DIY Duvet Cover: How to Easily Turn Two Flat Sheets into a Custom Duvet Cover

Duvet covers are a very practical item in the bedroom. They protect the larger (and more expensive) duvets from stains and the like, and duvet covers are easily removed from the duvet for washing at home. In short, duvet covers are key in setting the stage for the bedroom’s color palette and/or overall style.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover
Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

This tutorial will walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to sew your own duvet cover out of two flat sheets. It couldn’t be easier, really. If you know how to sew a straight line, you can sew this duvet cover. One with French seams, no less.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

DIY Level: Moderate (you know how to use a sewing machine)

 

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Materials Needed:

  • Old duvet (example uses a queen)
  • Two flat sheets in the same size as your duvet (example also uses queen)
  • Matching/coordinating thread
  • About 5” of sew-on velcro (not shown)
  • Five 10” strips of fabric tape, not necessarily matching (not shown)
Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Begin by cutting five 10” strips of fabric tape. This will be important in keeping the duvet in place inside the duvet cover. It’s a simple solution I wish I had known much, much earlier in life.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Lay one flat sheet down on your floor with the right side facing down.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Double check the size of your sheet with the size of your duvet. Note any differences; you can trim the sheets now or simply take the differences into account when you sew the top of your duvet cover. There shouldn’t be that large a discrepancy, though, if you are using sheets and duvets that are slated as the same size.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Lay your second flat sheet on top of the first, wrong sides together (right sides out). I know this seems counter-intuitive, but it’s the way we will sew our French seams. French seams are seams tucked inside themselves. They provide a beautiful and practical finishing element to sewn pieces that will require regular laundering, as fraying will be minimized or avoided altogether.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Depending on the excess length of your sheet, place a folded fabric tape that much down from the top edge of your sheet. In other words, since this sheet is 1-1/2” longer than the duvet length, I placed the folded fabric tape down 1-1/2” from the top end. Align the fabric tape’s fold with the sheet side.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Replace the corner of the second (top) sheet down over the folded fabric tape. The fabric tape should be sandwiched between the wrong sides of the sheets; right sides are facing out. Pinch the tape to hold it in place, and move to your sewing machine.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Sew a small (1/4”) seam, beginning at the top end of your sheets, all the way down the side. Remember, you’re sewing with the right sides of your fabric facing out (which is opposite of how you’ve probably ever sewn before).

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

When you get to the bottom corner of your sheets, fold a second fabric tape in half, and align it in the bottom corner. Sew into place. Continue on along the bottom of your sheets, sewing more fabric tapes in at the following positions: middle bottom, other bottom corner, other top corner. Maintain a 1/4″ seam.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

When all three sides (well, two sides and the bottom) are sewn up, turn your sheets wrong side out. The fabric tapes will be visible now.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Reposition your top corner under your sewing machine foot, and begin to sew a new 1/2” to 5/8” seam all the way around the two sides and bottom of your sheets. The important part about this seam is that it falls outside the edges of your first seam, which you’ll be able to feel underneath your fingers as you sew.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

When you finish, you should have a lovely-looking wrong side of your sheets. Notice how the French seam tucks away all unfinished parts of your sheet? It just looks polished.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Keeping your (quite nice-looking) wrong sides out, it’s time to partially sew up the top seam. You’ll want to leave a bit of a gap along the top of your duvet cover, but you don’t need to leave the whole thing open. Sew in from one side seam, along the top, about 18”-24”.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

This top seam should be as wide as your measurements allow. This example maintained a top seam of about 1” to 1-1/2”, because that was the amount of extra length the sheets had in comparison to the duvet itself.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Here is one side of the top seam, about 18” in length. Repeat this process on the other side of the top of the sheets.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

You should end up with seams on all four sides of your duvet cover, the only exception being a gap in the center of the top end.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

You can either use the fabric tape on all your corners and the bottom center of your duvet cover to tie the corners of the duvet, or you can sew additional fabric tape or ribbon onto the corresponding places on your duvet. This example did the latter, since the duvet used here was old.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Aligning the bottom end of the duvet with the bottom end of the duvet cover, tie the corresponding bottom corner fabric tapes together.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

(Note: This photo doesn’t show the bottom-center fabric tapes, because they were added in afterward.)

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Access the top end of your duvet cover, and open it up. Reach your arms into the opening, each arm aimed at one of the bottom corners.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

When your hands reach their corresponding bottom corners, pinch the attached corner of the duvet with your fingers.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Keep holding onto the duvet as you pull your arms out through the opening. This turns the duvet cover right side out, like magic.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Now it’s time to attach the top corners of the duvet with the duvet cover. Tie the correlating fabric tapes together.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Push the now-tied duvet into the duvet cover corner.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Push out and square the duvet cover fabric in each top corner, making sure the duvet itself fits nicely into the corner.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Now it’s time to close up the opening on the top end. Of course, you’ll want to be able to easily access the duvet at any time, so velcro is the way to go with this. Take one set of sew-on velcro (you should have three or four total, each about 1-1/2” long).

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Place one side of the velcro on the right side of your duvet cover, about 12” in from where the opening starts on the side.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Sew the velcro into place (remember, you’re sewing it on the right side, right next to the edge of the sheet), taking care to keep the seams only on the outer edge to maximize the velcro-ish-ness.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Carefully align the other part of the velcro on the opposite side of the opening (attach this one to the right side of the fabric as well). Sew into place. Repeat for other two or three sets of velcro strips, all the way along the top opening.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Close up the velcro strips, which in turn closes up the duvet cover opening.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

You’ll be folding the right sides in as you close the velcro, which maintains the look of those 18” seam lines that you started on each side of the top end.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Place your freshly covered duvet on your bed, with the “top” of the duvet cover at the foot of your bed and the solid-seamed “bottom” next to your pillows.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

It’s a pretty quick and simple project, and it completely transforms the look of the bedroom.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

This neutral bedroom was in desperate need of a springy pop of color, and a coral duvet color fit the bill.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

Of course, you could always do some hand-sewn details (learn how to sew different hand stitches) along your new duvet cover if you are so inclined. That would be lovely.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

It’s interesting how a simple change like this duvet cover can have a domino effect on styling the entire space. That’s one of the perks of DIY – it makes a space better, both directly and indirectly.

Bedroom with a modern duvet cover

I thoroughly hope you enjoy this fast and easy project, and that your duvet cover brings a fresh new look into your space for the upcoming season. Happy DIYing!