Shelly WhitneyWant to add some luxury and elegance to your living room, bedroom, or dining room?
One easy way to do this is to add some Dupioni Silk decorative accents.
Read on to find out what, where and how you can add some luxurious and elegant Dupioni Silk decor accents to any room in your home.
What is Dupioni Silk?
Dupioni silk is a durable silk fabric with a nubby texture and shiny sheen. Because of the weave of Dupioni silk, it is not prone to wrinkles.
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It is a medium weight silk with a bit of stiffness – almost like a taffeta but, not quite that stiff.
Due to the weight, slight stiffness and stunning sheen of dupioni silk, it can be used for various fashion sewing projects – creating a luxurious final piece whether that be a blouse, jacket, skirt or pants.
While some may think that dupioni silk can only be used for clothing, it can be equally as suitable and beautiful for home decor projects.
Whichever way you use it, dupioni silk will be a luxury edition to your wardrobe or interior decor.
Let’s focus now on the various home decor and interior decorating uses for dupioni silk.
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Dupioni Silk Drapes or Curtains
Probably the number one use for dupioni silk in home decor is for making curtains or drapes.
Curtains made with dupioni silk will add a luxurious and elegant look to any room in your home – whether you use them in your dining room, living room, bedroom or nursery.
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100% Dupioni silk curtains are readily available on the market today. You can also buy them from companies that will make them to your exact size for perfect customization.
You will find the cost varies by company selling them. However, you can expect to pay close to $200 per standard 84 inch height panel.
If you cannot get the size or color you want, you can opt to make them yourself. Making curtains is fairly easy. Due to the texture and weight of Dupioni silk, making curtains with this fabric is really easy.
Dupioni silk is very easy to sew with, and it is available in a multitude of colors and prints.
Especially with shopping online, you are sure to find the exact color you are searching for.
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Tips for Sewing Dupioni Silk Curtains
The only issue you may have when making curtains is the space you will need. Any sewing project which is the size of curtains requires you to have a somewhat large sewing area or table. Otherwise, you may find yourself struggling to get the seams straight and having a battle with moving the excess fabric out of the way of your machine.
But, it can certainly be done – even for a beginner or intermediate sewer.
The best tip would be, if you have to, move your sewing machine to a larger area – like your dining room table – to allow you to have a lot of room to maneuver your curtain fabric around.
This will also depend on your window size. If you have a very large window, you will need many yards of fabric.
For smaller windows, you may be just fine working in your normal sewing area.
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In general, curtains will require 2-3 times the width of your actual window measurement. Do not forget to use the width of the curtain rod, and not just the window width.
Remember also to add to the length required to account for the hem – I like at least 8 inches for 2 x 4 inch hem folds – and the attachment system – whether that be a pocket rod, tabs, drapery tape or back tabs.
If you are making a DIY standard 84 inch drapery panel, you will need about 2 3/4 yards – or 2.8 metres. At a price of about $30 per yard, one DIY silk Dupioni silk curtain panel will cost about $85.
This is a significant savings versus the pre-made curtain panel of close to $200.
Note, though, that many Dupioni silk fabrics are sold in a 44 inch width, and not a 50 or 54 inch width so, depending on the width required for your window, you may need some extra width or extra lengths of fabric.
If you want your curtains to simply sit at the side of your window for a decorative look – versus actually using them to block the light by covering the full window – you should be fine with a 44 inch wide panel.
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Shower Curtains
While maybe not a decorating item you were thinking of when you thought of dupioni silk, you can add a shower curtain to your bathroom made with the luxurious Dupioni silk.
I am not sure where you can find a pre-made shower curtain made with dupioni silk but, fear not.
You can make your own dupioni silk shower curtain.
As I could not find a pre-made Dupioni silk shower curtain, I am showing you this faux Dupioni silk one. It mimics the look and feel of Dupioni but, is not even close to the real soft feel, texture and shimmer of 100% real Dupioni silk.
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DIY Dupioni Silk Shower Curtain
I had a friend who long ago made the most beautiful shower curtain from Dupioni silk. She made it with a patchwork of various Dupioni silk colors. It was one of the most beautiful shower curtains I have ever seen. The color blocking design would have been beautiful with just about any fabric but, the fact that she used Dupioni silk made it the most luxurious color blocked shower curtain ever.
Sorry, I cannot stop drooling about that shower curtain. I wish it had been my project both for the idea and for having it installed in my bathroom.
