Duvet Cover

Does it count as a UFO if you forgot about it?  Today's project was unearthed in last month's Master Bedroom declutter: two sheets and a coordinating taffeta that were meant to make a summer-weight duvet cover for my son's bed (his regular duvet cover is flannel, a definite eww for summer slumber).  In declutter mode, I was all set to send the sheets to Goodwill and the taffeta back to the fabric stash, when I discovered I had already sliced things up into appropriately-sized pieces.  Sure, I've got a free day or two on my hands--why not finish it?

 And there you have it: a UFO that I had totally forgotten about.  It's only just July (the beginning of our true summer weather here in Oregon), so Dear Son will soon have something light and airy to sleep under.

I am in love with giant piping.  I have put it on the edge of every duvet cover I've ever sewn (hmm, how many is that, I wonder? 5-ish?)  You can buy the innards at any well-appointed fabric store.  For durability and feel, I love to use taffeta or other tightly-woven shiny fabric.  I generally cut it on the bias, but I guess you don't have to, since there are not really curves to navigate, only corners.  For this project, 2-1/2" strips were my width.  I basted the bias strip around the piping filling using a long stitch and 3/8" seam.  Then I just pinned the piping between the right-sides-together sandwich of front and back of the duvet cover, and sewed using a 1/2" seam.  It's like a pillow-case: flip right-side out and voila!  Lovely piped edges.  Especially nice to set off the edge when the two sides of the duvet are different fabrics.