How to Make a Bed Comforter From Scratch
In days gone by, store-bought goods were considered luxuries in many households. Women had to not only clothe and feed their families, but they also had to make or trade for everything used in a household. Bed linens and quilts were time-consuming and expensive possessions because of the amount of fabric involved. According to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, in the article, "A Bed Sheet in Beinecke," "In most households, sheets were used until they wore into rags and then were recycled into other uses." Today, bed linens are still expensive. Making a comforter at home saves money.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Fabric, 2 rectangles (Twin, 70 inches width by 92 inches length; full, 82 inches width by 92 inches length; queen, 96 inches width by 98 inches length; king, 98 inches width by 112 inches length)
- Batting or an old blanket/quilt
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
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1
Place one fabric rectangle on a flat surface such as the floor or a table with the right side of the fabric facing you.
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2
Place the other fabric rectangle on top of the fabric on the flat surface with the wrong side of the fabric facing you.
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3
Place the batting/old quilt or old blanket on top of the two fabric rectangles. It doesn't matter what way the batting/old quilt or blanket are facing because it will be encased within the fabric when you're finished with the project.
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4
Pin all three layers together.
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5
Trim, with the scissors, the edges of all three layers so that the edges are even.
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6
Sew, on the sewing machine, using a 1-inch seam allowance and a straight stitch, the sides of the comforter/layers of fabric, leaving a 10-inch opening/gap unsewn. Turn the fabric right side out through this opening. Remove pins.
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7
Reach your hand through the 10-inch opening, all the way through the layers of fabric to the other end and grasp the inside edge. Pull it through the 10-inch opening, turning the layers of fabric right side out.
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8
Use your hand inside of the fabric layers to "poke" the fabric of the corners inside so that the edges are nicely creased and the layers of fabric appear smooth from the outside.
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9
Fold the edges of the top and bottom fabric inside against the wrong sides of the fabric and pin the two layers together (push the batting or old blanket layer over a bit so the top and bottom fabric are sewn separate from the inner layer).
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10
Sew the opening closed on the sewing machine. Remove pins.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Flannel or fleece make nice, soft comforter covers. If you totally want to recycle bed linens, use large-size flat sheets for the outside fabric. This is a great way to reuse larger sheets that may have tattered edges but overall the fabric is still good. One thing about working with flat sheets as fabric is you can create matching curtains from additional flat sheets.
