Instead of shelling out 5 bucks a yard for fabric, try thrift store pillow cases and sheet sets. I've been collecting striped pillow cases for the last couple months because I like the idea of mixing up the colors and widths for guest room pillows. Opened pillow cases are the laziest form of window coverings, but it doesn't have to look like that apartment you shared with your classmates back in the day if you iron and hem everything. Just don't hang it up with a staple gun or tacks.

Thanks for that link! Linen ticking stripe fabric for $5 a yard, and cottons for $3 is fabulous. Puts the ticking-stripe floor length curtains I've been wanting for the bedroom in reach.

@Ulrika-floor length ticking stripe fabric curtains sounds fabulous!

We once owned a very solid hand me down loveseat that we had recovered in mattress ticking...went with everything, and very durable.

family heirloom weavers in red lion pa makes gorgeous ticking blankets in blue, black, red etc.. http://www.familyheirloomweavers.com/blankets.pweb their pieces have been used in several period films such as cold mountain. they are stunning, so well made and well worth the $90

The wonderful soft home furnishings expert Katrin Cargill, who has written a series of books explaining very clearly how to sew curtains, pillows, and tableclothes for your home, has kept alive the use of striped fabrics for years. It's very Swedish, which is Ms. Cargill's heritage. I think she has a current book on the market -- any of her books are worth owning. You don't need any greater sewing skills to use them than knowing how to thread a needle.

She also is unbelievably helpful in showing how to mix stripes with other patterns. Her use of stripes with white material, and stripes with toile, will blow your mind. When she's done, it all looks so simple, so clean, and strangely, so modern.

Thank you, birdseye, for posting the family heirloom weavers site. Their stuff is really nice -- really simple and old-fashioned.