NEVER SETTLE AGAIN...

...for bedding you're not IN LOVE with! i had the worst time trying to find bedding i liked, i looked at target, macys, online, wherever i could think of for bedding for me and ryan and there just wasn't anything i found that i had to have. plus, it's so expensive so i'm definitely not buying it if i don't love it. especially since bedding isn't something you normally just replace, you keep it around awhile.

i made a queen size duvet cover (anyone who's fuzzy on what a duvet cover is, it's basically a bag that holds a comforter, you can remove it and wash it, or change it out easier and cheaper than a regular comforter), and i chose to have a button-style closure, some people use ribbon or snaps, but i like buttons. my comforter is 86"x90" so i wanted this to be about 88"x92" when it was done, and through the process whenever i was cutting i gave myself a little extra room and i think it ended up being about 88"x93" so that's pretty good!

i used 6 yds of fabric for the top and bottom, make sure you account for pattern repeat! the robin's egg goes perfectly in our room, i didn't want anything too dark or busy, and the quilted fabric on the bottom looks so luxurious with it ;) i'm all about luxury, eh?

i'm extremely proud of this project! got some fancy cream fabric for coordinating pillows and a new bedskirt to complete the scene. for the area immediately surrounding our bed, anyway!


anyways, here's what i did:

got this fabric, $100 for top and bottom total. lovely robins egg blue and cream, and quilted cream!

notes on the math before cutting anything

Colby just couldn't wait for it to be put together and on the bed!

2 widths of this fabric were not enough for the entire width of the duvet, so i cut out 6 in strips to piece together to put as a strip down the middle

gotta make sure those lines line up!

line it up with one side, the strip is longer than it needs to be so i can move it without it being too short on either end.

line up!

the back is assembled!

i cut 99" from the fabric for the top piece, and need another 99" to cut the sides from. this is a great way to easily use the pattern repeat. just line it up and cut the excess, then you can rely just on your measurements and not always have to check and make sure you are lining up the design properly

easy measurements again, just cut it off at the same point the other one is cut off

3 pieces for the top just like the bottom. the sides need to be lined up with the design as well

i lost a lot of fabric that way, but i'm over it. :) it's great quilting fabric anyway!

sides needed to be 18" wide

i pinned them this way to get it lined up perfectly

can't even tell? :)

there's that excess fabric! needs to be cut off

now i can move the pins to the outside so i can remove them while sewing. PINCH the fabric FIRST, then move the pin from the inside to the outside WITHOUT moving the fabric

pin on the outside now, and is removable for sewing!

lining it up with the bottom piece after top is assembled, and pinning the edges

the most annoying thing about these big projects is the sheer amount of fabric you are dealing with all the time. it can be tiring. ;)

top and bottom are attached! and gorgeous.

checking for the size on the actual bed, and seeing what the white side looks like.

hem the edges for the button flap, after the bottom edge of the bottom piece is hemmed

double-hem the button flap edge for a much nicer finish

measuring and marking out button holes in flap

my buttons are 1 1/4" and 1 1/8" so just made all the button holes 1 1/4". draw a line that long as a guide while sewing

practice button hole! (since i didn't even know what the buttonholer was before starting this project, side note- buttonholer is funny.)

you use the buttonholer setting for the top, bottom and sides of the hole...

THEN, you use your seam ripper to take out the fabric from between the stitches...

VOILA! buttonhole.

just a shot of the buttonholer working.

sew the buttons on and BAM! duvet cover.

first of a few throw pillows i'm making to coordinate with this beauty. taffeta!

what it looks like on the bed

fabulous!