Aside from the absolutely stunningly beautiful effect – the fact that she had used so many colors in it, it would go with just about any bathroom decor. As well, you could pick one or two of the colors from the shower curtain for decorative accents in your bathroom – towels, storage baskets, etc.
Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of this shower curtain. But, let me assure you…it was stunning.
If you cannot find a Dupioni silk shower curtain on the market – which can be hard to find – you can make your own.
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Based on an average sized shower curtain, you will need about 4.5-5 yards. The cost will range around 5 x $30 per yard = $150 – a very inexpensive shower for one of this luxury and elegance.
I guarantee you that people will ask you where you bought this – as it will be very unique and obviously custom.
The only note of caution – as with any silk – is that you should be careful about water spotting. So…this is probably not a shower curtain you want to make for and use in a child’s bathroom.
And while I am talking about introducing real Dupioni silk into your decor, you could use a faux dupioni silk to make a shower curtain for your children’s or full family bathroom.
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Tips for Sewing a Dupioni Silk Shower Curtain
Sewing a shower curtain is an easy home decor diy project.
Think of it as sewing a wide curtain panel.
One of the standard sizes of shower curtains is 72″ x 72″.
You will need to allow for extra fabric for both the bottom hem and the top panel where you install the grommets.
I like to add about 8 inches for the hem (2 x 4 inches or 4 inches folded twice). This allows for a nice heavier weight hem – making your curtain hang better.
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For the top panel, I like to make it about 2-3 inches – so, double that to add about 4-6 inches. You will also want to add a stabilizer of some kind. You can use a drapery tape or some non-fusible interfacing.
Based on these measurements, you will need approximately 4 1/2 – 5 yards of 44 inch wide Dupioni silk. Go for the 5 yards and you may have a little left over to make yourself a matching throw pillow for your bedroom.
You won’t get that kind of decor customization when buying an off the shelf shower curtain.
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Dupioni Silk Table Runners
For a touch of luxury on your dining room or kitchen table, add a table runner made of dupioni silk.
It is a perfect and easy addition to your table whether you are setting your table for guests or you are simply having it decorated when not in use.
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If you choose to buy a Dupioni silk table runner, be sure to check the size and make sure it is large enough for your table. You don’t want to spend all that money and not have it be big enough to drape over the ends or sides of your table.
If it is too small, it will probably look too small – and that you did not get the proper size for your table. Avoid that by ensuring the runner is longer than your table – or if you can’t get one, make your own.
Another thing of note about table runners made from silk – if you are going to use it for a decorative runner for a dinner party, be wary of who your guests are as you may need to clean it after the party. Any type of silk – while quite durable – is not meant to be washed too often – as it will break down the fibers and compromise the integrity of the piece.
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Tips for Sewing a Silk Table Runner
Making a table runner is a very simple DIY sewing project – regardless of the fabric.
As well, it does not require much fabric so the cost is low.
All you will need for this project is the dupioni silk, a backing fabric of any type, and any trimming or embellishments that you may want to add.
Determine how wide you want your table runner. Take the length of the table and add about 6 inches for each side for the drop.
Add 1/2 inch seam allowances on all sides.
Sewing a table runner is basically making a large casing and turning it inside out.
Put wrong sides together, sew around all seams leaving a 4-6 inch opening. Turn fabric, press and hand sew or top stitch the open seam. SUPER SIMPLE, right! And the cost will be minimal!
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Patchwork Table Runner
Have small scraps of fabric left over from your sewing projects? Sew them together to create a patchwork table runner.
I have a hard time throwing my fabrics out – especially the more luxurious and expensive ones – so this table runner was the perfect project to use up all of those scraps.
Now while I cannot officially say that this patchwork table runner cost me nothing…it is pretty close seeing that the top pieces were fabric scraps and I happened to have a piece of satin for the backing. You can’t beat that price!
With small pieces of Dupioni silk, you could make a stunning patchwork table runner. Even if you only add a few pieces of Dupioni silk and use other satins and silk pieces…it will be a guaranteed conversation piece on your dining room table.
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Dupioni Silk Duvet Covers
For the ultimate in luxury, make yourself a Dupioni silk duvet cover – and yes, I mean the ultimate in luxury.
Not only will you add a look of luxury on your bed, you will feel the softness of the silk on your skin.
Imagine sleeping on or with silk….I can…I am getting sleepy.
Back to reality…
Another really important feature of silk bedding, in general, is the hypoallergenic properties of silk. This applies to all types of silk bedding – silk charmeuse and Dupioni silk.
