25 May 2010- Quilt covers are mainly used to protect the quilts or the duvets or comforters. However, many people use quilt covers as blankets too- just like a flat fabric bag filled with feathers or down, or sometimes both. Quilt covers can always be bought from market but a handmade quilts cover ( a quilt cover made with your own hands) definitely will be more warm. So, why not make a quilt cover for yourself, your kids duvets or quilt covers for any of your family members. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to sew a quilt cover for your guidance.

Materials Needed to Sew Quilt Cover

If you really intend to make a quilt cover, you will at least need the following basic materials.

• Fabric (preferably home decorator fabric that is at least 54 inches wide to cover a 104 inches wide quilt)
• Measuring Tape
• Buttons
• Snap Tapes
• Bedsheets
• Pins
• Scissors
• Fabric-marking Pens
• Ironing board and Irons
• Sewing machine and Sewing machine needles
• Threads
• Yardsticks

Step-by-Step Instructions to Sew Quilt Cover

Follow these instructions to make a quilt cover.

• Measure the length and width of the quilt with the tape measure and note down the measurements.
• Select two equal lengths of 54-inch or more wide fabric for the front panel of the quilt cover. Bot of the panels should be equal to the length of the quilt measured earlier.
• Always take care about patterns and prints. You might require to make the panels of quilt covers longer in order to match up the patterns or prints.
• Before you sew quilt cover, wash the fabric and iron it if required.
• Take one of the front panels and fold it half lengthwise. Keep the wrong sides together.
• Iron it to make a sharp crease at the fold and then unfold the fabric of quilt cover. Repeat this step with one of the back panels.
• With the help of fabric marking pen and yardstick, draw a line down the length of the crease on each panel. Now cut along each line with scissors. This way you get six panels- 3 for the front of the quilt cover and three for the back of the quilt cover.
• Pin up one narrow front panel to a side of the front panel that has not been cut. Pin it in a way that the right sides of the fabric are together and all fabric edges show up in an even line.
• Sew a half-inch seam along the pinned edges. Press the seam open. Pin the remaining narrow front panel to the other side of the uncut front panel. Now sew a half-inch seam there also. Again, press the seam open.
• Repeat the steps that you followed for making front panels to make back panels of the quilt cover.
• Measure the assembled front and back panels of the quilt cover. Enure that the width of each of the panels is 2 inches more than that of the quilt. Trim each of the side of the front and back panels if necessary.
• Put both the portions of the quilt cover one on top of the other with the right sides together. Make sure that the side and top edges of the quilt cover line up evenly. Pin them together. Leave the edges at the bottom of the cover ( that will be uneven) unpinned.
• Now sew a half-inch seam around all the pinned edges and press the seams open.
• Turn the raw edges at the quilt cover's bottom under half inch and sew them into place. Pin or press the edges into place before you sew them (if required)
• Turn the right side of the quilt cover out and attach snap closures to the its opening. Place the snaps about one inch from the opening and 4 to 5 inches apart.
• Attach the ball portions of the snaps to the wrong side of the longer flap and the socket portions to the right side of the shorter flap. It results into a neat closure for the quilt cover.

If you do not want to make quilt covers and instead want to buy them, read How to Buy Right Sized Duvet Cover?