As raindrops and temperatures began falling in October, I wondered how we could keep our two-year-old daughter Jane warm without running an electric heater in her room all winter. She’s a big girl now, I thought, why shouldn’t she sleep as we do, with flannel sheets and a down comforter? But buying a new comforter and sheets for Jane was not an option.
Jane’s middle name is Motley, my grandmother Honey’s maiden name, so some of the Motley-est heirlooms have been handed down to her. Just recently she sent Jane her down comforter, or “down comfort,” as she calls it, that was given to her as a bride 67 years ago. Over the years it’s been repaired, re-stuffed, and renovated, and it retains most of its original feathers. It is a beautiful comforter. It is also too large to fit a crib or a toddler bed.
With Honey’s “down comfort” on my mind, I remembered the spare comforter stuffed in our closet, purchased by my husband when we were a courting couple, and the wintery twin sheets I had saved for years, imagining we might someday have a child to use them. The idea for a Jane-sized “down comfort” was born. Our spare comforter and sheets–not without a history of their own–became a comforter, pillow, duvet, pillow case, and fitted sheet.
A down comforter turns out to be an ideal solution for warming a child who is too old for a sleep sack but not yet coordinated enough to readjust multiple layers of bedding in the night. I’ll save Honey’s “down comfort” until Jane can understand how special it is to be sheltered by the same comforter that graced the newlyweds’ bed, that kept Honey warm during the years of wartime silence, while my grandfather was hidden in China, training soldiers for the allies; the same comforter that traveled from a Missouri ranch to a cottage in Connecticut, where it cuddled my mother and her siblings through the long winters. Honey’s “down comfort” is a timely reminder of the resourcefulness and care exercised by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers as they feathered their nests. When Jane outgrows this little “down comfort,” there will be another waiting for her.
Making Your Own Down Comfort and Linens
Creating a bed set for a standard crib or toddler bed mattress is not as ambitious a project as it seems. I squeezed it into several long nap-times and a father-daughter zoo trip. This project is designed to fit a standard crib or toddler bed, but it could be adapted to fit a bed of a different size, or made with a synthetic comforter, blanket, or a quilt; the fitted sheet, pillowcase and duvet could be made with lightweight fabric for warmer climates. Whatever your choice, I encourage you to make use of what you have on hand, and to shop for what you need in a thrift shop. The alchemy of making-do often produces the most interesting and appealing results.
For the Comforter and Pillow
Begin here. Not only is this the easiest part, the size of your comforter will determine the measurements of your duvet.
Materials
Down (or other) comforter
Coordinating thread
Measuring tape
Sewing machine
Good scissors
Straight pins (if you’re the pinning type)
Determine the size of your new comforter. Measure your child’s bed to determine how much length and drape you would like. Alternately, place your comforter on the bed and use the baffles as a rough measurement as I did. Three squares by four squares looked just right.
Mark the comforter. Give the comforter a good shake to distribute the feathers. Choose the least lumpy corner, and pin or mark where the perimeter of the new comforter will be.
Prepare to stitch: roll the comforter. This crucial step serves two purposes: it keeps the outer layers taut, preventing bunching and tangling while sewing, and it allows the bulky mass to pass through your machine in the first place.
Sew the perimeter closed. If your perimeter follows the baffle stitching, as mine did, you need only sew between the end of the stitching and the edge of the quilt. If your perimeter does not follow baffle stitching, you’ll need to stitch both unsewn sides of the perimeter in entirety.
Sew a second perimeter. Sew another perimeter outside of and parallel to the first. They should be about .5” apart.
Cut between the lines. Using a good pair of scissors, cut between the lines. Try not to squish the comforter too much. The more you do, the more down will escape from between the stitches.
Finish the edges. Fold the edge once, then fold it again, about .25” or so. You can eyeball it. Stitch to close the edges. You may also want to clip any trim from the two original sides of the comforter.
In the spots where the layers of down and fabric were too thick for my sewing machine, I closed the edges with a needle and thread.
The comforter is done!
Making the Pillow
Determine the size of your pillow. Measure an existing pillow, or improvise it. I shook the feathers in one lumpy baffle to one end and cut it down to a rectangular shape. If you’d like a pillow the size of mine, it is 17.5” x 12”. It will probably be a fairly flat pillow after a couple of uses, which is appropriate for a toddler.
Repeat steps above as for comforter.
For the Duvet
This duvet has a simple envelope closure. This type of duvet can flop open easily if you don’t make sure it has a deep enough overlap. You may also sew buttonholes on the lower edge of the bottom side and buttons on the overlapping flap for a firm closure.
Seam allowance is .5” for easy arithmetic.
Materials
Two pieces of flannel sheeting several inches wider and at least 8 or 9” longer than your comforter
Optional: eight 9” lengths of embroidery thread, yarn, or ribbon to secure duvet to comforter
Coordinating thread
Measuring tape
Straight pins
Iron and ironing board
Begin by measuring your comforter. Using a measuring tape and note the length and width of your finished comforter.
Calculate measurements of front and back pieces. The back, or underside, has .5” seam allowance added to each side, or 1” added to the total measurement. The front, or top, piece has seam allowance plus the length of the envelope overlap added to it, which should be 8” or so. It should be cut from the fabric you’d most like to feature.
