Oh yeah, just when you thought I couldn’t possibly ruffle anything else…it happened.

Now I love love love our BH&G comforter, but it just got to be too difficult to wash the king size monstrosity. It gets so dirty from our dog Millie sleeping on top. Apparently she has a drooling problem like her mommy…..I kid….well, not really…

In any case, I’ve been thinking about getting a duvet cover for awhile now but haven’t come across something I loved for the right price. Having marginally improved my seamstress abilities, I decided to try and make something myself. A duvet cover is just a giant pillow, right?

And when I say giant I mean it- our king size comforter would need something approaching 108″x115.”

You know what fits the bill? A $23 9×12 drop cloth.

I didn’t really want to shell out for two of them for the front and the back (plus, I thought it would be to thick), so I also bought a $15 cheapo king size sheet from Walmart. Our comforter is so large that the only place to work was on the bed itself. After I washed, dried, and ironed the drop cloth, I laid it over the comforter. I didn’t trim anything from the sides, but I trimmed about 2′ off the bottom. That left plenty of overhang to tuck under and tie with ribbon (or buttons or another method of closure).

Inspired by this bedding at Urban Outfitters…

{Urban Outfitters}

…I set out to create my own ruffled version. While I loved the asymmetrical nature of the original design, I really wanted the ruffles to be across the whole width. As for the fabric I used, it was 15 yards of a light drop cloth colored fabric I found at Walmart for $5 per bolt (each bolt being 5 yards). If they had more, I would have bought the whole stock. It looks great on the drop cloth and ruffled beautifully (which drop cloth does not). My ruffles are about 5-6″ wide (a 10-12″ piece folded in half and sew into a tube), with a loose stitch down the center. There are many different ways to ruffle, but I liked the look of this the best, and it was pretty easy. I wasn’t about to double ruffle 15 yards of fabric or anything, because that would be crazy. I’m already one ruffle away from being committed.

I will not lie to you and say this was an easy project. The ruffling took a lot of time (about an entire season of NCIS), then pinning took for.ever. Dragging the thing down the stairs to sew was even worse. No wait, the actual sewing was worse. But I’m nothing if not persistent when it comes to tackling ridiculously obscene amounts of drop cloth. After I sewed all the ruffles on, I dragged the whole thing back upstairs to lay it over the sheet and pin. I ended up sewing the top and both sides to the sheet while leaving the bottom open for a ribbon closure. Which I haven’t done…yet.

All the hard work and getting stabbed by pins totally paid off. I joked on Facebook that all my dreams had come true because when I went to sleep that night I draped myself in drop cloth. It’s sad, but true. It might as well be Belgian linen.

You’ll notice there is a seam in the drop cloth (it’s two 6′x9′s sewn together)…I totally planned that to be right at the edge of the bed.

Ha! Who am I kidding, that was just a lucky break. I had intended to cover it with ruffles but ran out of fabric. If I can find more, I may fill in the ruffles. I do really like it how it is now though.

The bottom of the cover just tucks under and is safety pinned until I feel like hemming it and attaching ribbons (bonus peek at the new floors, which I’ll share this week). That rug was $1 at Goodwill and is working out great until I can get a large area rug for the whole space.

Le sigh. Not bad for $53.

31 Responses

  5. Kassi @ Truly Lovely

    Ok… so you might laugh at me… and that’s ok. haha. But obviously the duvet cover is much lighter and easier to wash, but is it really THAT much easier than the comforter??? I have a huge one I hate trying to get clean and this might be the answer….

    Reply
    • rachaelevans

      Kassi- I wouldn’t laugh at you! I think it will be easier (I haven’t washed it yet…) because there is no stuffing it can move around in the water better and get cleaner without me having to go down there and shift it around in the machine. Also the dry time will be shorter. I’d imagine using two sheets would be better but you know I can’t resist the drop cloth :)

      Reply
  7. Ashley@DesignBuildLove.co

    Rach- OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is absolutely amazing! I am MORE than in love with this! I’ve loved that comforter since Day 1 and I can’t believe that you were able to duplicate it with such success and out of such an affordable and durable material!!!!!!!!!!! LOOKS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!

    Reply
  9. Amy Davis

    Wow. I started to make a twin size of this comforter and gave up. Yours looks beautiful. Great job!!!! You’ve inspired me to maybe try again. But only a twin hehe

    Reply
  12. Sharon

    Ok so the only drop cloth that I can find is either plastic or canvas…..did you dye yours because the canvas is either beige or white…… am I looking at the right stuff?

    Reply
    • Rachael Evans

      Sharon- The drop cloth I use is beige…I haven’t tried dying it, although it might be fun :)

      Reply
  13. Victoria

    That is beautiful! Is it a duvet cover? Have you considered making them & selling them. I am absolutely in love.

    Reply
    • Rachael Evans

      Victoria- yes it is! From a distance it looks great, but I assure you I’m not professional seamstress!

      Reply
  14. Emily Wolford

    Awesome idea! I’m going to start mine this weekend. You have inspired me :)

    Reply
    • Rachael Evans

      Hi Sandy- I’m not actually that great of a seamstress, so I don’t think I’d really be able to charge for one haha!

      Reply
  16. Christy Livingston

    Hi, I am fairly new to sewing and I had a question about the type of thread that you used to sew the drop cloth together with. I know that this type of material is pretty thick and thick material requires a certain type of thread and needle when sewn on a sewing machine. Can you please advise me what type you used when sewing on the ruffles? Thanks so much…

    Reply
  17. Shel

    This is gorgeous! How did you make the ruffles? I am a VERY beginner sewer and would love a little more detail. Thanks!

    Reply
  18. maziel

    Don’t laugh. I have 8 dogs and most of them sleep with me. I need something tough. In time, I think this will look like linen. I might not ruffle it the way you have, but it’s sure going to save whatever I put underneath from toenail catches. Splendid idea. I can’t wait to try it! Denim is expensive, but a colored denim back could work. How did you anchor the corners?
    A button and loop on the inside?

    Reply
  20. Tracie Johnson

    that is simply beautiful. I wish i had the sewing talents. I have a sleigh bed so it wouldnt work for me i guess i would have to come up with a diffent idea, but it is simply beautiful. thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  21. Drop Cloth Ruffle Duvet Cover

    [...] Rachael of Lovely Crafty Home was in the market for a new duvet cover and decided to test her newly improved sewing skills and make her own. Like Rachael says, “A duvet cover is just a giant pillow, right?” She combined together a drop cloth, a cheapo sheet, and fabric from Wal-mart to make her lovely ruffled duvet cover. While this was hardly a simple project, Rachael says, “All the hard work and getting stabbed by pins totally paid off.” [...]

    Reply
  22. Kathy

    It turned out gorgeous! Would you please, please post how you did this? Instructions for the ruffles would be excellent!
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
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