Makeover Monday - Bedding

Difficulty: Easy

Husbando is fairly tall. I am fairly not. We used to bicker about the amount of space we had in the bed. Then we got a new bed. A big bed. A lovely, argument killing, blissful sleep machine.

Except then the duvet was too small.

When we bought the new, super-wide duvet we thought that one of our existing covers (too big for the old duvet) would fit. It didn't. I managed to find one cover at J-Lew*, but there was only the one and subsequent searches for a cover big enough have not been successful.*

So this week's makeover is going to take one of my King-size duvet covers and make it fit my super-wide duvet.

For this project you will need:

1 duvet cover
Similar weight fabric to expand the cover - the amount will depend on how much you are expanding.
A measuring tape
A sewing machine
Pins
An iron


First thing to do is work out exactly how much bigger the cover needs to be.

Step One: Measure your duvet.

Round UP to the nearest whole inch. Mine is 85 inches long (head to toe) by 100 inches wide (side to side). (Write this down).

Step Two: Measure the cover that doesn't fit and work out how much bigger it needs to be.

My plain white cover is 82 inches long by 89 inches wide. (Write this down too). You need to be sure that you are measuring like for like - figure out before you measure which side is width and which is length on both the cover and the duvet and be consistent in your notation. Otherwise you might wind up with the opening of the cover along the side of the bed rather than at your feet because you have added the fabric to the wrong area and that is how it now fits.

So, my duvet cover is 3 inches too short and 11 inches too narrow. This means that I need to add a piece 3 inches x 100 inches along the top and a strip 11 inches by 82 inches along the side. If I did just that - added the new fabric along only two sides, it would work. But it would look weird. So:

Step Three: Decide where you will add the expansion.

There are two easy options for where to put the extra fabric.* If you have space big enough, lay the duvet cover out on the floor. (I do not have a space big enough and so I can only bring you step by step images courtesy of Microsoft Paint this week.) Imagine that this is my white cotton duvet cover on the floor:

Isn't it lovely.

Now, the first option is to cut the duvet into four equal pieces (the duvet isn't a perfect square so the pieces won't be perfectly square either) and add the fabric in the middle:

Showing where you would cut for option one.

Going with this option means that the new fabric will create a cross in the middle of your duvet. It could be a really interesting look - especially if you have some vintage fabric. You have to be really, REALLY careful when you measure and cut the duvet with this option though. If you don't get the cuts straight, it will throw everything off, will be really annoying to sew and the finished product will be wonky.

The other option is to open the side and top seams of the duvet and add the new fabric in a band around the edges, splitting the 11 inch wide piece into two 5.5 inch strips:

I'm going to go with the band around the edges for two reasons. Firstly, it's easier. I don't need to worry about cutting straight because all I'm doing is opening up side seams. Secondly, the duvet cover is white and I live in England. The duvet could end up looking like this:

While we support the England football team when they are playing, there is another red and white flag that takes precedence in our house, thank you very much.*

Step Four: How much extra fabric do you need?

I have some old Ikea curtains that are helping out on this project, but if you need to go out and buy fabric, you need to be sure that you get enough. You also need to be careful if you are using a fabric with a pattern.  Take account of patterns when you are working out your yardage. I am using stripes so I have to make sure that I have enough fabric to ensure all of the stripes end up going the same way or my head will explode.

I'll use my measurements as an example of how to work this out.

The longest piece I need has to be 82 inches high x 5.5 inches wide. I need two of these, one for each side. I also need a piece that is 100 inches wide x 3 inches high.

BUT WAIT!

A duvet has two sides, that means I actually need bigger pieces than that.

Because I have chosen the around the edges option, this is not a problem. Simply double the smallest numbers in each measurement.

100 (w) x 3 (h) becomes 100 x 6 (both sides of the top),
5.5(w) x 82(h) becomes 11 x 82 (you still need two of these - one for the left and one for the right).

You also need to add some extra in for the seams. If you make half inch seams, you should add 1 inch to the measurements - all around this time.

101(w) x 7(h) for the top - cut one
12(w) x 83(h) for the side - cut two

Add your (w)'s and your (h)'s ONLY COUNT 1 PIECE OF 12 x 83 IN THIS. (I will explain why in a minute).

101 + 12 = 113(w)
83 + 7 = 90(h)

So you need a piece of fabric that is at least 90 inches high and 113 inches wide.

The reason you are only counting one piece of 83 x 12 is because when you cut it out you can do this:

All of my stripes will be going in the same direction with this layout.

Problem is - you aren't going to find a lot of fabric 100 inches wide. The maximum is usually about 60 inches with 45 being about about average. You need to tweak the layout.

