So we’re back with our second faux sheepskin DIY undertaking (after sharing the first one this morning). For this project we actually visited the biggest most insane fabric store that we’d ever seen while on a recent trip to Charlotte to visit some friends. It’s called Mary Jo’s Cloth Store and it’s basically a gigantic 32,000 square foot warehouse full of about a million bolts of fabric (we’re talking about a football-stadium-sized holy grail of textiles). And it’s located right outside of Charlotte (just off of 1-85 at exit 21).
All I can say is that if they don’t have it there, nobody does. Plus their prices are fantastic. We saw designer prints marked down to $10 a yard that go for $19 a yard here at fabric stores in Richmond. Yes please. Here I am among the rows and rows (and rows) of stacked fabric bolts with my cute friend Kristin who showed us around the town (remember we crashed her house for you a while back?).
And here’s John doing what he does best. Finding the weirdest thing he can and taking an ironic picture with it (yes that’s dental themed fabric with teeth, floss, toothbrushes, and sayings like “smile!” on it). Like I said, if you’re looking for something specific they have it at Mary Jo’s.
Anyway, we ended up bypassing all the quirky patterns (cats with yarn? check. dogs in baskets? check) and picked up a yard and a half of gorgeous nursery fabric to make a modified crib skirt (to obscure the space between our crib mattress and the top of our slide out drawer- stay tuned for those details) along with one yard of fluffy ivory faux fur. We looked through dozens of faux fur options to find the densest, most creamy colored version that looked and felt the most like sheepskin. And the cost? $14.99 for the yard that we grabbed.
The best thing is that it was on one of those super long bolts so even though it was only 3 feet wide, our big rectangle of fluffiness was nearly six feet long which meant we could get three faux sheepskin throws out of it, making them just $5 a pop (which is a heckova deal when you consider that Ikea’s cheap-o real ones are around $25 each). Of course we just whipped out our homemade paper sheepskin template (see how we made that in this morning’s post) and used a thin sharpie to trace the pattern from our template onto the back of our fabric three times.
Then I did a test cut on the edge of the fabric to be sure fluff wouldn’t fly everywhere and the faux fur wouldn’t completely unwind or come loose when it was trimmed down to size. Happily just a few fluffs were freed with each snip (it was sort of like giving the large shaggy fabric a haircut) but nothing too major was released, and even when I tugged on the fur around the edge of my test cut it held steady and didn’t unravel. Whew. This meant that I could then go ahead and cut along me three sharpie outlines to create three fast and easy faux sheepskin throws in a matter of minutes without worrying about binding the edges. Easy.
Things were a bit floofy when I was done (picture my black shirt covered in matted sheepdog-like hair) so I tossed all three of our new throws into the dryer on “extra low heat” and let them spin a bit to shake out any and all remaining fuzz. It worked like a charm and when I pulled out our three surprisingly realistic looking $5 faux sheepskins they looked pretty darn good. Definitely good enough to be used around the base of my Christmas tree, draped over chairs and the back of my couch, tossed over an ottoman or two, etc. And this dryer de-floofing process seemed to really be effective since I was no longer covered with white hair every time I brushed up against them. Which is nice because that would seriously get annoying.
Now just as we mentioned that this morning’s DIY sheepskin project yielded more structured “rug-like” versions, this approach makes for much floppier and flexible “throw-like” accents. So they’re great for tossing over pieces of furniture to add some nice lightness and softness but probably couldn’t hold up on the floor (without creating death-trap slipping scenarios) like our rug counterparts could from this morning. So here’s one of our three new furry guys living it up on the storage bench in our dining area (pardon the bluish-white cast, the sky was reflecting through the window- for a more true indication of the real color check out the picture of them in the dryer above).
Here’s a close up so you can see how the edges look nice and fluffy just like the real deal. We honestly don’t know if anyone would be able to tell that we switched out our real sheepskin for this faux one since they look so eerily similar. Which was totally the goal. Score.
