Ross's Wool Batt BRIDGE duvet

One of my BEST SEWING PROJECTS this winter was Ross's new wool batt. Remember the great bridge picture graphic on the duvet cover I bought from Target? And I ordered the fabulous wool batt from my friend Bill Batchelder who owns Bemidji Woolen in Bemidji, Minnesota.

But it's not as easy as just putting the batt inside the cover. To keep it from lumping up -- I sewed "ties" to both the batt and the cover...of course, I use strips of t-shirt fabric. PERFECT. It's soft and strong...and you can "untie" it if you need to...



I chose to put color-coded ties at the top of the duvet -- so that if Ross EVER decides to take the duvet off to be laundered (I'll probably be long dead before it happens) -- he'll know how to put it back together.





A very important element of this project is a "quilt cuff". And the point of the cuff is that it can be taken off to launder...My Great-Aunt Glad told me that when she was a girl, it was her job to sew the cuff on, using a long running stitch. That's definitely how I'm going to attach MY OWN quilt cuff...but Ross would NEVER wash the cuff if I did that...

Yes, I sew -- but No, I don't like buttonholes. I have a sewing machine that makes the perfect buttonhole every single time -- but mostly, I hate the measuring...the PLACEMENT takes so much time....and I just don't do it often enough to be any good at it...

I considered velcro...but it adds so much stiffness...

Big safety pins? Good option, but ugly...

Really -- nothing beats good old fashioned buttons and buttonholes...ugh...

THEN -- IT STRUCK -- RITALUCK!! No kidding...during a trip to the Goodwill store -- I found a black cotton duvet cover. WHICH ALREADY HAD PERFECTLY SPACED buttons and buttonholes all along the bottom. I LOVE MY LIFE...

And, just in case I need more than six buttons -- I found a gray spring coat -- with BIG flat buttons -- and all those beautiful matching buttonholes -- for only 25 cents!! YES -- it was QUARTER DAY!!

I'll just cut down the front of the coat and use the buttons on one side and the buttonholes on the other side...I'm pretty sure I can do SIX BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES -- all perfectly placed -- by just ironing the coat strip on with some stitch witchery!!

Yes, I am blessed...this is what the finished quilt cuff looks like...on the top of the duvet...
You can see how I added the recycled strip of buttons and matching buttonholes...

I did a little hand sewing to secure the strip with the buttons (after first ironing it into position with some Stitch Witchery)...

On the front of the duvet -- I added some hidden buttons -- using the tab and flat buttons off the rain coat...


Hopefully, the quilt cuff will be easy enough for Ross to take off and wash (occasionally) -- doing it's job -- which is to save the duvet from 90% of the grime and slobber...

When it was done -- I put the duvet on the bed in guest room so that Ross could sleep under it for a few nights before he went back to Minnesota...

OF COURSE -- I decided Ross's new wool batt duvet should have it's own travel bag...AND I had this wonderful stretchy knit fabric...I inserted a piece of t-shirt knit that said, "Do Something -- NOW"....just because I thought it was funny...

I put a double drawstring in the top of the big oversize bag...and Ross was READY TO GO...

NOW I need to get started on my own new wool batt duvet...