I used elements from these two tutorials as a guideline.
I started with 7 Twin sized Gaspa sheets on clearance from IKEA, a total of about $50. (4 sheets for the top, 2 for the back, 1 for detailing and pillow cases!) I bought twins because they were on sale and in the color I wanted, and they didn't have any larger sizes. You can also buy single flat sheets at Target for relatively cheap, as I believe the Ikea single sheets are being phased out in favor of sets (which is why they were on clearance).
NOTE: I made a King sized duvet for my queen sized bed. I have a husband who is very tall and requires more blanket than most :)
For you though, you can use your preferred bed or sheet size, using 2 sheets for the top, 1 sheet for the back, and 1 sheet for the detailing/pillowcases.
I had to buy matching thread as well, 4 spools which came to about $11, so a total of $61. A king sized Anthro version runs (on sale) $130 (original prices ranged $168 - $208) ( I only used 2 of the spools of thread, so really it breaks down to slightly less.)
I also used a Ruffler foot, on setting 6 (1 ruffle per 6 stitches) which I got for about $16 a year ago for my
ruffled bedspread. You can use other gathering techniques as well, but I like the predictability of the ruffling foot. I also recommend removing the bottom element of the ruffler for working with this quantity of fabric, and playing with the stitch length and tension, as my machine did some funky things when I first tested it out.
First step, wash your materials! (I got a new set of white sheets to go with it so I tossed those in there too.) And then let your cat lay on them for a bit. Get the hair in there really good. That's it!
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| A kitty fabric warmer is the ultimate in luxury and fanciness. |
Next, iron everything out. Mine wrinkled pretty badly in the wash so I had to do a lot of ironing to get them flat enough to mark out the lines for ruffling. (I know it sounds weird...iron out the wrinkles to make ruffles...but trust me it makes the job a lot easier.)
I sewed sheet 1 and 2 together on their short ends, and did the same with sheets 3 and 4. (I then ruffled the top half (1 & 2), then sewed it to the second pair (3&4), then ruffled the rest.)
Decide how many rows of gathering you want, and mark out your fabric accordingly. I chose 8 rows, 16 inches apart. My finished topper wound up being too long for my bed, so I cut the last 2 rows off and that left me with 6 rows.
With the ruffler foot set on 6, sew along each row you marked until all the rows are ruffled. Be gentle when moving the fabric after this, as the thread can easily snap and you'll have to redo sections or compensate later!
Ruffle the very top and bottom edges as well.
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| Rufflie Ruffles! |
I recommend that you check the cover against your bed after each step, just to make sure you're on the right track size wise, so you can adjust as necessary!
Going on the longest side of your Details sheet, cut the same number or strips 2.75 or 3 inches wide, and iron them as you would
bias tape, in half longways, then fold each half inwards again. These will help stabilize the ruffles and prevent them from coming undone in normal wear and tear. It should look like this:
Once ironed, pin each strip over top of the ruffled lines, like this, and top stitch 2 lines, sewing close to the edges of the strips.
Take the time to pin things properly, it will save you time in the end and helps you make sure you have enough material to go end to end, and ensure straighter lines and fully covered ruffles.
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| You will use a LOT of pins on this project. It's helpful to have many on hand. |
Once you sew each strip down, it should look like this! Cat not included.
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Do you see the kitty hiding? Make sure your cats play in it a lot while you are testing things out.
It's important to gain their approval. |
Check against your bed again! Mine was too long, so I cut off the bottom 2 rows, (about 32 inches of fabric) and used that fabric to cut some edging.
Edging: Cut four 5 inch wide strips from the longest part of the sheet (in my case the bit I cut off, yours may be from the detailing sheet, in which case you may not have enough for pillow cases, but you can figure that out)
Ruffle both sides of each strip on setting 6.
Make some extra in case you need to adjust for size variations, and pin and sew everything your topper. Sew corners together diagonally to create a square edge. Pin topper facedown to backing sheet and sew edges, leaving one edge open to add ties or buttons or finish how you please.
Once I sewed everything together, I flipped it inside out and top stitched along the edging.
Using the leftover fabric, strips, and extra ruffles, I traced an existing pillowcase to create 2 custom matching pillowcases! I pinned the strips covering over the edges of the ruffling, and sewed everything down before closing up the edges of the pillow case. This part only took about 30 minutes!
Make sure you get a thorough inspection to insure proper feline satisfaction.
Kitty cat approved!
Ta Daaaaaaa! there you have it, my $61 Cirrus Duvet cover! Hope you enjoyed the behind the scenes on this project, and I hope the tutorials I posted and my own walk along will help you make something lovely!
Thanks for reading!
