How to Make a Quilted Duvet Cover

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Have you ever made a duvet cover out of quilt fabric? Today I’m going to show you how! I love regular quilts, but in the winter I always find myself wanting something a little warmer and cozier. It occurred to me that I could make a quilt top into a duvet cover.

I don’t know if there are other tutorials out there for this. I looked when I made my first one, but couldn’t find any at the time. This is probably because it breaks a few of the “traditional” quilting rules. However, I still wanted to make one so decided to give it a try. I’ve now made 3 quilted duvet covers now and they’ve all held up wonderfully through multiple washes.

Ready to make your own? Follow along!

What is a Duvet Cover Quilt?

A duvet cover is essentially a giant pillow case that you put over a comforter. It has ties in the corners so your comforter stays in place. There’s also a zipper at the bottom so you can get the comforter in and out.

A quilted duvet cover is a quilt top that’s sewn right-sides-together onto quilt backing fabric. The end result is a duvet cover with plain fabric on the back and a beautiful quilt top on the front. I’m not sure if I invented this, but like I said, I couldn’t find anything similar when I was looking for ideas (this might have changed by now).

My duvet cover quilts do not have quilting (decorative top stitches) on them. However, you could do this if you want. They also don’t have batting because the comforter serves as the “stuffing.” Again, you could use batting if you wanted. However, this would be quite bulky.

Supplies for Making a Quilted Duvet Cover

Making a duvet cover requires a few different supplies compared to a regular quilt. Here is what you need:

• A quilt top*
• Backing fabric the same size as your quilt top.
• A duvet blanket the same size as your quilt top.
• 4 pieces of cotton twill ribbon (approx. 8 to 10″ long each).
• Quilting clips or pins.
• A long invisible zipper (preferably 36″ if you can find it).
• Rotary cutter & mat.
• Zipper foot.
• Sewing basics like a sewing machine & thread, etc.

* This tutorial doesn’t explain how to make a quilt top. For this project, you will need to make the quilt top first if you haven’t already. You can design your quilt top to be any standard size you want. Check the sizes of duvet blankets available so you have a perfect fit. I generally make a throw size but have made a king size duvet cover too!

How to Sew Your Duvet Cover

Sewing a duvet cover is similar to sewing a gigantic pillow case. It’s easiest to start by sewing the zipper in first. However, you can also sew the zipper in after sewing the other three sides together.

Note: If you haven’t done so already, trim your quilt top and backing fabrics as needed to ensure they are the same size as each other. This is a little trickier than trimming a regular quilt because both pieces are free from each other. I recommend measuring with a tape measure as you go to ensure you have straight edges.

Attaching the Zipper

1. Start by attaching the zipper right-sides-together with the quilt backing (the zipper pull should be face down on the right side of the backing fabric). Center it along the bottom of the backing fabric and pin it in place.
2. Sew the zipper to the backing fabric.
3. Press the fabric away from the zipper, then top-stitch along the zipper edge. Make sure your iron is on low heat so it doesn’t melt the zipper.
4. Align your quilt top over the backing fabric right-sides-together with the edges lined up. Make sure that if your quilt as a “top” and “bottom” to the design, you align the bottom with the zipper edge. The zipper pull should be face down on your quilt top.
5. Pin or clip the zipper in place along the bottom of the quilt top, then sew the zipper in place. You may find it’s easier to sew with the zipper open.
6. Press the fabric away from the zipper, then top-stitch along the zipper edge.
7. If you haven’t already, unzip the zipper a few inches so you can turn your quilt after the next step.

Sewing the Duvet

1. After attaching the zipper, line up your quilt top & backing right-sides-together again. Pin or clip around the entire outer edge.
2. Next, cut four 8-10″ pieces of twill ribbon. If the ends are prone to unraveling, you may wish to cut the ribbon an inch longer and sew the ends in place by folding the ribbon down 1/2″ on each end.
3. Pin one piece of ribbon into each corner of the duvet so that your stitching will go across the center of the ribbon perpendicularly. You can pin the ribbon directly in the corner at an angle or right at the very top edge along one of the future seams.
4. With your ribbon pinned in place, sew around the edge of the entire duvet. Start at one end of the zipper and sew all around to the other edge.
5. When you reach the ribbons, back stitch over the ribbon a few times to make it extra secure. There will be a fair amount of tug on the ribbons when they’re used.

Turning & Washing Your Quilt

After sewing around the edge of the duvet cover, reach in and unzip the zipper all the way. This will make it easier to turn the quilt right side out.

Upon finishing your quilt duvet cover, I recommend washing it. To wash your cover, zip the cover all the way closed. This will help prevent it from getting tangled in the wash. I always put my quilts through the dryer, and this has worked well with my quilted duvets as well.

Your finished duvet cover is basically the same as any standard duvet. To insert the comforter, unzip the duvet and grab the ribbons in the upper corners. Attach these to the corresponding corners of the comforter by tying a tight bow around the tip of the comforter. I don’t recommend double knotting because it will be very difficult to remove. Repeat this with the bottom corners, stuff the rest of the comforter inside, and zip it shut.

When you wash your duvet in the future, I recommend always removing the comforter. This is standard practice for any duvet, but I just wanted to mention it anyway. If you leave the comforter inside, it will tangle in the wash.

P.S. If you like this quilt top, learn how I made it with charm packs and half square triangles!

Does a Quilted Duvet Cover Actually Hold Up?

I love this project because I find it easier than making a standard quilt. And personally, I find the end result much cozier. Not to mention, it allows you to skip binding a quilt, doing the quilting, and buying batting. In addition, you can make multiple duvet covers and store them much like you would other linens. They take up far less room than a standard quilt.

However, you might be wondering how these hold up without quilting the top or using batting. I’ve now made three, and as I said, they all have held up really well. One of them I’ve been using daily as my “couch blanket” for the past 3 years. I wash it and put it through the dryer probably once a month. The stitching and fabric quality hasn’t been affected at all!

If you’re skeptical about how your quilt top might hold up, you can attach fusible weft interfacing to the wrong side of your quilt top. This is something I considered doing when I made my first quilted duvet because I was also worried too. I ended up skipping this step and it has worked just fine.

If you do want to secure your quilt top with interfacing, I recommend you use the flexible weft interfacing, which you can buy by the yard. Keep in mind that weft interfacing has more drape than woven, but this will still make your quilt feel stiffer. You will also want to quilt it or at least sew some stabilizing stitches through the top and interfacing to make sure it doesn’t separate over time in the wash.