DIY Toddler Duvet Cover & Pillowcase - Saved $72 Per Set!

What Prompts Me to DIY
Duvet covers that suits your home decor has always been very difficult to find. Let alone toddler size duvet covers. About 3 years ago, I was able to find one by Boppy for my son on Amazon, which cost about $40 for only the duvet cover without any pillowcase. It's very good quality fabric of a blue background with brown embroidered elephants and a brown cording around the edges. It's been washed over and over (and over and over...) and it still looks like new after 2 years of heavy use with no pilling and fading.

Now that I'm getting ready for my daughter, I go back to the same company and they don't make them anymore! How sad. The next good price toddler duvet set I can find is one by Ikea, but fabric is thin and the print pattern selections are pretty bad. The closest alternative that has good fabric quality and a pattern that matches our nursery decor is one by Pottery Barn Kids which costs a whooping $80. With PBK and with such particular product, you can hardly find them on sale. I even tried the second hand market, but what I'm looking for is simply too particular.

A toddler duvet cover is not a lot of materials and is very easy to make. So, here I'm making 2 sets, one for each.

Project

2 Sets of Toddler Duvet Cover + Pillowcase

Materials
Fabric - Blizzard Anti-Pill Print Fleece 58" Wide, Color Green White Dots, 3.75 Yds
(2) 30" Zipper (salvaged from old broken storage bags)

Size
Duvet Cover: 33"x39" to fit JoJo Designs Baby Down Comforter
Pillowcase: 12"x16" to fit Pinzon Feather and Down Pillow

Time & Cost
Project Time: 5 Hr
Unit Cost: $8 Per Set
Total Cost: $16 Total
Closest Alternative: Pottery Barn Kids Mini Dot Toddler Duvet Cover with Pillowcase – $80 Per Set!

What
I choose fleece because:

1. It can double as a summer time blanket if you take the insert out. In winter time, use it as a regular duvet with down comforter inside.
2. It's easy to cut and hem because fleece cut edges don't flake like other fabrics. You can save yourself a lot of work without having to double hem the edges.
3. It is thick enough in itself that edge cording is not aesthetically necessary. Save work, save money, and looks better!

I happen to have two 30" long zippers in my salvage box that I can reuse to zip up the duvet cover. If you don't have any reusable zippers, you can get a basic one, anywhere from 20" to 30" long, at Joann for about $3.

How
This fleece is marked as 58" wide, but really measures 60" excluding the loom edges on both sides.

Here is how it should be cut:

There is enough fabric to make the 2 duvet covers plus 3 toddler size pillowcases.
Cut and save up the leftover piece on the lower right corner for the Twin Daybed Ensemble Project.

As you can see if you only make one set, you can still get an extra pillowcase (marked #2).

Duvet Cover (Makes 2)

1. Fold in half along the 67" edge, RS to RS, pin along both 33.5" edge to stabilize.
2. Pin zipper centered on the 40" edge, RS to RS, sew on WS as close to zipper as possible.
3. Pin zipper on the opposite 40" edge, RS to RS, sew on WS as close to zipper as possible.
4. Sew across both ends of zipper to secure. Sew fabric close 1" from end of zipper to the end of fabric. (Thus hiding the zipper behind the fabric.)
5. Sew close both 33.5" edges using 1/2" seam allowance.
6. Flip inside out. Done!

Toddler Pillowcase (Makes 3)

1. Fold in half along 25" edge, RS to RS, pin along a 12.5" side and a 17" side. Sew both sides on WS using 1/2" seam allowance.
2. Fold hem and sew along opening edge on WS using 1/2" seam allowance.
3. Flip inside out. Done!

One set of Toddler Duvet Cover + Pillowcase - Cost $8 vs. $80!

Tips

1. Buy fabric at Joann when they are 50% off, which happens a lot. Buy at store if you can, that way you can take advantage of those 15% or 20% off entire order (include sale items) coupons that they send you in the mail. This takes each yard down from $11 to just $4.4.
2. If you buy at a store, they let you cut fabric down to inches - do it for the good of both your wallet and your environment. I hate to keep throwing away a good piece of 3" x 60" fabric which can be otherwise better utilized when attached to the bolt for the next cut.
3. Salvage any buttons, clasps, zippers, cords, etc. the next time you throw away your old clothing, accessories, linens, etc. If they are in good shape, these parts can come in very handy and you just saved your Planet Earth another piece of garbage in the landfill.

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