question for the crafty folk on my flist

[mickeym]

I have a featherbed/duvet/down bedding thing on my bed. I cannot find a duvet cover I really, truly like -- and what I want is a quilt, in any case. Which doesn't cover the duvet-thing very well.

So my question is this: would it be possible for someone (who is NOT me, because I don't sew) to take something like this quilt, and affix it to an existing duvet cover (like this one)?

The duvet cover I have is similar to the one up above, though mine's a forest green.

Anyway. Is that something that could be done? And if it is, is there anyone who would be willing/able to do it? I would, obviously, pay for it, and provide the quilt, duvet cover, etc. (Which is why this project isn't going to happen until probably the end of January at the earliest.)

Thanks :)

Comments

[ms-nerd.livejournal.com]

Too bad I'm nowhere near you and in another country. HOWEVER! I do have an idea. What if you put snaps along the quilt/duvet cover so you can snap them together and take them apart to wash them? That way you wouldn't have things shifting or stitches coming undone/shrinking at different rates etc. You could also use velcro but with my experience, velcro tends to get a lot of stuff stuck in it when you wash it.

[rainbow.livejournal.com]

Yes, it could be done, but a quilt won't stand up to as much washing as a duvet cover and is more likely to shrink.

Would it work to get a duvet cover in a colour you like that coordinates with your quilt (or a quilt that coordinates with your duvet) and just keep it on top so you can enjoy the pretty and still ahve the usefulness of a duvet cover that can be washed often without damage?

[munibunny.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's possible... You sure you want to?

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

This is exactly what I was going to suggest. (And probably what I will do if I ever finish my incredibly-slowly-growing knit blanket. That way I can use it as just a blanket in the summer if I want to, also.)

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

Oh, to add - if sewing on snaps individually seems too finicky, you can get snap tape that's snaps pre-set into twill tape stuff. That might be easier to sew on by hand - just cut it so you have a little square of the tape with just one snap in the middle of it, then sew down all around the edges of the tape square. That'll help distribute the pull on the snap, too, which should help with longevity.

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

To add part two - with regards to the shrinking issue - definitely, before determining snap positioning, wash and dry both quilt and duvet cover in the manner in which you intend to wash them for the rest of the time you own them. If you want to be really paranoid, wash and dry them twice. That gives them both a chance to respond to the process as they're going to, so when you figure out where to fix them together, you don't have to worry that the next time you wash the cover, the snap will be off by three inches because the thing shrank horribly.

[ms-nerd.livejournal.com]

Even though I'm kinda drunk, I totally agree. Do what she said!

[rejeneration.livejournal.com]

Hey adorable,

This has nada to do with your post, but I haven't heard from you about your b-day present, so I've been worried it didn't get to you. Will you let me know? =)

Sending you the best of 2011. <3

[softbluebuddy.livejournal.com]

I really don't see how you could sew those two things together. I have a great Duvet cover. It is a Ralph Lauren denim and it is awesome. I don't know if you have ever seen those or thought about them.

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3621975&pg=2&parentPage=family

If you shop around you can get a good deal. Denim is warm, it is stain resistant and kind of matches everything.

[softbluebuddy.livejournal.com]

Or on the other hand, get the cheapest duvet cover you can find and dismantle it. Separate the top from the bottom. Then reverse your comforter and the bottom of the duvet cover, and sew them together, turn them back right side out, and walla, you have what you want. Put buttons on the bottom to keep your down comforter inside of it.

[fufaraw]

So, what it sounds like to me is that you want a cover for your existing down duvet that looks like a quilt top, yes? So what you really need is someone who has pieced (cut and sewn together to some planned geometric design--my grandmother pieced quilts) a quilt top of some design but not yet sewn it to the solid backing, nor filled it with batting and, well, quilted it, which is the fancy stitching that goes all the way through all the layers and keeps the batting from shifting. My grandmother used an interlocking fan pattern of stitches for almost all her quilts.

But you wouldn't want your duvet cover quilted (stitched through all layers) to your duvet, would you? Just the look of the pieced quilt on top?

...Stop me at any time if I'm not making sense, or if I'm way off on what you want.

If this IS what you want, you have the options of finding a compulsive-quilting friend who's willing to plan and diagram and cut and stitch together a quilt top for you to the size of your duvet. Then you cut a flat sheet (or, okay, sew together widths of coordinating fabric) to the same size, stitch the two pieces together on three sides, turn it right side out and slip it over your duvet like any other cover.

Or you can check local fabric and quilting supply stores, crafters' collectives, possibly retirement homes--especially ones that have stores or outlets to sell the inmates' residents' crafts--and see if you can hire someone to piece a top for you.

Or check ebay. Sometimes people get partway through a quilt project, give up, and just want to get rid of the evidence. You're searching for "pieced quilt top".

Or if you want the look of a pieced quilt, you can buy quilt-patterned fabric and sew together as many widths as it takes to cover your duvet.

I can't think you actually want to add the weight of batting and a top and bottom to the weight of your duvet. Do you? In which case, get the quilt, cut a flat sheet two inches wider and longer than your duvet, center the sheet on the quilt and sew up three sides and stuff the duvet into the ginormous pocket you've made. The free end and sides of the quilt will serve as drop lengths over the sides and bottom of the bed, and the top free length will be a turndown.

Um. Decades of antique and vintage textile repair experience.