We tossed the second one over the back of a nearby living room chair (we love the layered tone on tone texture that it adds).
And draped the third one over the back of another slipper chair in our den. Doesn’t it look soft and inviting? Who knew three $5 upgrades could add so much to three different seating areas in our house?
So that’s our second faux sheepskin DIY tutorial for ya. It really was as simple as hunting down some wooly white fabric (or even a white furry blanket if you see one of those at TJ Maxx, Home Goods or Target), whipping up a free homemade paper sheepskin template, tracing it onto the back of the fabric (or blanket if you go that route) and cutting it out. And don’t forget that a quick low-heat spin through the dryer should de-lint it for you. Easy peasy.
Or should we say easy fleecey? Sorry that was terrible. I’m cringing over here. Maybe we’re just a little too excited about our cheap-o $5 furry friends (I can’t wait to move them around our house like I used to do with our Ikea ones- they’re so flexible and fun). Plus these are WASHABLE (our Ikea versions never were) since they’re made of fabric, so that’s the icing on the cake. But now it’s time to ask you guys what you’ve been making lately. Have you picked up any discount fabric and used it to recover a chair or whip up a quick pillow? Have you made your own faux-fur throws, pillows, or blankets? Do tell.
Psst- Wanna check out our first DIY sheepskin tutorial from this morning? Here’s a shortcut.
Rebekah says
Oh my gosh, this is so funny! Everytime I head home to Charlotte (from NYC), my mom and I go to Mary Jo’s so that I can peruse their fabrics! That place is insane!
Carole says
I like how the different colours and textures of white and off-white work in your living room!
I’ve made curtains from tablecloths before–the fabric I wanted was $52/yard, and the 3-yard-long tablecloths were $42 each on clearance…
http://buckcanuck.blogspot.com/2010/01/marimekko-makes-it-lovely.html
Christa M says
What a fun project! I once found myself making a “faux skin” for a Halloween costume. I was going to a party as a native American Indian girl, but the temps were too cold to go without a sweater or jacket. I didn’t want to take away from the costume by wearing something unrelated, so I purchased some brown lightweight fleece and traced a Deer Skin and used that as a wrap….it totally added to the costume and was whipped up in no time!
Enjoy your new skins! I adore them!
Erin says
Great ideas! Ironically, I’m not too into “sheepskin” rugs on the floor but I love them in some of the unexpected places you’ve used them (but only in winter).
I am all about discount fabric! Since I’m not lucky enough to be near a place like Mary Jo’s (oh my gosh that place looks cool) I rely on Internet fabric stores such as fabric.com and fabricguru.com.
One of my recent best finds was a microsuede in the perfect green (it’s called wasabi) that I used for the cushions for my new kitchen banquette (you can catch a glimpse of them here: http://theimpatientgardener.blogspot.com/2010/02/re-doing-kitchen-part-1.html )
I didn’t have the skills to make the cushions myself so I had to go to a local upholsterer for that, but the price of the fabric made it worth it: I got it for $9/yard after finding it on fabric.com on sale AND with a coupon code. This is upholstery fabric that is usually in the $40 to $50 per yard range! I was thrilled, and I even tested the swatch I ordered first by pouring red wine on it, letting it sit for an hour and seeing what happened. NOTHING. Perfect for a kitchen eating area!
Kristi says
You guys are amazing! <3
Renée says
Since discovering your blog (two weeks ago), you two have brought such DIY excitement to my life! Being on a budget and not having any sewing skills myself, it’s so encouraging to see how you make such beautiful things with creativity and patience. Thanks YHL!
Melissa Arlena Jeffcoat says
I just picked up some heavy duty cotton home decor fabric in a beautiful stripe pattern that I’m going to use to make slip covers for our dog beds. The stripes work perfectly with the new wall color and really help to brighten the room. So now even my girls will have stylish bedding!
