My Aunt Patty is the consummate bargain hunter. Her home is lovely mind you; one would never know the source of some of her decor.

But neighborhood garage sale? She’s there. Got to have a grape-shaped serving dish? She’ll scour her favorite thrift and consignment joints ’til she snags you one.

Patty—who you’d never guess as my aunt because she’s so young—delights in tracking down treasures for a steal. So I had to smile when this email arrived in my in-box the other day:

“I have an idea for you. Today I went to garage sales…one of my favorite things to do.”

‘Cool,’ I’m thinking, ‘what did you find?’

“I found a lovely floral tablecloth (Ralph Lauren) for one dollar,” she said.

‘One dollar?’ I’m impressed.

She went on, “Brought it home and cut it up. Covered three 16″ pillow forms (which I bought for 99 cents each this week at Goodwill) and made a 40″square tablecloth, with enough fabric left over for something else. I intend to use these on the patio to brighten up the table and swing.”

“So here’s a Challenge idea…find a cheap tablecloth and do something else with it!!
– Aunt Patty”

I talked Patty into snapping a few photos. Darn nice for four bucks, huh?

I’m mad for the idea because it’s simple, fun and doable. So that’s just what we’re going to do—with one twist. There are gorgeous tablecloth designs out there, but let’s expand to include sheets and shower curtains too. You’re bound to find one of the above to transform. And Aunt Patty, I’ll be dropping by with your HomeWorkshop.com coffee mug for coming up with the Challenge.

There’s your inspiration. This week’s Challenge: Find a cheap tablecloth, bed sheet or shower curtain, and use the fabric to create something for your home decor.

Tell us about your hunt and what you spent. Don’t worry if it’s more than four bucks—Patty threw down the gauntlet with that. Show us what you made and where you plan to use your creations.

A bit of incentive? A randomly-selected winner from entrants in the Frugal Fabric Fun Challenge will win the marvelous book of home sewing projects, Sewing in No Time: 50 Step-by-step Weekend Projects Made Easy, written by Emma Hardy. She’s a designer and stylist for various lifestyle and interiors magazines, including Country Homes and Interiors and Marie Claire!