Having a small bed in the nursery is a luxury during the months when your baby doesn't sleep through the night. For our Stylish Baby Nursery, the Sunny Horizons duvet uses bold stripes of several Andalucia fabrics to make a colorful covering with simple ties finishing off the bottom. When you collapse on it in exhaustion, you'll feel so much better knowing it's such a beautiful match to all the other items in the nursery.

Those of you who are very observant will notice this duvet is a larger version of Sunny Horizons Dresser Cloth/Crib Quilt – minus the binding around the edges.

If you don't have room in the nursery for a bed, this is also a fun project to embark upon when your baby is ready to leave the crib for a 'big kid' bed. Your toddler will have fun picking out the different fabrics for the stripes, and you'll have fun putting together this fast and easy project.

Our sample was made for a baby girl's nursery, using the stunning Patty Young Andalucia collection. For information on where to buy, read Stylish Baby Nursery: Designing with Bold Colors & Patterns. This article also includes suggestions for creating an alternate fabric palette that would work well for a boy's nursery.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Sewist 500)

Fabric and Other Supplies

There are seven horizontal bands that make up the duvet. As we note the fabric yardage needed per band below, we refer to them as band 1, band 2, etc., starting at band 1 on the top, down to band 7 at the bottom.

• Fabric for band 1 and band 7: 2 yards of 45" wide fabric: we used Patty Young's Andalucia in Fire Flowery Stripe
• Fabric for band 2 and band 6: 1 yard of 45" wide fabric: we used Patty Young's Andalucia in Earth Mod Dots
• Fabric for band 3: ½ yard of 45" wide fabric: we used Patty Young's Andalucia in Kiwi Jester
• Fabric for band 4: 1¾ yards of 45" wide fabric: we used Patty Young's Andalucia in Fire Mod Blooms
• Fabric for band 5: ½ yard of 45" wide fabric: we used Patty Young's Andalucia in Kiwi Tiny Dots
• Fabric for entire back of cover and bottom ties: 5½ yards of 45" wide fabric: w e used Patty Young's Andalucia in Kiwi Flora
• All purpose thread
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pencil
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. From the Fire Flowery Stripe, cut two 17" x 35" strips (for band 1) and two 18" x 35" strips (for band 7)
2. From the Earth Mod Dots, cut four 8" x 35" strips (for band 2 and band 6)
3. From the Kiwi Jester, cut two 8" x 35" strip (for band 3)
4. From the Fire Mod Blooms, cut two 27" x 35" strip (for band 4)
5. From the Kiwi Tiny Dots, cut two 8" x 35" strip (for band 5)
6. From the Kiwi Flora, cut two 35" x 88" pieces (for back) and ten 3" x 26" strips (for the ties)

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Make the Ties

1. With right sides together, fold a 3" x 26" Kiwi Flora strip in half along the width to make one piece that measures 3" x 13".
2. Using a ½" seam allowance, stitch along both 13" sides.
   
3. Clip the corners and turn the tie right side out through the open, raw-edged end.
4. Using a pen or fabric turning tool, poke out the corners so they are crisp.
5. Press the tie flat.
6. Topstitch around the three finished edges so the tie lies nice and flat. You'll have one short side (the raw-edged side) open and not top-stitched. This raw edge will be hidden in our finishing. 
   
7. Repeat steps 1-6 to create ten ties.

Make the Top and the Back

1. With right sides together and using a ½" seam allowance, stitch two 17" x 35" Fire Flower Stripe pieces together along their short sides to create one strip measuring 17" x 69". Repeat to create a second 17" x 69"strip.
2. In the same manner, create two long strips of Earth Mod Dots and one long strip of Kiwi Jester, Fire Mod Blooms, Kiwi Tiny Dots, and Kiwi Flora. When done, you'll have the seven strips that make up of front of the duvet.
3. Stitch the strips together in rows along the long sides according to the Layout Diagram. Be sure to match up the middle seams in each strip as you go along (it will look bad if these seams are off 1" or 1/2" here and there). When finished, the duvet top should measure 69" x 88".
   
4. Stitch the two 35" x 88" back pieces, right sides together, along the 88" edge. When finished the back piece should measure 69" x 88".

