer and dryer}
The Supply List:
- 1 Yard of Fabric*
- Yardsticks (I used 2)
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Staple Gun
- Power screwdriver
- Short screws
*It’s difficult for me to tell you how much fabric you need. My area was 6 feet wide, so I doubled the width for the fabric. The length depends on how high your shelf is above your washer and dryer, and how far down your fabric will hang behind them. Don’t forget to give yourself a few extra inches in the length to allow for hemming and stapling with a fold over for hanging.
Let’s make a No Sew Laundry Room Skirt!
- Trim yardsticks to the width of your shelf. My area is 6 feet, but I needed to trim nearly two inches off for the brackets that hold up the shelves.
- Cut your fabric the length you desire from the bottom of the shelf to somewhere below the washer and dryer…if you have pinking shears, you’ll want to cut the fabric with your pinkers.
- Cut your fabric for the width you need. Since my area was 6 feet, I doubled that (using two pieces of fabric) so that I could make nice deep pleats. Again, if you have pinking shears, use them to cut the fabric.
- If for some reason you want to hem your skirt, and providing you allowed enough extra length for hemming, now is the time to do it. (Vacuuming the fabric should be enough to keep it clean. And usually I’m big on finishing the edges and hemming…but really it is not necessary. It’s all pretty invisible.)
- Lay yardsticks on the floor or other suitable surface as you will attach fabric to the yardsticks with a staple gun and you don’t want ‘bounce back’ which will prohibit the staples from being flat to the yardstick.
- Photo 1 :: Fold the end of your fabric under to create a finished end and staple it to the yardstick–using the top edge of the yardstick for your guide. (Note…you may wish to follow the pleating steps below for the entire length of your yardstick to make sure you have enough fabric, before you staple your pleats in place. If you’re short of fabric–you’ll need to adjust…too much–you can trim it off.)
- Photo 2 :: Using a 6 inch ruler (or tape the 6 inch mark on your ruler for an easy guide) measure 6 inches from the end of of your folded leading edge. (I worked from right to left.)
- Photo 3 :: Next fold your fabric up to the 2 inch mark on your ruler and slip the ruler out.
- Photo 4 :: Staple the fold in place.
- Repeat the entire length of your yardstick.
- Photo 5 :: When you get to the end of your yardstick, you should have a little material left over to bridge the gap between the two yardsticks. Though I did not show it in the photo (sorry), this is the point where you will want to staple the two yardsticks together. I tried it without stapling them together and discovered doing so makes the project much easier.
- Photo 6 :: After stapling the yardsticks together, place the fabric over the next stick and staple in place. Measure 6 inches from the last pleat (fold). Then take the end of the new piece of fabric and fold it over 2 inches. Place the leading edge of this new fold on the 2 inch mark of your ruler and staple in place.
- Continue pleating and stapling until get to the end of your yardstick. When you come to the end, fold your excess fabric under (you should have at least two inches–trim if you have a lot left over) to create a finished edge, and staple in place. You are almost done!
- Lay your no sew decorator laundry room skirt on the shelf as shown above.
- At this point it would be helpful to have a second pair of hands. Take your completed skirt and hold it under the shelf (with the fabric on top of the yardstick for a clean finished look). Place it the appropriate distance from the dryer vent and the back of the washer & dryer. Screw your skirt in place with four screws, one towards each end of the yardsticks.
- And now stand back and admire your completed project.
Depending on how much you invest in your fabric…this is a super inexpensive way to give your laundry room a decorator look on a dime. Or in my case $2.50. Note: I broke my no-spending freeze and purchased my yardstick for 69 cents each at Lowe’s.
Let’s look at the before photo of my laundry closet.
This photo is after painting. (A truly before shot is here.) You’ll notice that you can see all the venting, even going through the shelving, as well as the washer’s water supply shut-off. I was not a fan of this look. I painted the bright yellow gas line which you can see in the left corner, to blend it in with the wall. It’s not perfect but is a huge improvement and won’t be seen once I fill the shelves with my jars and baskets. The dryer venting could not be painted, so I needed another solution.
I did not want to look at the silver venting every time I did laundry, so I came up with a super easy solution. I measured cardboard to fit between the shelves, and painted both sides of it. You must paint both sides or the cardboard will curl. (This I know from my vast experience of creating cool environments for VBS with cardboard.)
What do you think? It finishes it quite well. Another option would be foam board which would give a little more polished look. However, I had cardboard boxes and went with what I had. Dollars & cents saved.
Here’s my caveat.
We are renting our home and so it is not feasible to re-do the venting for the dryer. Seriously, this is not the best choice nor the safest. Please take time to Google better options. Also. If you choose to copy what I’ve done here…be sure to give several inches of clearance between the vent pipe and the cardboard or the fabric. If you run your dryer hot, you don’t want to cause a fire because you are trapping the heat. Keep in mind….I am no expert….please do your research for safety.
This super easy to create, No Sew Laundry Room Skirt really finishes off the washer/dryer closet nicely. I’m a happy gal.
Some of you have discerning eyes and will notice that the pattern does not line up perfectly on the skirt from side to side. I am quite aware of that. But, I decided that if I could get a little extra fabric out of my piece to create some other fun bits of decor than it was well worth it. The only person who will know it’s off is me. My husband will never notice when he throws a load in the washer. Of course, there is the issue that the whole world will now know. And then I’m reminded of that famous saying of the Nester, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.” I’m hanging on to that one.
Bit by bit, I’ve been sharing my laundry room makeover.
I had fun creating some clothespin art for one wall. And to help tie in the black Mary Engelbreit fabric, I added some chalkboard art, too. It’s coming together nicely. I can’t wait to share with you the final finished project. I hope you’re getting excited to see it.
