Resize a Duvet Cover

 Hello Readers. I love to sleep. Going to bed is my favorite time of day. I love going to bed. That means I think bedding is important. I have a nice weighted blanket that helps me sleep. I wanted a second duvet cover for it. I had a full size duvet cover but my weighted blanket is smaller than that. Instead of buying something, let's resize it. 

Queen size duvet covet got cut down to size.

 

This project started with a weighted blanket that was about 40x60 inches. I like to use it at night to help me sleep. I wanted an easily washable cover for it. I'm sure I could buy one but could I use something I had on hand?

I had this Piltandvinge duvet cover from IKEA. The cover I had was queen size. That would not work for my small weighted blanket. 

I made this very low-tech visual aide to explain my plan. Imagine this is my pink duvet covet. 

 

My weighted blanket is much smaller. The pink duvet would be much too loose to fit on my blanket. 

 

I needed to cut away the excess pink duvet fabric away. I left 2 inches of extra pink fabric all the way around the blanket for my seam allowance and for room to slip the blanket inside the cover. The
pink duvet cover had an opening at one end to get the blanket in and out of the cover. The real cover had the opening where I am pointing. I made sure to keep the opening on a side I DID NOT cut. 

 

I planned to sew the 2 sides I cut and then my new cover would fit my weighted blanket very well.

 

I measured and cut out my pink duvet. There are so many different sizes of weighted blankets, your measurements may different from mine. Just make sure to leave extra room on all sides to slide the blanket easily into the cover. An inch or 2 on each side would be plenty of extra space, some of that space will be used as the seam allowance.

 

My weighted blanket had loops all the way around it to attach it to the duvet cover. I used chalk to mark on the pink cover where the loops were. I wanted to add ties to my cover at each spot. That way I could attach the blanket to the cover and prevent the blanket from shifting around the cover and getting piled up in one corner. The weighted blanket is heavier than most blankets, it will be better to try to hold it in place.
 

I put the right sides of the duvet cover facing each other and then sewed the new side seams. I added a piece of ribbon too. I added the piece of ribbon to the spots I had marked. They need to line up so the blanket and cover fit together well and can be nice and smooth on the bed. 

I used ribbon for my ties. Any ribbon would work for the ties. They are hidden inside the cover and no one will see them. I cut my ties about 6 inches long, 8 inches would have been even better.

 

Here you can see how I tied the blanket and cover together. This makes the blanket stay put and keeps it spread out smoothly in the cover. 

 

When everything was tied together, I flipped the cover right-side out and shook it out to make the blanket and the cover spread out. 

 

The easiest way to get the blanket and cover sorted out was to hang them over the stair railing and give it a good shake. 

 

I liked the pink cover a lot more than the industrial gray blanket. It looks nicer on my bed and it can come off for washing once a week with the sheets. Thanks for reading al, now go make something fun for yourself.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garment Bag to Winter Vest.

 Happy New Year Readers! I have been really trying to use fabric and sewing supplies that I have already. I have so much stashed away, I don't want to buy more until I use some of this stuff. One thing I have had for over 20 years is this garment bag. It was part of a travel set that Longaberger Baskets sold. The fabric was a collaboration with Vera Bradley. I also have a matching tote bag. I just never used the garment bag. Like ever. Let's use it now.

 Before and after.

This garment bag is a cotton fabric with a layer of batting like the Vera Bradley bags and purses you might be familiar with. It would make a great jacket. 

I used my Bog jacket as a guide for this project. 

I cut out my pieces and I though it was all going to turn out great. But I made the sleeves too narrow. That is why I ended up making a vest. That's OK. This will be a great vest. 

 

I cut out pockets and made sure to get some of the other pattern on the back of the garment bag. 

 

I made a button hole at the neckline. I wanted to leave the vest open but I also had a pretty blue button I could use. 

 

My vest was done. I wanted it to be roomy enough to wear over other layers. 

 

I like the color blue so I knew I would like this vest. It turned out great and it was just in time for much cooler weather. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.