How to Make a Full-Sized Duvet Cover
If you are tired of your duvet or feel that it is time for a change, a duvet cover might be the solution that you need. A duvet cover serves to protect your duvet from dirt and body oils, and it can add a new decorative element to your room. Duvet covers are a simple project for even a beginning sewer, and a duvet cover on a full-sized duvet can change the look of your room for the better.
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure your duvet. Though there are standard measurements for full-sized duvets, this is not necessarily a precise measurement of your duvet. Especially after long use, duvets can get stretched out, so get a good measurement for the length of the duvet as well as the width.
-
2
Add 1 1/2 inches to the measurement of the width and 3 3/4 inches to the length.
-
-
3
Wash your fabric on hot. This will help remove any dyes from the fabric, and it will also help take out any starch that was used at the factory to give the fabric more body.
-
4
Machine-dry your fabric so it does not shrink after you've sewn the cover together.
-
5
Plan your piecing. If you are creating a duvet cover for a full-sized duvet, you will need to do some piecing with your fabric. In most cases, you will be able to cut the fabric into long strips and then to sew them together to get the shape that you want. Given the narrowness of most fabric right off the bolt, you will need to cut it into strips and then sew them side by side to get the width that you need for your duvet cover.
-
6
Cut your fabric with regards to the measurements that you have taken.
-
7
Sew the pieces of the front of your duvet cover together, and then sew the pieces of the back of your duvet cover together.
-
8
Press the front and back of your duvet cover together, right side facing in.
-
9
Sew the sides and the bottom together. At this point, your fabric should inverted, with the back of the fabric facing out. This will ensure that your seams of your fabric are facing the right way. The top, where you will slide in your duvet, should be left open. The opening may seem wide, but this will make getting the duvet into and out of the cover much easier.
-
10
Sew in the zipper. You need a long zipper to close the opening of your duvet cover. You may be able to get your fabric store to order one for you, or you will find that you can measure get a long zipper from a wilderness supply store. Most duvet covers will need a zipper that is between 76 inches to 80 inches long. If your duvet cover's opening is a little larger than your zipper, you can stitch the edges together to shrink the opening by a few inches before inserting your zipper.
-
11
Turn the duvet cover right side out.
-
12
Insert the duvet.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Almost any thick, non-stretch fabric will do for a duvet. If you decided to make your duvet reversible and to use two different fabrics, ensure that the fabrics are of a similar weight. While natural-fiber fabrics will breathe more easily, synthetic fabrics are better at repelling stains and body oils.
By sewing ribbons to the inside of your duvet cover and to corresponding points on your duvet, you can tie your duvet into the duvet cover to ensure a more secure fit. This will be more secure than simply sliding the the duvet into the duvet cover and closing the duvet cover with a ribbon. Ribbons can also be used to tie the opening of the duvet cover closed.
For an additional decorative flair, you can close the duvet cover with buttons and buttonholes.
Be careful not to sew the zipper in upside down.
