Dye your duvet
Fill your bedroom with furnishings that express individuality and style, like this pretty duvet set in purples and blues
Homemade furnishings really can rival shop bought products, can be easy to make, and in this case, involve practically no sewing!
Materials
Plain 100% cotton duvet and pillow set.
(Cotton, linen and viscose dye very successfully. Mixtures of these
with polyester result in lighter shades. Polyester, Nylon and other synthetics will not dye).
Fabric dye
Fabric paints
Paint brush
Beads and sequins
Needle and thread
1 The duvet we chose was entirely white, 100% cotton, with an embroidered lily design, also in white. Having this motif already on the duvet meant we had a template to focus the design on. It’s best to choose as near to white as you can as fabric dyes will blend with the original colour of the fabric. Here are some basic colour mixing rules to remember:
Red + blue = purple
Blue + yellow = green
Red + yellow = orange
2 When choosing what colour to dye your duvet think of the colours around it in the room. We chose a beautiful, bright turquoise as it is simply one of our favourite colours and we would love to wake up to it every morning!
3 Follow the instructions on your fabric dye packet to achieve the best results. The amount of dye required depends on the weight of the item. A double duvet cover weighs approximately 1200g (2½lbs).
4 Once the cycle is complete, take out the item and dry thoroughly.
5 Iron the fabric to make it easier to carry out any further embellishment.
6 Using fabric paints, bring out the detail in the embroidered pattern. Choose colours that complement your main duvet colour. We painted the embroidered lilies in purples, pinks, whites and blues. Place a piece of paper between the two layers of the duvet to ensure no paint seeps through and leave to dry completely.
7 To complete the look, sew beads and sequins in clusters at the centre of each flower. Don’t sew any on to the pillows as they will be uncomfortable to sleep on!
Sleep well!