LauraC says
Great effort, but they don’t look like sheepskin to me – just a piece of fabric. I don’t share your aversion to real sheepskin, but since any kind of fake leopard/zebra/animal print completely grosses me out (mostly because I think it’s so tacky, I just don’t understand it’s popularity, and no, I wouldn’t like the real thing either) I can understand when someone else doesn’t like something that I do like. As you said before, to each his own!
jaya says
From which angle is this tacky?!?! I for one love it and I love that no animals were hurt- and that you are holding fast to humane instincts and not hurting animals. It is super cute and easy and makes everything look super cosy delicious!
diana says
Your faux sheepskins look just like the real ones. I have nothing against using real fur (my grandmother raises sheep for food and wool) but I think that spending $5 is much better than $25 for a throw. Great idea.
erika says
these look fantastic!!!
-erika
theurthmama.com
Jen Z. says
love both faux projects. I would have never have thought of that. awesome.
I might be making some curtains for our laundry room. We were thinking about putting in louvered doors, but we thought, it would take us a lot longer to do this part of the project, so we are thinking about buying material and making curtains to hide our boiler & hot water heater. Or if we find the right curtains at Ikea, then we will just hang the Ikea curtains to hide the ugliness. ;-)
I might also use some material to hide some pipes, but we will have to wait until we get to that part of the project to see what will work for us.
Michelle says
So glad my city got a shout-out! Mary Jo’s is legendary. Sadly, I haven’t been yet, mostly because my sewing machine got banished after an ultra-stressful Halloween costume project. Looks like I need to get it back out and start plotting some DIY pillows and throws.
Jennifer S. says
I like this project better than number 1. It’s funny it came up today because this morning I was at the fabric store looking for white faux fur to make a mini fur rug for my kids’ doll house. Good timing!
Ann says
Where did you get that pillow in the last picture? I love it! Was that a DIY project that I missed?
YoungHouseLove says
That fun loopy pillow is actually from Crate & Barrel. Hope they still have them! If not maybe try ebay?
xo,
s
Lauren says
I love your dining room and the simplicity of your whole house! Where did you get those gorgeous white shelves? We’ve been looking for some in a darker wood that are that long, but are having trouble. Any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Ikea! And they come in dark brown so you’re in luck. Just search “lack” and look for the long floating shelves (we think ours are 72″ long but they come in different finishes and lengths). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Danielle@Newlyweds Paradise says
Those little babies really warm up the space!
natasha says
WOW! Great job you two! I LOVE IT! Quick Question for ya: Do they have anything like Mary Jo’s on the West Coast… say….in San Diego!?
I’m new to this whole fabric thing,and would like to sew some pillows, curtains and a table cloth/runner. The fabric stores I go to seem to have plenty of the “weird patterns” (ie: the man in the moon, bunnies, etc.)
Can you pass along some suggestions as to where to find designer-type of fabrics (like they have at Mary Jo’s)either online or in-store?
Thanks for any tips! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Just let your fingers do the walking. Try googling your zip code or your city’s name and “fabric store” or “fabric outlet” and see what comes up. Sites like yelp.com can also help by providing reviews and recommendations from people in your area. We also use the yellow pages and just look things up there too. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kelly w/ a Y says
I needed a window treatment in my bathroom and when I saw the pretty trim John installed around your bathroom window, I thought, I can do that. Well, I can’t. My window actually butts up against the plastic shower stall. Weird, I know. I’d only be able to install 3 sides of trim(top, left side and bottom.) So, I decided to finally hang my curtain rod above the window and I’ve had these lovely beige cotton/satiny napkins with beaded edges laying around for years from Marshall’s. ($1/piece, can’t beat it! I originally bought them to make a throw pillow.) I hung two of them side by side over the curtain rod and plan to finish them down the middle where they meet with pretty ribbon to tie in the stripes in my white shower curtain. I’m quite happy with the project! Simple and inexpensive.
Another item of the DIY list!
