Easy Peasy No-Sew Cord Ruffles

A little bit of DIY crafting that doesn't have anything to do with knitting or crochet.  My boyfriend and I moved into a new apartment in early October 2013.  We decided since this was our first place together we would paint and decorate the way we want while we continue to work on building our house.  We installed a series of track lighting above our breakfast bar and found these beautiful sconces.  The drop downs for the lights had really really long cords - and not being one to dabble in wire splicing and rewiring - I researched some sort of cover - unable to go and purchase one for less than $50 at any local retailers - I used my crafty little brain and created these. . . 

DIY Easy Peasy No-Sew Cord Ruffles

Supplies You'll Need:

-Fabric (I used about 1/2 yard from a 72" bolt)

-Hot Glue Gun

-Rotary Cutter or Scissors

-Ruler

-Dowel or Broomstick

-Cords Needing Covers

-OPTIONAL: The Best Crafting Partner Ever (Pumpkin)

Step #1: Hang lights and sconces - bunch up cords to the length you want the sconces to hang from the ceiling.  (Note: Wrapping the cords too tightly can cause a strong heat source - I used long loops and zip ties - all will be covered by the ruffles).  

Step #2: Measure the widest width of the sconce light insert drop downs (mine measured about 1").  Use a dowel or be creative and find something around the house with the same width.  I taped pencils to either side of my broomstick to make the width about 1/4" greater to allow overlap when gluing the fabric.

Step #3:  Take a measurement from the ceiling to the top of the sconce (the area where the ruffle will go).  Multiply this measurement by 2.5.  I have my sconces at two different heights - my shortest measurement from ceiling to top of sconce was approximately 2' - My shortest ruffles ended up being 5'.  

Step #4: Place dowel or broomstick on fabric (make sure you measure the area where the pencils are taped).  Roll fabric around dowel and measure distance around - I added a little bit extra to this dimension for error - my strips ended up being approximately 3" wide.  This is the approximate measurement to make the long fabric strip to glue - you could also figure out the circumference of the dowel and pencils. . . but I'm not a huge fan of math so I went with this option). 

Step #5: Begin wrapping and gluing strips around the dowel, overlapping the edges of the fabric.  When at the end, slide over the cord and push down to sconce.  The fabric tube will ruffle on its own.  Mine fit snug over the top of the light, however you could use Velcro or leave a space at the top and pull and glue the fabric snugly around the top if yours is loose.

Total Price for Project: $2.00 (I had JoAnn's coupons).

Approximate Time for (4) Ruffles: 2.5 hours

Estimated Savings: Over $100

Enjoy your project and feel free to send along pictures of your finished product.