Attach the Ties

1. All along the bottom of band 7 (which is 1" longer than band 1) turn under the right side of the fabric ½" and press.
2. Fold another ½" and press to create a simple hem.
3. At the center seam of band 7, tuck the raw edge of one tie into the hem you just ironed; it should rest between the backside of the fabric and the inner fold of the hem. Pin in place.
4. Measure and make a mark with your fabric pencil 14" to each side of the center tie. Tuck the raw edge of a tie into the hem at each of these locations, and pin in place.
   
5. Measure 14" outward from each of these ties and make a mark. Tuck the raw edge of a tie into the hem at these locations and pin in place. You now have five ties pinned evenly along the edge of band 7.
   
6. Being careful of the pins and the ties, place the duvet hem under the presser foot of your sewing machine. The ties should hang toward the main body of the duvet cover.
   
7. Stitch the hem in place, being careful to catch each tie as you stitch and remembering to remove pins as you go; don't stitch over your pins. Your stitching line should be about ½" from the fold just along the hem's edge.
   
8. Flip out the ties from the center of the duvet and press so they now down from the bottom band. Each tie is folding back across the hem. Press and pin each tie in place.
9. Topstitch a short line of stitches, right along the edge of the hem, to secure each tie. Remember to back tack at the beginning and end of your stitching.
   
   
10. Repeat steps 1-9 to hem and add ties to the back of the duvet. If your fabric is directional, make sure you are working with the BOTTOM of the back when you attach your ties.

Finish the Duvet

1. Place the duvet back and the duvet top right sides together, matching all raw edges and hemmed edge.
2. Pin together around the three remaining raw edges (the two sides and the top).
3. Stitch together along these three sides, using a ½" seam.
4. Clip the corners and turn right side out.
5. Insert a comforter and through the bottom and tie closed.
   

Hints and Tips

You can use these same hemming and tie instructions to make duvets out of a wide variety of fabrics and colors. Ours is sized to fit a standard twin bed, but you can adjust the measurements to fit your own comforter. Try a version with more stripes, fewer stripes, even solid front and back. Duvets are easy to make and do a great job of transforming the look of your bedroom. They also protect those spendy down comforters from stains and spills.

Contributors
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Aimee McGaffey
Instructional Editing: Alison Newman

Other machines suitable for this project include the White 2037 and the Pfaff Hobby 1142.

Comments (6)

Liz Johnson, Editor, Sew4Home said:

... @ ClaireV - you are 100% right - thanks for the catch. We've fixed!

October 10, 2011

ClaireV said:

... I am about 99.9% sure that there is a small mistake in the fabric supply list. For band 3, the list says to purchase 1/3 yard of 45" fabric. Then, in the instructions I am supposed to cut 2 pieces 8" x 35"....which is impossible from 12''x45'' fabric. Not a huge problem, since it's easy to go pick up another small amount of fabric, BUT, I thought you might want to correct it. I think it should instruct for 1/2 yard for band 3, like band 5. Thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial! It's very easy to follow and SO stinkin' cute. I'm using it to make a duvet for my lovely niece's first big girl bed!

October 10, 2011

Liz Johnson, Editor, Sew4Home said:

... Hi andreanhoward -- I don't have the measurements pre-done, but the math would be pretty easy. A standard queen duvet is usually 88" wide x 90" long.

October 21, 2010

andreanhoward said:

... Do you have the measurements to make this a queen size?

October 21, 2010

liz.johnson said:

... Isew4fun - Thanks for your comment. You can certainly make the ties exactly as you describe. We wanted a "beefier" 2" wide tie and so started with the 3" x 26" ties and folded in half. But, you're right, I think the instructions above are not quite clear enough – especially in describing which side is folded. I'm going to fix that, and I sure appreciate you letting me know. Of course -- feel free doing it your favorite way; it would also take a bit less fabric with the thinner ties. Thanks again, and thanks for visiting sew4home.

August 24, 2009

Isew4fun said:

... Help!! Are the cutting instructions for cutting and sewing the strips correct? When I look at the photo tutorial and recall past projects I've made,it seems that the original cutting instructions should read; "Cut 5 3"x26"strips,cut these 5 in half for a total of ten 3"x13" strips"? Then under making ties; "Fold ties in half right sides together along the length to make 1 1/2" x13" and sew along 1 long edge and 1 short edge clip corners and turn right side out,press. Sew along folded edge."(the strips in the photo don't appear to be topstitched along the 3 edges as described) Or am I just confused?!

August 24, 2009

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