Trina Cress | Grow life.: How-to DIY Pin-tucked Duvet

I am very excited about this easy DIY! It is just satisfying when something turns out how it should and maybe even a little better than you hoped.

Duvet Inspiration

I've been pinning ideas for covering my 4-year-old Brylee's grey duvet. I wanted something a little extra girly and princess-y and frilly. And, of course, a cheap and/or resourceful DIY was a must.

1 urban outfitters | 2 kojo designs | 3 living on the chic

1 | Ruffled Duvet

This seemed like a great option. But in DIY terms, I just wasn't excited about sewing each ruffle and would rather try a ruffled pillow or ruffled curtains.

This is so attractive, and the resourceful DIY part was a bonus. But, really, how comfortable could it be to chill on a bed full of knots? Not a great option for a preschooler, or anyone else that enjoys sitting on their made bed (eh hem, me).

3 | Pin-Tucked Duvet

This is made out of sheets. Talk about resourceful and cheap and attractive and so doable! Yep, it was decided, this was to be a part of Brylee's bed.

How to Make a Pin-Tucked Duvet Cover

Step 1: Gather Supplies

The key with being cheap and resourceful is being flexible. The tutorial used sheets which I thought was a great idea. But when I priced it, I would be spending around $25 for 2 flat sheets plus any pillow coverings or bedskirt. I tried Goodwill, but they only had stained white sheets and a full new-in-packaging blue set that they were selling for more than the clearanced sticker price. (Nice one, Goodwill.)

I contemplated giving it up for a while and wait for a sale, but headed to Target one more time. So glad I did. I ran into this single king-sized duvet set on clearance. I'm making a duvet cover for a full-size bed (the duvet is full/queen), but $17.48 for a duvet set (including pillow covers) that normally costs $69.99 seemed to be a way better deal than buying two cheap flat sheets. Score!

I already had the needle and thread, so time to send Brylee to preschool and get to work.

Step 2 : "X" Marks the Spot

I laid out the duvet cover inside-out and marked an * staggering every 12".

Step 3: Pinch, Twist, Sew and Repeat

Once all the duvet was all marked, I sat at the sewing machine and pinched the first * I saw, twisted it roughly 180 degrees and sewed about an inch in. I had a king-size duvet cover that I was sewing down to a full, so I had plenty of room to pinch deep. I would have needed to be more conservative if I had less material to work with.

The left photo below is what the twist looks like on the wrong-side of the duvet cover after sewing; the right photo is the pucker that results on the right-side of the cover.

I kept pinching, twisting and sewing one after another. Not necessarily in any particular order, just wherever I saw an *, I pinched, twisted and sewed. Perhaps I should have been more methodical, because after I didn't see anymore, I laid it all out and found two places that still needed sewn. Not a big deal. I just sat down and sewed them no problem.

Anytime I see a DIY on a mom's blog, I wonder what in the world the kid(s) are doing while they're getting crafty. In case you're wondering that about this particular project, well, I already mentioned Brylee was at preschool. And, this is where Ian was stationed the whole time--holding onto my leg, chewing the section of duvet I wasn't currently sewing.

Step 4: Sew the Edges, Insert Duvet and Display

I'll be honest and say I don't know the best way to finish this particular duvet cover. I didn't cut the original cover apart initially because I wanted to preserve the original edges as much as possible. That was fine in the pin-tucking, but then I got all confused when the top had shrunk down to full/queen size, and the back was still in its original king.

Finishing pin-tucked duvet cover for bed

I ended up cutting about 19" off one side of the back of the duvet then sewing it back up. That kind of worked, except the top edge on the top of the duvet cover was still it's original king-size because it had not been pin-tucked like the center. I don't think I'm explaining that clearly, but if I ever do this project again, I'll do a little more research on making a pin-tucked top fit with an unsewn back. What I did seems to work fine for us.

down comforter before and after covered in diy pin-tucked duvet cover

I love the princess feel from the sheen of the duvet cover. That just wouldn't have been the same with cheap flat sheets. And I love how quick and relatively easy this was! Brylee's plain ol' grey duvet is now a perfect addition to her princess-inspired space!