How to Make a Duvet Cover

Learn how to make a duvet cover with simple video instructions. I include steps to add ties and use a sheet for the back.

Course Sewing

Cuisine American

Keyword diy duvet cover, duvet cover

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3

Servings

Author Lisa Bass

Cost 5

The rule of thumb for cutting a ruffle piece is one and half times the length of the piece you will be attaching it to. So, for example, if you want to sew a ruffle onto a 10″ piece of fabric, you should cut your ruffle piece to 15″ in length. Since the main duvet piece is 89″ long, the ruffle piece is 1.5 times that, so 134″.
Take your two 5″ by 134″ inch pieces and press the long end over 1/2″ and then another 1/2″, to hide the raw edges inside. On the opposite long side add a gathering stitch. I like to add the gathering stitch halfway down and then start a new one. This way you are less likely to break the gathering strings if you need to do a lot of pulling to make them the same length as the fabric your are pinning to.
The easiest way to gather fabric is to turn the machine’s tension and stitch length all the way up. This will cause your fabric to gather all on its own when you put that gathering stitch in.If you have never made ruffles before, check out the tutorial on my youtube channel.
Repeat this process for the other ruffle piece.After the ruffles are hemmed and gathered, lay everything out on the floor, the 48″ by 89″ main piece in the middle, and the two 10″ by 89″ pieces on the side, like such.

Adjust the gather strings in the ruffle until they are approximated 89″, so you can pin them between the main piece and the side pieces. Lay the ruffle down on the main piece, right sides together.
Next, lay the side piece on top of the ruffle, so that you have a ruffle sandwich, if you will. Make sure all the raw edges are facing the same way.
Repeat with the ruffle on the other side and pin everything in place.

Sew your ruffles in between the main piece and the side piece, going slowly and being careful to catch all three layers. After the ruffles are sewn in place, topstitch them to make the ruffles lay flat. This will just be a stitch that runs over the top of the ruffles, close to their original seam. The only purpose of it is to make the ruffles lay more flat.

Next, lay the queen size sheet out on the floor, making sure to eliminate all the wrinkle and creases. Fold the original top hem of the sheet under, toward the floor. When everything is all smooth, lay the completed duvet top, right sides together, on top of the sheet.
Make sure the top of the duvet top and the top of the folded sheet are lined up. Refer to the video tutorial, if this doesn’t make sense. Trim the sheet around the sides and bottom, so that it is the same size as the duvet top. Pin the sheet to the duvet top, leaving the top opening, where the comforter will slide into, unpinned.

This step is optional.For my duvets, I wanted to add little ties in all four corners, inside the duvet, to keep the comforter insert in place. To do this, I took a whole package of double fold bias tape. I sewed down the open side of the bias tape, to close it up. Then I cut it in eight parts (two ties for each of the four corners). I pinned two ties in each corner at this point in the project. For the top part, I put the ties in under the fold, in the two top corners.See the video tutorial for clearer instructions.

After the sheet and duvet top are pinned in place (and the ties in each corner, if you are adding them), sew the sides and bottom together. Make sure to not sew the top shut, since that is where you will be putting in the comforter insert.
Turn everything right side out.If all has gone well, the top fold (that will be used to hide the insert under) and the ties (if you added them) should all be inside the duvet.

Next, we are going to make the ties for the top of the duvet cover. I thought these would be a really cute to enclose the comforter insert, and add a pretty detail. Take your ten 1.5″ by 12″ pieces from the coordinating fabric, and lay them flat on your ironing board, right side down. Just like bias tape, press both long sides inward, like I have done below: Fold the tie in half, so that the raw edges are hidden inside, like in the photo above .Fold one of the ends inward, to hide the raw edge inside and sew it shut. Next, sew down the long side to close it. Repeat repeat repeat…until you have all ten pressed and sewn.

Since the top of the duvet is still unfinished, you are going to make a casing to hide the raw edges inside. The casing will also be used to sew in the ties for the top closure. Take your 4″ by 130″ piece and press it inward, and in half, like you did with the ties.
Sandwich the raw edge of the top of the duvet cover inside the casing and pin all the way around. When you get back around to where you started from, fold the end under and overlap your starting point.

Find the halfway point of your finished duvet and add the first two ties there, on either side. Divide the two halves in thirds and place your ties in those points also. You should end up with five sets of ties placed evenly across the top of the duvet cover. Mine were 10.5″ apart all the way across, starting the first sets at 10.5″ in from both sides of the duvet.
Sew all the way around the casing, making sure to catch all layers, and your ties. Cut all the strings, and add in your comforter insert. I purchased mine from IKEA. Give the little girl in your life her duvet, so she can snuggle under the comfy ruffly goodness of it.

Main Fabric:

Coordinating Fabric: