DIY Duvets

By Ellen Marchant

Three do-it-yourself duvets to inspire your creativity!

A DUVET COVER CAN BE A COSTLY ADDITION to a bedroom makeover. Sewing one yourself is not only cost-effective but also allows your creativity to take center stage. To make things even easier, purchase two flat sheets the size of your duvet as opposed to buying fabric yardage. Then follow the instructions without the work of measuring and cutting.

Matching Motifs

Most fabrics require piecing to achieve the desired duvet width. Unless you choose very wide fabric, you'll need to match the pattern motif when piecing for a look that's pleasing to the eye.

Measure the distance between repeating designs along the selvage edge (1). This is the pattern repeat distance measurement for the formula below. You may lose a considerable amount of fabric (up to 10" per fabric width) when aligning the motifs. Use the extra fabric to sew pillow sham accents, curtain borders, fabric-covered picture frames and more.

To join fabric widths, don't stitch the panels together with the seam running through the duvet center. Instead, cut one fabric width in half lengthwise and stitch the half panels to either side of the center panel for symmetry (2).

From the July 2006 issue of Sew News magazine.