So, if you or a family member is plagued with allergies, silk sheets and a Dupioni silk duvet cover will be just the bedding you have always dreamed of.
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This eggplant duvet and sheets set is made with silk charmeuse and not Dupioni silk. This is the more traditional silk bedding that you can find on the market today.
Dupioni silk would not be appropriate for making bed sheets – even though it is perfect for a duvet cover.
This duvet cover, too, can be a DIY project for you – shop some Silk Charmeuse here.
A dupioni silk duvet cover is more difficult to find on the market and will cost you a lot of money. So…then I ask, why not make your own?
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Tips for Sewing Dupioni Silk Duvet Cover
The process of making a duvet cover is not that different from making curtains. Basically, all you are doing is making a large pillow – 2 sides of fabric with an opening.
The problem is that is it much larger than a throw pillow and therefore, slightly more difficult to manage while sewing.
You will require a large amount of silk for this project. So, be prepared for the cost – but, it will still be much less expensive than a store bought silk duvet cover.
Another cost saving tip is to just use Dupioni silk on one side of the duvet cover and make the other side out of a less expensive fabric – such as cotton.
You can get the look without the cost of buying a whole lot of expensive silk.
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Something you should note if you want to make a duvet cover from Dupioni silk. Most of the silk ytou can buy will not be a width wide enough to cover a full duvet. That means that you will have to seam your fabric in order to get the width you need.
If seams on your duvet cover will bother you, then you should try to source a wide width Dupioni silk.
However, in my experience, if you sew the seam neatly, you will probably not notice it much.
Another tip for making duvet covers, in general, to avoid the appearance of the seams right down the middle of the cover is to make 2 seams versus 1.
Place one panel of fabric in the middle, cut the other panel in 2 and sew them off-center. This way, you will have 2 seams but they will be to the side and off-center and hence, much less noticeable.
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Decorative Throw Pillows
One of the easiest and least expensive ways to introduce Dupioni silk into your home is to add some throw cushions done in this fabric.
Most often, you can buy a pillow cover with a separate pillow insert – making it easy to wash or dry clean the outer pillow cover.
However, making a Dupioni silk pillow cover is super simple to make – as is just about any throw cushion cover.
And because the colors of Dupioni silk are so saturated, intense and deep, you will get a big bang for your buck in the pop of color that you will get in your room.
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For a 16 inch x 16 inch throw cushion, you will only need about 1/2 yard of silk – making this project extremely affordable.
You can also get more bang for your buck if you do only the fronts of the covers in the silk, and use a different (maybe less expensive) backing fabric for the back side. This way, 2 dupioni silk cushions will cost you less than $20. (plus the other fabric, pillow inserts, and optional zippers).
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I made this small Dupioni silk throw pillow with one side silk and the other side velvet. This was done for a couple of reasons – firstly, I did not have enough of the Dupioni silk – and secondly, I really like to play with my pillow designs. Making each side different means you can display whichever side you like depending on your mood or decor style at the time.
Having both sides different can also allow you to determine that one side will be the ‘used’ side and the other will be the dedicated decorative side.
When someone wants to actually use the pillow and put their head down, they can use the less-decorative side. The usable side may get more worn more quickly but, you simply turn it over when the guests arrive.
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Tips for Sewing Dupioni Silk Throw Cushion Covers
Measure your pillow insert. You will require at least 1/2 inch extra for seam allowances on each side.
For example, if your pillow insert is 18 inches x 18 inches, you cut your pillow cover piece the size of the insert plus add 1/2 inch to each side – making your piece 19 inches x 19 inches.
If you are doing both sides in the same fabric, you will need 2 of these pieces.
If I am adding a zipper opening – which I really like to do – I sometimes add an extra inch to one side where the zipper seam will be. This will allow you extra room to install the zipper properly while still having enough fabric to cover the zipper.
Having said that, you can still install a zipper properly with a 1/2 inch seam allowance…but, you decide.
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Add Some Dupioni Silk to Your Home Decor
I hope you got inspired to add some dupioni silk to your home decor – whether that be in the form of curtains or drapes, a shower curtain, a duvet cover or even a few throw pillows for your sofa, sectional or bed.
You can find many pre-made Dupioni silk home decor items on the market but if you are looking for a very customized look or you have a very unique sized item and want to save a bit of money, you should consider tackling a home decor DIY project and make it yourself.
Be careful though – if you add some Dupioni silk to your home decor, you may not want to stop.
Shop for your DIY home decor Dupioni Silk project here!
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