My fabric happens to be 54 inches wide so I'm going to divide the top piece into two of 51 x 7. (I've rounded up to 51 because I need to include the new half inch seam allowance where the two pieces will join in the middle).

So my actual cutting layout looks a little like this:

If I was buying fabric for this project I would look for fabric at least 51 inches wide and buy 2.8 yards of fabric. (83 + 7 + 7 = 97 inches. 100 inches = 2.777 yards)


Step Five: Cut everything out

Once you have checked your measurements (make sure you wrote everything down at the start) you can cut out your pieces. Remember rule 1: Measure twice, cut once.

Let me say that again in case you missed it:

RULE # 1 : Measure twice, cut once.

I can't male the font any bigger. You'll just have to trust me on how important it is to get your measurements right.

Step Six: Preliminary sewing and ironing.

Stitch together the two 51 inch pieces to make one piece 101 inches wide. Fold it in half (right sides together) so you have a double thickness piece 3.5 inches high and 101 wide. Iron it. Sew  half inch seams along the 3.5 inch sides. You should now have a piece 101 inches long, open on only one side (one of the 101 inch sides).

Fold the 12 x 83 inch pieces so you have two pieces that are 6 x 83. You want to fold right sides together again. Iron. Don't sew yet.

Step Seven: Open up the seams on the duvet cover

You can either spend time carefully cutting through the overlocked edge I'm sure you have on the inside of your duvet cover, or you can do what I did and just cut the existing stitching off right up against the stitches. This is much faster. If there is a partial seam along the bottom to either side of the closing snaps/poppers/whatever you call them, leave this as it is. It will help to keep clear where the top is and where the sides are.

Step Eight: Sew on the expansions

It's easiest to sew the sides on first. Turn the duvet inside out. Pin one side of each of the 12 x 82 inch pieces to the duvet. You will be making two long seams.

Now pin the other side of the duvet on to the free edges of the 12 x 83 pieces and make two more long seams. Once the new sides are sewn in, you can stitch along the bottom edge of the addition.You should now have a cover wide enough for your duvet.

Leave the cover inside out. Pin the folded 100 x 3.5 piece along the top, starting at the corner formed by the new side fabric. You should have pressed this so it will be easy to see where the seam on the 100 x 7 piece meets up with the crease on the expansion.

Handy Tip:

Turn your 100 x 3.5 piece the right way out. (The duvet cover should still be inside out.) Put the 100 x 3.5 piece inside the duvet cover so that the right side of the fabric is touching the right side of the duvet cover. The top corners of the 101 inch wide addition should be pointing down inside the duvet.  Match the seam on the 100 x 3.5 piece with the creases you pressed into the 12 x 83 inch pieces.

You should now only be able to see the wrong sides of both the expansion piece and the duvet cover. (If you have ever short sheeted a bed, it helps to picture this when you are trying to get the layout right.)

Sew all the way around the top edge and turn the whole thing right side out to check that you got all the bits in the right places. You should now have something that looks like this:

Since my bed has a foot-board and the duvet is always tucked in, I'm not worried about the fact that the bottom edge is odd.

That's it for the cover. Wrestle your duvet in and all your measurements being well, you should have something that fits.

Step Nine: What to do with the Spare fabric?


I don't like waste fabric and I love things that match almost as much as I like cleaning. So I decided to use the spare fabric to make two pillow cases. These are easy.

9a)Measure the long side of a pillow case. Double it. Add 10 inches.
9b)Measure the short side.

Long side: 28 inches (doubled +10 = 66)
Short side: 20 inches

From my spare fabric I cut two pieces of fabric 67 inches long and 21 inches wide (including seam allowance).


p

 Fold over the 10 inch addition so that the wrong sides of your fabric are together. Iron it. (This is the bit you fold over the pillow when it is in the case). Now fold the fabric in half so you have something 28 x 20, right sides together. Sew along the 28 inch sides. Turn right sides out. Fill with pillow. Repeat with as many pillows as you have in whatever measurements they are, always remembering to add at least 10 inches for the inner fold.

Now go and make your bed.

Next week: What to do with those wool jumpers you accidentally washed at 65.

*John Lewis

*Actually, I can find covers. Finding them isn't the problem. The problem is that I'm cheap and I'm not going to spend £80.00 on a duvet cover. Not when I have a cupboard full of covers that ALMOST fit, a sewing machine and a room full of fabric.

*And loads of difficult ones, but I'm not into difficult this week so you're getting the easy ones.

*See above re: easy. A maple leaf applique is not easy.