Decorating with fabric is versatile and easy and does not have to be expensive. Few things give your home more appeal and character than fabric. Thick, heavy drapes and plush upholstery can give your room a formal, sophisticated look whereas light fabrics and sheers can make the room look casual yet chic. Plain, solid colored fabrics is great for achieving the modern, contemporary look whereas lacy whites spell Victorian elegance.

When you are decorating with fabric, you don't have to worry about hiring painters, carpenters or plumbers. All you need is imagination and a variety of fabrics. Worried about the thought of decorating with fabric when you do not know how to sew? Innovation is key to decorating without using a sewing machine. You can make window curtains, swags and even pillow covers even if you do not have a machine.

How can you make pillows and curtains without knowing how to sew? Easy - iron on basting tape. You only need to make a few seams to make a pillow case and one seam to make curtains. If you have several yards of the fabric in solid colors as well as prints and stripes, you can mix-and-match and make several different items that decorate the entire house.

Another way you can decorate with fabric is to use sheets. Sheets already have a seam sewn right in, which makes it easy to thread the fabric on a pole and make it into a curtain. Needless to say, you will have to use flat sheets for this project.

Sheets work very well for other decorating purposes too. You can make matching curtains and a duvet cover for very little money. Because they are wider than average fabric, they work well for covering larger spaces. You can even use sheets as a tablecloth.

For added effect, layer your tablecloths. You can use a plain white sheet as a bottom tablecloth on your kitchen table and then top it with a smaller tablecloth that you made by cutting a sheet or some fabric.

Iron on basting tape makes it very easy to decorate with fabric. It can be purchased in all fabric stores as well as some craft and hobby stores. You simply need to place it where you want a seam and iron the fabric. It works just as well as sewing the fabric and will not come out in the wash.

Whenever you are decorating with fabric, be sure to remember that you are going to wash it eventually. Cotton fabric shrinks a bit, so account for that when making your seams. Also note that you will have to have a hem on all of the sides of the fabric to keep it from fraying in the wash.

If you have a lot of fabric, you can even adorn your walls. Take a staple gun and use the fabric like wallpaper, or gather it so that it looks like a full length curtain. This can make a wall in your home look very warm and inviting.

You no longer need to know how to sew when decorating with fabric, that makes your rooms come so alive. Just use basting tape and an iron and you are set to go.