YoungHouseLove says
Nice! Congrats on your make-it-work solution. Love it.
xo,
s
Barbara says
Natasha – I don’t know about San Diego, but in Los Angeles proper there are several stores like that in the Garment District (downtown). Diamond Foam and Fabrics is one.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for tossing out that suggestion for Natasha, Barbara!
xo,
s
Kathy says
I love Mary Jo’s! I also love both of your faux-sheepy ideas. I love those shaggy white rugs, but having the interesting shape as well as the texture definitely adds something.
Sara says
I live near Mary Jo’s and I just love it! I have always been curious if you two even knew about that place. In fact if I were to see you there I would probably wet my pants since I’m such a huge fan. Glad you enjoyed it and were able to get great stuff! Looks fabulous!
Sandy says
What a super cute and seemingly simple project to do! The easier the project, the better, for me! I love the sheepskin on the grey chair… oh my I love that grey chair!!
Christa M says
FYI – Mary Jo’s has an online store. http://www.maryjos.com
heather s. says
I definitely like these better than the rug version from this morning. These look more like throws and seem much softer. Great job!
Jillian says
Heh, I love your technical use of the term “de-floofing.”
Stephanie says
I’m with Rebekah and Michelle – good to see Mary Jo’s and Charlotte get a shout-out! I’m from Charlotte (living just outside Raleigh now) and have been to Mary Jo’s several times. It’s very impressive indeed.
I lived in North Charlotte so going to Mary Jo’s wasn’t something to be taken lightly (and this was way before gas prices were more than $2/gallon). I’ll never forget the time my mom and I planned to go down there one evening after work. It was summer and I was working in my mom’s office before heading back to college (and to my first apartment, thus the need for fabric) in the fall. I’d gone out with friends the night before and, well, let’s just say I wasn’t feeling too good the next day. But I wasn’t about to let a little hangover impede our plans to go to the legendary Mary Jo’s, nosiree! I might have been a little green around the gills, but we got the fabric we needed for the curtains my mom was making for me.
Joye says
Ingeniously sheepish!! I love it! I just may have to try this : ) I just found your blog and I love your style!
Emily S. says
Love the fake sheepskin. Burger looks so cute and cozy laying on the one in the nursery. I’m a little nervous that my dog moose would like them a little too much…show them a little doggy love if you know what I mean.
On another note, I recovered our dining room chairs with a great duvet cover I found at Target. A couple hours, $20 and some scotch guard and here is the result:
http://thishomebelongsto.com/dining-room-chairs/
Alina says
Just saw you guys in the February Skirt issue – so cute! My husband and I love your blog! Best wishes with “the beanette!” :)
~Alina and Nathan, fellow Richmonders
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Alina! We can’t get over how pregnant I look. There’s definitely a baby in there- no more denying it!
xo,
s
julie K says
Natasha- Have you been to UFO (Upholstery Fabric Outlet) in San Diego? It’s in National City and is a HUGE and they have great prices. As the name implies they specialize in upholstery fabrics so they don’t carry everything but if you want to make pillows, curtains, outdoor items, this is the place to check out. Also, they are very friendly and will special order things if you’d like.
julie K says
*Please forgive me for not proofreading that post. ;)
Cassie says
Super cute!! I think I’ll be adding these to my list (which gets longer the more time I spend on your blog!)
Curious — what magazine is stacked on the white table? If you have all the old issues of Domino I’m going to be so jealous! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Well, don’t hate me but I actually saved every single issue of Domino from day one… but those are stacked under the big metal bull head to the left of our fireplace in the den. The stack of glossies on the side table that you see in that photo are all of my favorite House Beautiful mags. I don’t save every single one, just my absolute faves. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
sherrie says
So I’m a little confused. You didn’t like that you had actual sheepskin, so you made fake sheepskins, which allude to dead sheep? I lurve the feel of sheepskin rugs under my feet and didn’t realize they are real and so cheap at Ikea. Sheepskins are super on my wishlist, but I’ve mostly researched smaller companies for costs.
