Lotus on Water

One of the many projects that I have had the pleasure of working on this last year has been my new Lotus on Water design and I recently listed a queen sized Duvet Cover for sale on etsy. More items with this design are soon to be listed however in the mean time here are some photos to inspire some of your own projects.

This slip cover was made by quilting and then dying the fabric in a variety of blue shades, rinsing and set to dry. While the top sheet was drying the flowers were constructed, first being sewn together and then hand stitched to the top sheet. The flowers were made from a combination of white sateen fabric, peach silk and a silver satin and reinforced with both white and blue thread to give variance in shading. Once the flowers were set then each was reinforced on the machine for long term durability. After the flowers were reinforced then the water ripples were added by way of hand embroidery. Cording was then covered with fabric and the piping was sewn to the top sheet. The back sheet was then constructed, the zipper was added and the front and back sheets were sewn together.

These images of the duvet cover were taken without an insert blanket. 

When one is added the cover will have a fuller look. 

I make it sound really easy don't I? The project for a detailed duvet cover of this style does take time however you can simplify things for yourself by selecting a duvet style that does not require quilting panels together, hand dying, applique, hand embroidery, etc.

The brightness of the top sheet is reflected fairly well in the above images however you will find it is a rather vibrant color. Here is a photo of the materials during the construction process to show you the color of the sheet. 

This Waves on the Sound Duvet Cover Set is also made to fit a queen sized bed however it has been constructed of a chocolate brown, blue shale toned fabric and a peachy beach hued fabric. For this duvet cover the strips of fabric were sewn together horizontally across until the entire sheet is slightly larger than the measurements of the bed size you need.

Once the top sheet has been constructed you will put it aside and construct a sheet the same size as the front sheet. As the zipper will be hidden, my advice is to select a long zipper however it is not necessary for that zipper to be long enough to extend form corner to corner. A 3 ft long zipper will be fine if you are hunting for zippers for a new project of your own.

For piecing strips of fabric together as with this design, I prefer to go with a french seam to construct the top, and again the bottom sheet, however you will most likely find when sewing the front and back pieces together that you will simply want to sew and trim and reinforce the stitches by sewing at least once more. Adding a french seam to the inside edges will be too bulky and can deem a bit messy from a visual perspective. So yes, go with a french seam for durability if you would like to construct the sheets, however you will most likely find regular straight stitching to sew the panels together will be most helpful.

If you like the look for piping then you will want to either pick up pre-covered piping and you will find a number of choices at your local shops. If however if you want to make your own from fabrics of your own then you will want raw cording to cover yourself. Cording is referred to as the raw insert that is used to make piping, just for clarification there. Measure the length and width of the top sheet, double each of those measurements, add about 8" extra (for the sake of not being short when tucking the edging in at the end) and you have the appropriate length of cording needed. When it comes to whether you would like piping to edge the duvet cover or not, it really depends on personal style however the one thing that is really nice about piping is that it allows the duvet cover + blanket insert to fit together well and sort of holds the insert around the edges a bit more than without it.

When creating piping from strips of fabric and cording: You will want a zipper foot in the machine for this part (pop that in there), take strips of fabric that are about 2" in width and the overall length needed to cover the raw cording. You will most likely find that you need to sew the strips of fabric together on the ends so the fabric strip is as long as the full length of cording needed. If desired, you will want to round out the edges slightly on both the top sheet and bottom sheet corners. Take the top sheet and starting at a lower corner-with zipper foot still in the machine-sew the piping along the edges. At this time I like to trim the edges. You can do this once you have added the bottom sheet so yes, it is a bit repetitive, however it is a little easier when trimming to do it twice as you are chopping through less fabric in the end which is a little easier on the hands and scissors.

Duvet covers easily allow you to transform a room and are a bit easier for some in that the cover can be washed without having to wash a comforter all the time and are perfect for college kids, brothers (I know because I have one) and well, anyone really...

You can use an old blanket as an insert and you will find if you order a duvet cover from my shop that the inside corners have long slim elastic ties. I find these most helpful as the insert blanket only needs tiny slits added in order to hold the blanket in place. It also allows the blanket to rest well inside and hold in place. The elastic ties are long enough to tie bows and this will not cause the cover with insert to look bunched or unprofessional. If you already have a blanket with ties on the ends you will also find those easily tie to the elastic strips as well.

More Bedding will be on the way along with additional items with the Lotus on Water design. In the mean time I hope you enjoyed some crafting inspiration and I wish you all a fabulous Friday!

Lindsay :)