Now, it’s your turn. I’d love to hear read your thoughts. Every….single….extraordinary….one. [grin]
Wishing you laughter in your laundry. I know…that would be Extraordinary!
Diane
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I love it! You are really inspiring me to do something with our ugly basement laundry area (to the point I even took some “before” photos!). Now, I just have to decide what. Thank you so much for sharing your make-over.
Yay!!!! That’s the best compliment ever!! Thanks Jean!!
I can’t wait to see what you do!
~Diane
Absolutely adorable!!!! I’m working on my laundry room…..in my head…..and do have a lot of Mary E. fabric! Think I might be copy-catting you on this!! Thanks for the great idea! Dona
Ah! I usually plan out everything in my head, too. No wonder it gets so heavy sometimes! Haha!! [wink]
Keep me posted on your laundry room progress Dona! And snap a photo or two….I’d love to see!!
Hope your week is truly Extraordinary!
~Diane
I’m amazed at all your ideas. The clothespin art must look so good with this color sceme! I’m dreaming of doing some for the doors of my cabinets. And even a simple fabric to cover my water intake would help!! Aww… But today I rest!
And you’ll be packing, right? So this is an idea that can also be used in other areas that need a little skirt to hide those marks we would like to hide!!! In other words, one part of my bookcase ?
Gwen….you say the kindest things. Thank you for your encouragement.
I think it all has come together very nicely colorwise. At first I thought the ME fabric was a little overpowering. But with the additional black on the wall I already posted about….and the extra color that you’ll be seeing soon [wink] I am very happy with the results. Unfortunately I won’t be enjoying if for too long. But…you can guess that I will remove the pictures last anyway….so all will be good.
I LOVE the idea of creating skirting for your bookcase!!! It would be a fun way to add color and hide the “whatevers.”
As far as packing. I’m trying to get my blogging ahead of the game….I have several ideas that I had planned for August and I’m going to put them together and photo them so that I’ll be able to pack up the stuff. (And I have a lot of stuff….which is good and bad.) You can pray that I’ll get organized with it all. Especially as I have no idea what the future holds.
And my friend….rest is needed to heal. You…rest and dream and worship. [hugs]
~Diane
Diane, this is really cute. I love Mary Englebreit fabric, too. I’m sure I have lots of 1 yarders in my fabric stash to come up with something adorable. Thanks for the idea. Can’t wait to see the final finished laundry. 🙂
Hi Susan! Hope all is well with you. 😉
Yay for ME! She has that whimsical touch. I do hope you pull out some of your fabric and have some fun too!
Thanks for popping by and leaving your affirming words.
May your week be Extraordinary!
~Diane
What an ingenious idea Diana. I’ve been reading your laundry room posts. It is turning out so cute! I’ve been a bad blogger lately. With work, gardening, a huge project I’m doing for a friend and life in general, I’ve barely had time to even do my weekly party. I miss my blog friends!
Hugs,
Deborah
Haha Deborah!! You’ve been a “bad blogger” and I’ve been a bad party-er. Guess we’re quite the duo. [wink]
I generally love popping by my favorite parties…but we’ve had a bit on our plates and now we have to gear up to move at the end of Aug as our house has sold (the owner thought he’d put it on the market and boom….first looker made and offer). You can pray for that elusive job to appear so we know where to move.
Thanks for your kind words about my laundry room. I’m pretty pleased with the results. It might not be what I would plan to do…but it’s been fun using what I have and coming up with a cohesive look. That part was quite fun.
I hope you find some time for rest and relaxation in the midst of your busyness.
You ARE extraordinary!!
~Diane
Ohhhhh….perfect with that touch of black with the artwork…and the splash of red flowers. Put them all together…its a creative, cheerful spot to do that “gift that never stops giving”!! What a clever idea, those yardsticks! Wonder what the pleating behind the yardsticks would produce. Cuz I do have a collection of old yardsticks! A bit of varnish, some fabric…bettin’ the …ummm….glass door of the hutch which no longer IS, could wind up with a modified version of this idea!! Dangerous thing, this brain of mine. LOL. Just don’t ask how the glass ened up broken and it’ll be all good! LOLOL
Keep doing what you do, staying productive looks good on you!
Haha! Your story of your broken glass on the hutch….we need a duel to see who’s story is best. [wink] When I was a wee girl I had a bit of fire in me. And one day my mom and dad said, “No” to something and I took my doll buggy and gave it a big push and it went flying into the curved glass china cabinet, that may dad inherited from his mother, and glass flew everywhere. Then my kitten went for a stroll in the china cabinet much to everyone’s distress. I have that same cabinet, sans cool curved glass door in my living room today. Okay…your turn!!
You should play around with the vintage yardsticks and the fabric. I think you’ll just need a few small mounting brackets and you’d have something even more amazing!! Go for it!!!!!
How adorable. I love the idea about using and painting the cardboard. Oh, the things we learned at VBS!
Thanks for sharing.
have a blessed week, Ginger
Thanks Ginger!! I don’t think anyone would know if we didn’t tell them!! [wink]
~Diane
What a very clever idea, another I shall have to remember (aka) Pin to my Mud Room board ;-0
I love how you are having fun putting together all your ideas for your ‘soon-to-be’ new mud room. Oh the fun!!!
Thanks for your sweet thoughts….JoAnn!
Wishing you An Extraordinary Day!
~Diane
I love it! I dream of a cute laundry room .. but being that its in a basement .. I may never have what I dream of!
Awwww thanks Adina! Don’t give up on your dream….basements can have sweet spaces too. Mine is in a basement. 🙂
Hope your week is extraordinary!
~Diane
This was a cute idea! Gotta love those $1 grab bags at the thrift store 🙂 What a difference that skirt made in the look. I found you through A Blossoming Life’s and the blog hop there on Mondays.