It seems like to me that purchasing actual sheepskins contributes to more people/companies raising animals.
So do you not wear leather either? For shoes, purses, and such? Just curious. Guess it’s not important. I like your ideas overall. To each his or her own.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sherrie,
We’ve always loved texture and softness and of course anything white (or close to white) is golden in our book. We like what we like- what can we say? I guess it’s the same reason that some vegetarians like faux chicken or veggie burgers and some people who won’t buy leather will wear leather-like bags and shoes made from alternative (and very convincing) materials. And no, we’re not vegetarians (although we probably have five meat free dinners a week) and while many of our ottomans and furnishings are made of faux leather (a vinyl like alternative that’s cheaper and super easy to clean) we do have one leather chair in the bedroom and we wear leather shoes and purses from time to time (well I wear the purses, John definitely doesn’t!). We try to maintain a nice balance and although we’re not strict vegetarians and we do occasionally wear leather, there’s just something that felt sadder about the sheepskin rugs to us- especially when we saw Burger sitting on them. Again, it’s totally a personal decision and we don’t want this to turn into a vegetarian/leather/fur debate, but we just thought tackling a fun faux alternative was the way to go for us. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Emily A. Clark says
I cannot believe you were at Mary Jo’s. It is literally 10 minutes from my house. And, believe it or not, the place makes me crazy! I would’ve been so excited if I had seen you; it would’ve been like a celebrity sighting :)
Amanda says
Love, love, love it! I’ve wanted the IKEA sheepskin for awhile, but don’t live near an IKEA unfortunately… but yours is such a better option price point wise and “faux” to boot!!
Kate says
I once used clearance Christmas tablecloths to make a Tutor-period costume. I had to make a costume that matched as close as we could to an image of who we were dressing up as (I was Lady Jane Grey) and had a strict budget of $20. The red and gold brocade-like tablecloths looked prefect!
In recent home design, I’ve kind of lost my creativity lately. I really want SOMETHING to be changed, but I’m not sure what. I may need to root around our closet and see if there’s anything in there I can use. Or maybe I’ll look through your tutorials again for some more inspiration.
Bryn says
Oh my gosh this is AMAZING! And the best part? I live in Charlotte now so I can go buy this fabric!!
I’d also love to get in touch with your friends here, especially since my husband and I don’t know a soul out here and I’m always up for meeting a new friend who loves design! Sherry – can you put us in touch or send me her email address? brynalexandra at gmail.
YoungHouseLove says
Sure thing Bryn. I’ll send her your email addy and hopefully she’ll shoot you a line! And you’ll love that store. It’s insane but so inspiring.
xo,
s
Cassie says
Oh, how amazing to have them all…to be able to go back and find new ideas all the time! I had tons of them, but when we moved from Nashville they got tossed (never dreaming it’d go under!!). I have just a few now and they are so dog-eared! There is a group on Flickr where people post scans and jpgs they have from Domino, you should add any you have on your computer! (please) :)
Sarah Sarniak says
These look great, and so comfy and fluffy.
Chelsea says
Nice tip on Mary Jo’s! Next time I make my IKEA run to Charlotte from Raleigh I will need to stop in.
chelsea says
As organized as your house seems I’d like to know how you do it! How/where do you organize:
Items you buy in bulk (TP, paper towels those kind of items)
Tissues (never any in your pictures of your home)
Old items that mean a lot to you (something grandma made)
Photos, software, office supplies
And…do you ever receive gifts that aren’t exactly your taste that are for your home? How do you handle those situations?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Chelsea,
1. We don’t buy in bulk, we buy what we need because we reason that our small home is happier and more functional when it’s uncluttered and livable (therefore, the extra square footage not used to hold lots of excess items is worth more than saving some nickels and dimes to have a stockpile on hand). We do buy about 12 rolls of TP at a time (so while it’s not a giant Costco package it’s not like we purchase one at a time or anything) and we make a little TP pyramid in our open closet with the extra ones and store a few more rolls in the half bathroom in a glass vase from Target (see more details here).
