Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to turn one extra-wide, really pretty fabric into a reversible duvet cover — no piecing across the bed, no wrestling narrow panels together.
The fabric is the 118" Candlelight & Romance Floral Wreaths Cotton Wideback Fabric from Henry Glass & Co., designed by Kim Diehl. It's 100% cotton quilting cotton, listed as a quilt back, and it runs 116 to 118 inches wide. That width changes everything for bedding, y'all.
The color is cream. The design is floral wreaths, from the Candlelight & Romance collection. Soft, classic, and calm. It doesn't shout. It just makes a bedroom feel finished.
This cloth was made to back a quilt, but a fabric this wide and pretty deserves to be seen on top of the bed, too.
The project: a reversible duvet cover
A duvet cover is a big fabric envelope for your comforter. Two large panels, sewn together on three sides, with a closure on the fourth. You slip the comforter in, close it up, and your bedding is protected and pretty at the same time.
Reversible means both sides are finished to show. Use this fabric on both sides for a clean, all-cream look, or pair it with a plain coordinating cotton for a contrast side. Two looks in one. Completely up to you.
Why does this fabric suit it so well? The width. A queen comforter is about 88 inches wide, so one width of this 116 to 118 inch fabric covers it with room to spare. No center seam. No pieced panel. The wreaths help too — a forgiving motif, so you don't have to fuss about matching a stripe at every seam.
What you'll need
- For a queen cover finished at about 88" x 90": 5 1/2 yards of this wideback — that gives you two cuts, each about 92" long, for the front and the back, with a little extra for squaring up and hemming
- Your comforter, measured before you cut — sizes vary, so measure yours, don't just trust the label
- About 8 to 10 buttons, snaps, or a set of duvet ties or clips to hold the comforter corners in place — 3/4" buttons work great
- Matching thread, a walking foot if you have one, and sturdy pins or clips for those long seams
- Optional: a second wideback or quilting cotton for a contrast reverse side
For a twin, about 68" x 86", use two cuts of about 88" long — about 5 yards total. Measure first, then do the math twice. Ask me how I know.
How it comes together
First, wash, dry, and press your fabric if you'll wash the finished cover. Cotton can shrink a little. Better now than after it's sewn. Here we go.
Cut your two panels the same size: finished width plus 1 inch for 1/2" seam allowances, and finished length plus 2 inches — that extra length gives you room for a neat folded hem at the opening. Square your edges as you go.
Hem the opening edge on each panel. Fold under 1/2", press, fold another 1/2", and stitch close to the fold at about 2.5 mm stitch length.
Pin the panels right sides together on the other three sides and sew with a 1/2" seam allowance. Go slow. If the fabric creeps, stop, smooth it out, and keep going — slow down or you'll be seam-ripping a very long seam.
Turn right side out and press flat. Add buttons, snaps, or ties along the opening, spaced about 10 to 12 inches apart. Add a small loop in each inside corner and a matching tie on each comforter corner — that stops bunching in the night. Just like that.
A few tips before you start
Work on the biggest flat surface you have. Keep the fabric's weight supported while you sew — if it hangs off the table, it pulls and your seam will wander.
Here's your permission beat, folks. Your corners do not have to be perfect. Your button spacing does not have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic, and nobody lying under this pretty cream cover is going to pull out a ruler. Take your time. It's not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Want to practice first? Make a pillow cover from a leftover cut, same steps, just smaller. Super duper easy confidence boost. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Alrighty. Thanks so much for spending a little time with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 118" Candlelight & Romance Floral Wreaths Cotton Wideback Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
