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Making a quilt from a duvet cover? Would I be crazy? any pitfalls?
BeckyNoSleep Intermediate USA Member since 4/19/10 Posts: 129	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/4/12 1:08 PM So, I really need a new quilt for my king-size bed. I have neither the time, patience or machine to piece one together. I have found a duvet cover that I like (here if you're curious) and was thinking that starting with a duvet, inserting some lightweight batting, and doing some minimal quilting would save me time and frustration, and not actually be that much more expensive (I estimated a king size quilt, front and back, would take 16 yards of fabric to put together with minimal allowance for piecing). So, anyone have any experience with this? Any pitfalls I should look out for? I was thinking of just quilting this with straight vertical lines using the print design as a guide, approx 8" apart, using a thin cotton or cotton/bamboo batting (we live in San Diego, so a light quilt is the goal). TIA for any input!
AminaHijabi Advanced Beginner Member since 10/22/10 Posts: 813	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/4/12 1:56 PM You can also go on e-bay and buy just quilt tops (not finished quilted completed quilts, just to pieced tops) of all sizes. I did it once for my daughter, got the cutest dinosaur twin sized quilt top, bought batting and backing and viola, dinosaur quilt. -- Edited on 10/4/12 11:43 PM --
cinca Member since 4/27/11 Posts: 301	Login to reply to this post In reply to BeckyNoSleep << Like this post Date: 10/4/12 8:08 PM Best to check the batting package for minimum space between quilting lines. It varies from type to type. Whole cloth quilting is a fine way to go to save time.
Franksdottir   Intermediate Member since 4/25/08 Posts: 2412	Login to reply to this post In reply to BeckyNoSleep << 1 member likes this. Date: 10/4/12 11:05 PM Whole cloth quilting is a venerable tradition, and if you like the pattern of this fabric it is a fine idea. Remember, it will not be as big as the duvet because quilting takes up some inches - you almost don't notice on small quilts, but you will lose a small amount all around due to this effect. How often will you wash this? I ask because in my opinion 8" apart is too far for something which will be washed more than infrequently. I think you might have bunching and shifting at that distance. ------ Barb
CM_Sews Intermediate CA USA Member since 9/18/04 Posts: 1476	Login to reply to this post In reply to Franksdottir << Like this post Date: 10/5/12 0:13 AM Quote: Franksdottir [...] How often will you wash this? I ask because in my opinion 8" apart is too far for something which will be washed more than infrequently. I think you might have bunching and shifting at that distance. This is worth considering. Warm Blend is a 50/50 cotton poly blend, punched into a base material. What makes this product interesting is that the care instructions call out machine washing AND machine drying. This is rated for 10-inch quilting. You can start out with quilting every 8-inches on the fabric design, and you can always add quilting if you need to. I've machine washed and machine dried quilts that I've made with Warm and Natural; machine washing is included in the care instructions, but not machine drying -- although I've had NO problems with machine drying Warm and Natural. I assume Warm Blend is somewhat "sturdier" than Warm and Natural. Layering the batting inside the duvet cover will present some challenges. When you make a "regular" quilt sandwich with the top, batting, and backing, each piece is separate, and you can take your time smoothing down each one as you assemble the 3 layers of the quilt sandwich. One idea for layering the duvet cover: Turn cover inside out. Spray baste the batting onto one side of the inside-out duvet cover. Now the batting is secure to one side of the sandwich, then turn the whole duvet "envelope" right-side out and pin baste the other side, pinning through all 3 layers- a combo basting. Attempting to also also spray baste the second side of the duvet cover is sure to lead to many new swear words: use pins for the second basting step. CMC
