Duvet-o-Rama

Have you been looking high and low for that perfect duvet for your bed? Disappointed with the selections in your local home stores, and even in the wide world of the internets? I know I have been, and so was a friend of mine. So, to make her transition to her hip and cool Uptown apartment even more awesome I sewed up a duvet cover for her. (I apologize for the photo quality -- cell phones are meant to be phones, not cameras.) IKEA had some great new fabric in a bright citrus yellow with dandelion-ish white explosions. I bought a little over 3 yards (queen size quilts at IKEA run 86" square) because I wanted to be sure to be able to center the pattern, and at the time thought I might make shams as well. (Overly ambitious of me.) I bought 3 yards of a heavier white fabric to the top and bottom, and a queen-size flat sheet for the back. After I confirmed the width of the yellow fabric, I figured out how wide the top and bottom panels needed to be (I shortened the top to around 12" and made the bottom panel around 20" -- for visual interest?) I trimmed and sewed, then had to figure out where on earth I was going to find 8 square feet of space to lay it out and pin it. But it happened. Then I sewed the top and sides, and the bottom leaving 36" of space for the quilt-insert opening. But how to close it? I wasn't about to try button holes, and I didn't want to leave it all gaping open... so I thought "Grommets! Grommets and grosgrain ribbon!" And so it is. It turned out great! And now I wonder why I never made one for myself.