Back piece:
cutting length: length + 1” seam allowance
cutting width: width + 1” seam allowance
Front piece:
cutting length: length + 1” seam allowance + 8” overlap
cutting width: width + 1” seam allowance
Measure and cut the front and back pieces. Because these pieces are so large, and my workspace is so small, I cut and tore them. To do this, mark both the length and width before cutting. Make a snip along the cut line, take the fabric on either side of the snip in each hand and tear. But be warned: the downside to this method is that you may end up with a sort of rhombus rather than a rectangle, and your edges will be a bit rippled. If you’re a perfectionist, mark and cut instead.
Finish the lower edges of both pieces. This is the edge that will lie on the foot of the bed. If your fabric has a pattern on it, make sure you’ve got the pattern oriented accordingly. With the wrong side of the fabric facing you, fold and press the edge .25”; then turn and press .25” again. I find I turn a quarter inch naturally, but it needn’t be exact. Sew along the inside edge, using the outer edge as your guide to keep the stitching parallel to the finished edge.
Stack and pin. Spread the back piece flat on a hard surface (i.e., kitchen floor), right side facing you. Place front piece on top, wrong side facing you, aligning the top unfinished edges. The front piece will hang down further than the back piece. Pin top edges. Smoothing out the wrinkles, align and pin one side edge. Still smoothing things out, pin the other side. For flannel, which sticks to itself, a great deal of smoothing and readjusting may be required here.
Fold and pin overlap. Take the portion of the front piece extending below the hem of the back piece and fold it up, so the right side of the fabric is facing you. Align the folded edge of the front and the finished edge of the back as closely as you can and pin flap in place.
Sew the three pinned edges. To create a neater and stronger seam, insert your needle an inch away from the edge, back-stitch or turn your work, stitch all the way around, and back stitch an inch. There will be no irksome threads visible at the edge of your work.
Press the seam open. Unless your material is very bulky, don’t clip your corners. You’ll need them for the ties that hold the duvet and comforter together, and it should turn right side out fine anyway.
Optional: Attach securing ties. Using a large needle for embroidery thread or yarn, pull one length through each corner of the seam allowance–NOT the body of the duvet–and tie securely. Repeat on comforter, threading each length through the tip of each corner.
Stuff your duvet. Stack the comforter on top of the duvet, still inside out, and tie each corner together. Turn right side out.
For the Pillowcase
The pillowcase is made from one folded piece of fabric. I used the decorative edge of a twin sheet as the hem of my pillowcase.
Seam allowance is .5” for easy arithmetic.
Materials
One piece of flannel at least an inch wider and 5” or so longer than your pillow
Coordinating thread
Measuring tape
Straight pins
Iron and ironing board
Measure the pillow. Using a measuring tape, measure and note the length and width of your finished pillow.
Calculate measurements of the pillow case. If you’re not using the decorative finished edge of a sheet, determine how much longer than your pillow you’d like the case to be. The calculations below assume you will finish the edge by folding and pressing as with the duvet.
length: length of pillow [+ overhang + .5” for double-folded finished edge] + .5” seam allowance
width: (width of pillow) x 2 + 1” seam allowance
Measure, mark and cut fabric. If you’re using the decorative edge as a hem, begin your measuring wherever you’d like the edge to end and the pillow case to begin.
Fold, sew and press. This is so small, you needn’t pin unless you enjoy it. Fold in half right sides together, and stitch around the end and the side, back-stitching for long wear and a neater finish. Press the seam open and turn right side out.
For the Fitted Sheet
These measurements make a standard fitted sheet with an elastic casing. I don’t have a single store-bought sheet that still covers the mattress after many washings. This deep sheet made with flannel that has been washed many times is guaranteed to fit forever.
If you plan to sew your elastic directly to the sheet rather than use the drawstring method, adjust the fabric and elastic measurements accordingly. The elastic here is what I had on hand. One inch will stretch to two inches long. If your elastic is different, you may need more or less to achieve a sheet both stretchy and tight enough to fit well on the mattress.
Seam allowance is .5”.
Materials
One piece of flannel at least 45.5” x 73.5” long
75” of 1/4” soft stretch elastic
Coordinating thread
Measuring tape
Quilter’s rule is especially helpful for measuring corners
Straight pins
Two safety pins
Marking tool
Iron and ironing board
Measure and cut fabric.
Mark corners. On the wrong side of the fabric, mark a 9.5’ x 9.5” square at each corner. A quilter’s rule makes this task easy. I used a ball point pen and marked lightly–you want to be sure you can see the line clearly.
Fold and pin corners. Fold each corner so that the lines you’ve drawn meet and the square becomes a triangle. To check, stick a pin through the line on one side. It should come out on the line on the other side. Pin securely.
Sew along each line, taking care to backstitch at both ends. It’s a good idea to test the sheet on the mattress at this point, to make sure it fits before you’re past the point of no return.
Trim excess fabric along corner seams and press open.
Make the elastic casing. With wrong side of sheet facing, fold and press .25” all the way around the hem. Fold .5” and press again. Pin.
Sew along the inner edge of the casing, using the first folded edge as your guide, leaving three or four inches unstitched to draw the elastic through. Skip this step and the next if you’re sewing the elastic on.
Thread elastic through casing. Attach one end of the elastic to the sheet with a safety pin, and another safety pin to the other end of the elastic. Thread the elastic through the casing. This is probably the single most tedious part of the entire project. Sew the ends of the elastic together and tuck in casing. Follow the sewing line to close the casing.
Cuddle up and enjoy the season, little ones!
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Ellen Mahoney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her beautiful daughter, brilliant husband, and their rotten cat, Bête Noire. You can find her ramblings at Stuff and Nonsense and her dolls at Robinsong Studio.