Miss Fairchild   Advanced USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 7003	Login to reply to this post In reply to BeckyNoSleep << Like this post Date: 10/6/12 9:28 AM Hi Becky. I did what you're requesting, only I made quilt blocks and added a flannel back to the duvet so it wouldn't slip off the bed. What I wound up with was something very heavy; more for my part of the country than yours (I used to live in the South Bay area). What made it so heavy was the quilting; not so much the batting as I used flannel for batting as well. I can suggest you use monofilament thread (looks like fine fishing line) as this would be a lot lighter, but I wouldn't go too crazy with the quilting. I wound up sewing my duvet cover together and donating it to a hospice center; I didn't like the weight. ------ "We don't impose our rhythm on Nature. The key is to respect and live within Her." Jean-Charles Boisset, Winemaker "And no, now that you asked, I didn't enjoy that play one bit, and I'd like a refund" Signed, Mrs. Lincoln My Etsy shop: auntmaymesattic My blog: auntmaymesattic.wordpress.com Avatar: First place award for jacket at county fair
Cat n Bull   Advanced NC USA Member since 2/17/06 Posts: 1963	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/6/12 10:07 AM I LOVE that duvet cover! What a great print! I think making it a quilt vs just stuffing with a blanket is a great idea! It looks like it has that beautiful print on the front and back, so if you wanted to do it yourself to save money, you could cut it apart and put an inexpensive kind of fabric on the back and use the print to make yourself pillow shams and print-edged pillow cases. The shams for sale are very expensive, you could certainly find fabric for backing for much less than $80 or $90 (depending on the size of the shams). Quilt backing fabric comes in 104" , 108", 110"wide, so you would need 3 yards. I just did a simple search and found some for as little as $12/yd, so you would certainly save $$ on the shams to buy new backing and make your own shams! Taking it apart would also make it MUCH easier to quilt because you would not have to worry about the layers shifting and causing a bunch up of material on the edges. It would also mean you would not have to be so precise when you cut the batting to fit inside the duvet, (the batting is bigger) and you have to cut off the button hole strips anyways to eliminate a lot of bulk on that edge. You could use the left over duvet back to make binding strips. I would do that because if my edges came out lumpy it would make me CRAZY and I would rather spend my time in a process that I KNOW will end up with clean edges than a process that MIGHT end up with clean edges. That's just me and my OCD tendencies though. If you just want this to be fast, I would still say go for it! ------ Cathryn
TessKwiltz   Intermediate TX USA Member since 9/21/07 Posts: 1319	Login to reply to this post In reply to Cat n Bull << Like this post Date: 10/6/12 1:14 PM Quote: Cat n Bull Taking it apart would also make it MUCH easier to quilt because you would not have to worry about the layers shifting and causing a bunch up of material on the edges. It would also mean you would not have to be so precise when you cut the batting to fit inside the duvet, (the batting is bigger) and you have to cut off the button hole strips anyways to eliminate a lot of bulk on that edge. This would be my concern, that there would be bubbles of fabric somewhere. I have made baby quilts in the method CM-Sews describes and it was really difficult to keep the layers behaving together. Saves having to do a binding on a charity quilt, though. My DGM made lots of quilts using bedsheets as top and bottom layer. My college quilt was one of those. If that duvet cover has matching flat sheets I would recommend using those instead. ------ Tess On threadpainting flowers: "How many colors are in a flower? ... How many do you have?" - Ellen Anne Eddy
BeckyNoSleep Intermediate USA Member since 4/19/10 Posts: 129	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 10/7/12 3:55 PM Thanks everyone for all of the input! Especially about getting all the layers smooth and flat, that's kind of what I was worried about. I did get the duvet and it looks great in my bedroom, and before I could get it off to reconsider the dog jumped on it, so I guess it's REALLY mine now. It is the same fabric front and back, a very nice tight weave, so it should stand up to some abuse. It's going in the wash today, and I'll put it through a couple cycles to see exactly how flat and square it ends up being before I decide whether or not to take it apart. I really, really, REALLY hate binding quilts so I was trying to avoid that, but taking it apart might be the best idea in the long run. It will likely need to be washed a few times a year (two little kids + dog, who all end up in the bed at one time or another whether I like it or not). I've got other fish to fry this week, but hopefully Friday night I can really take a look at this. Thanks so much everyone, this is why I LOVE being a PR member! You guys are the best!!!

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