I've already made the cover, it looks great! It's sort of a snow leopard velveteen on one side and pink flannel on the other side with a nice black piping on the edges... My problem? How to keep my extra fluffy down comforter from shifting around! I've tried safety pinning the corners, but it still shifts around in the middle (It's somewhere between full and queen size), and the pins occasionally come undone and poke us in the night! It's sitting wadded up in the closet right now due to my sweetie's impatience with the shifting down, and I miss it so! Help!

Also- What would be the best way to clean this cover? The leopard fabric is sort of velvet-y... it has a very short nap, but almost feels like cotton... I don't remember any washing instructions on the bolt of fabric (it was at a discount fabric outlet) and I've since moved 1,000 miles away!

Ah, thankfully the ever-benevolent Martha Stewart has already solved this problem for us. To keep the comforter from moving around, sew a piece of ribbon to the inside corners of the cover, then sew more ribbon on the corners of the comforter/duvet/whatever. Tie them together, and viola! Comfy, non-shifting duvet! If your comforter is really mobile, I'd suggest adding additional ribbon ties in the middle of each edge, but mine seems to stay put pretty well with just the four at the corners.

Can't help you on the cleaning, however. Two cats sharing the bed has condemned me to a life of practical cotton bedding.

Steph

the ribbon ties are a good suggestion. i would use something more like cotton seam tape though, not slippery satin ribbon.

as far as cleaning goes... hopefully you have a few scraps left from making the cover. take one, and rub it with a cold water-damp washcloth... if the dye really starts to seep out, or the fabric changes texture, probably it will need dry cleaning. if you dont have a scrap, test a bit of the seam allowance. if any dye comes off the fabric, it might stain the pink flannel when you wash it. i think the best way to avoid that chance would be to wash it with cold water, gentle cycle, rinse twice, and hang to dry. if you didnt pre-wash both fabrics, machine-drying or washing in hot water would probably cause uneven shrinkage.

stella

Thanks for the tips everyone, I think I'll try the ties in the corners and along the side since the comforter is VERY shifty. It should wash but hanging to dry may be a problem... it's getting to be autumn and I live in Seattle! :)