2. We actually only have one box of tissues in our whole house (on the bottom shelf of our side table in the guest bedroom) since we just use TP in the bathroom to blow our nose. Maybe it’s weird but if it’s good enough for other parts of our body it works for our nose too…
3. We have a few bins and baskets for meaningful things that we don’t display (tucked away in closets) but we’re sure not to let it get out of hand. For example I have a small blue shoebox-sized-box full of memorabilia that I’ll be posting about soon. Stay tuned.
4. We tackle this answer along with a ton of other how-do-you-store-that questions in this post (don’t forget to read the comments for even more info).
5. We do. And we always say thank you and send off a thank you note as well. But life is too short to live with things that we don’t love and if we displayed every gift from friends or family members we wouldn’t fit in the door of our modestly sized house. If something doesn’t fit our aesthetic, we usually either pass it along to someone that we know will appreciate it, donate it, garage sale it, or try to reuse it in some way (sometimes we repaint things, sometimes John will take it to work and use it there, etc).
Hope it helps! Of course you can find a lot more organization info and tips on our How To page (the tab located right below our header)- we even have an entire section devoted to that subject. Happy hunting…
xo,
s
Alicia Damron says
Cool, I can’t believe ya’ll were so close to where I live! Mary Jo’s is an awesome store!
Jill says
I’m not much of a DIY’er, but I can get behind this project! I am looking at Mary Jo’s website right now… did you get the stuff that is $13.99 yard? In off-white? Mind if I ask how many yards it took for your three throws? I’m gonna order some of this stuff up stat!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jill,
Our fabric was $14.99 a yard and it looks like the style number was M52 (their receipts are hand written so it’s hard to read it perfectly). The color could best be described as ivory or even off-white (although against darker things it can look almost white in certain lighting situations as well). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Redlilocks says
I recently purchased jute bags used for coffee beans – a whopping 13 of them from a roastery for under £10 in wonderful natural burlap with black writing and have made two cushion covers as well as working on chair covers for my dining chairs. Used a sewing machine so not as quick and diy as your projects but look great nonetheless! And I’ve got enough fabric to make about 10 more projects with it considering you get about 2 yards of fabric per bag! Gotta love creative alternatives!
Kristen says
Sherry – your patience astounds me. I’d be screaming “read the post, people, don’t just look at the pictures!”
Sara says
Great DIY! I might just have to copy you guys :) I have another sheepskin DIY: **DIY Dog Bed**
I made a dog bed for our 3-month-old lab puppy! All I did was use 2 big fluffy down pillows up in the closet that we never use (any type of pillow would work) and a faux sheepskin throw blanket (from Homegoods). I placed the pillows next to each other to form a square, wrapped the throw blanket around them tightly so it appeared to look like 1 big pillow, sewed some buttons onto the throw blanket (I used the buttons I saved from when I get new clothes, oh and if I had safety pins, I would have used them, faster and easier), buttoned it up, flipped it over to hide the buttoned part, and WA-LA! It looks just like a dog bed you would find anywhere, but using stuff around the house for a fraction of the price.
Katie B says
You’ve inspired me to make some sheepskin rugs for myself!
I’m all about remnant fabric pieces. I buy them up and use them to make pillow covers, napkins, applique, and other fun projects. I recently used an outdoor fabric remnant to make some durable pillow covers for my basement “lounge” room.
stylefyles says
this is awesome!
I love this tutorial….and you definitely can’t tell the difference between this and the sheepskin from Ikea (crazy they’re not faux at just $25 a pop, by the way).
trish says
Hmm. is THAT what my home has been missing? I’m gonna have to ponder over that one… it just so happens that I have a scrap of faux sheepskin in my stash, been wondering what to do with it. Your little sheepyskins look great.