A lot of the quilts I make are decorative. Or they are gifts for family or friends.  Or they are just something whimsical I decided to try for fun.

But lately, I’ve been looking around the house thinking we need some changes.

Pottery Barn has some queen size duvet covers I really would like, but they never seem to fit perfectly.  They are always slightly too large.  And they cost upwards of $150 plus shipping if I order online. If I want something in the current line (not on sale) it is closer to $200.

I should stop right here and say that I have a love/hate relationship with Pottery Barn. I love that they always have interesting merchandise.  I hate that I could make so much of it myself.  One part of me loves to go in and wander around, get ideas, be inspired, wish my house looked that way.  The other part of me is just scornful at the way they sometimes say their quilts are “hand-quilted”…by whom?  And how much are they getting paid?  And who needs all this stuff anyway? So, it’s an ugly argument with myself.

That aside, we still need a duvet cover.

So I picked out some French General fabric from Moda. La Fete de Noel.

Now, I spend a lot of time around fabric.  I touch it, fold it, cut it, work with it day in and day out.

But this stuff is really lovely.  The fabric is made in Japan (very little fabric is made in the US, but that’s changing.) For some reason, the Japanese have a way of making their fabric very soft…like silk.

After I washed it, it felt like brushed cotton…even better for quilt fabric.

One of the best parts is the lovely selvage, which is almost a shame to cut off.

A duvet cover sounds easy enough, right?  Just a couple of pieces of fabric sewn together.

Wrong.

First, quilt fabric doesn’t fit across a bed.  You have to assemble it.  Second, you have to get the measurements at least somewhat precise.  Third, for a queen size you have to lay out and assemble all that bulk of fabric, pin it, press it and on and on.

Pottery Barn is starting to look pretty good.

But all’s well that ends well. Got my new duvet cover for the cost of some fabric (lovely fabric) in the pattern I wanted – with coordinating fabric on the back.

Now our front window is leaking…too bad I can’t sew up a new window.  But the valance? Hmmmm…..that’s another story.