How to Sew a Baffle Box

A good, warm comforter will make those chilly winter mornings pleasant to wake up to.

If in the winter you find yourself cold at night, then a baffle-box comforter is well worth your consideration. Not only are baffle boxes more desirable because they maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance, they also offer greater warmth and eliminate cold spots that plague other comforter designs. Baffle boxes work by cloistering the stuffing into independent compartments. This prevents the stuffing from moving around the inside of the comforter and in turn maintains consistent insulation. Additionally, it allows the stuffing to obtain a higher loft, thereby providing more insulating effects for comparatively less material. It is more work, but the extra effort is worth the warmth.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Tailor’s tape
• Fabric chalk
• Sewing Pins
• Fabric Shears
• Needle
• Thread
• Stuffing material
• Spray bottle filled with water

Instructions

1. Determine the dimensions of the baffle box comforter. Measure the length and width of your mattress using the tailor’s tape and write those numbers down. Determine the length of the desired drop. The “drop” is the amount that the comforter will hang down the side of the bed. This is usually from the top of the mattress to the floor. Add the drop twice to the width measurement, once for each side of the bed. Add the drop to the length of the bed to determine the total length of the comforter. Convert the dimensions to inches and adjust them until they are divisible by 12.

2. Mark two pieces of fabric to the dimensions of the comforter using fabric chalk. Use the fabric shears to cut these pieces of fabric out. These will be the top and bottom of the comforter.

3. Lay down one piece of fabric, print side down. This will be the bottom surface of the comforter. Make a 1-foot-by-1-foot grid on this fabric using the tape and chalk. Set this piece of fabric aside, lay down the other one, print side up, and mark another 1-foot-by-1-foot grid. This will be the top surface of the comforter. Set this piece of fabric aside as well.

4. Measure and cut out four long strips of fabric. The length of each piece will correspond to the length of a different side of the comforter’s dimensions, plus an additional 1/2 inch. Make each strip 1 1/2 inches wide. These strips will form the sides of the comforter. Set these aside.

5. Measure and cut out additional long strips of fabric. The length of each of these strips will be the length of the comforter plus an additional 1/2 inch, and the width will be 1 1/2 inches. To determine the number of strips needed, determine the number of column lines that are on the grid you drew on one of the larger sheets of fabric. This will be the total number of strips needed.

6. Mark guide lines on the additional long strips of fabric. Measure 12 1/4 inches from one end of a piece, make a mark across the width of both side of the fabric, measure an additional 12 inches, and make additional marks on both sides. Continue making marks at each 12-inch interval. Repeat this process for each additional long strip of fabric. These will be the long inner strips that will create the baffles. Once done, set these pieces aside.

7. Measure and cut several short strips of fabric. Each strip will be 1 1/2 inches wide and 12 1/2 inches long. The number of short strips that you will need to cut out will vary by size of the comforter. To determine the number, first determine the number of column lines that there are on the grid on one of the large pieces of fabric. Add one to this number and then multiply the result by the number of row lines that are on the grid. This final product will be the number of short strips of fabric that you will need. These will be the short inner strips of the baffle.

8. Sew the baffles together. Take one long inner strip of fabric and attach short inner strips to both sides of it at each marked interval. Fold the last 1/4 inch of one of the short strips back on itself, and position this fold on one of the marks on the longer strip of fabric. Release the fold and pin the excess material to the longer strip. Flip the longer strip over and repeat this process for the other side of the same mark. Once both shorter strips have been attached with pins, sew all three layers of fabric together, removing the pins as you sew. Repeat this process for each mark along the longer strip of fabric, and then do the same for the other long strips of baffle fabric. The end result will be a grid of fabric strips that mirrors the grid you drew on one of the larger pieces of fabric. Set this aside.

9. Sew the bottom of the comforter and the sides of the comforter together. Lay the bottom surface of the comforter on a flat surface, grid side down. Lay one of the comforter side strips of fabric on top of the larger piece of fabric. Arrange this strip so that its length matches up with either the length or the width of the larger piece of fabric, whichever it was originally measured to match. Position it so that the edge of the strip and the edge of the bottom surface match. Pin the two pieces of fabric together a half inch from the edge. Sew the two pieces of fabric together a quarter inch from their shared edge, removing pins as you go. Repeat this process for each side of the larger piece of fabric, using a new strip of fabric for each side.

10. Flip the large piece of fabric over and spread out the side strips so that the seams joining the two are pointing up. Fold the last 1/4 inches of the lengths of the side strips back, towards the center of the inside of the comforter, and pin adjacent strips together at this point. Sew the sides of the comforter together, removing pins as you go.

11. Attach the baffles to the bottom and sides of the comforter. Spread the baffle out over the fabric and align it with the grid on the larger piece of fabric. Fold 1/4 inch of the bottom edge of the baffle and pin that flap to the bottom fabric along the grid lines. Sew the bottom edges of the baffle to the bottom sheet of fabric, removing pins as you go. When done, fold the sides of the baffle to the sides of the comforter in the same manner as well.

12. Sew on the top of the comforter. Spread it out over the bottom of the comforter and the baffles, rotate it until the sides match. Fold 1/4 inch of one side of the top fabric under itself, in toward the baffles. At the same time, fold 1/4 inch of the corresponding side fabric in toward the baffles as well, and pin this flap of fabric to the top sheet’s flap. Sew that side of the comforter, removing pins as you go. Repeat this process for the other two sides of the top fabric, but leave the forth side unsewn.

13. Fill the baffles as you sew them up. Begin with the baffles that are farthest away from the open end of the comforter. Pin one 12-by-12-inch square closed, securing the remaining edges of the baffle to the underside of the top surface of the comforter, using the grid on that top surface as a guide. Once a single box has been pinned up, replace the pins with stitches, but leave 2 inches unsewn. At that point, stuff the box with your selected insulation material until the desired firmness is reached, and then finish sewing that box up. Repeat this process for each box, working to complete the row farthest from the opening in the comforter first and then moving in order to the next nearest row of baffles. When done with all the boxes, sew the final side of the top of the comforter to the sides of the comforter.

14. Clean off the chalk. Mist the side of the comforter that has the exposed grid lines with the water bottle. Gently rub the grid lines with a clean cloth. Allow the comforter to dry. Rewet and rerub any lines that reappear.

Tips & Warnings

• Obtain the highest quality quilt backing fabric that you can find when selecting fabric for the surface of the comforter. This will make the end product more durable.

• The baffles do not need to be made out of as nice of a material as the outer surfaces of the comforter, but they should still be sturdy.

• Create a cover for your baffle-box comforter to help protect it. The cover should be made to be machine washable, and it can be made out of particularly thick fabric to add extra insulation.

• To save time and effort, you can make an "open" baffle box comforter. To do so, do not sew the top of baffles to the top of the comforter. However, this will allow the stuffing to move around the inside of the comforter and in turn reduce the efficacy of the baffles.