Surprisingly simple to make, this pretty bed linen set in shades of girly pink will fit perfectly into any little princess’s bedroom. Simply stitch two strips of co-ordinating fabric to either side of a panel of floral fabric to create a lovely patchwork effect, and finish with ties on the pillowcase and duvet cover. The key with this design is to use small-print fabrics for the co-ordinating fabrics, as this allows the bold floral design in the centre to really make an impact.
Take 1.5-cm/½-in. seam allowances throughout unless otherwise stated.
5 hours
To make the duvet cover
1. Cut two 25 x 138-cm/10 x 54½-in. pieces of each of the co-ordinating border fabrics.With right sides together, pin and machine stitch one piece of each fabric together along one long side to make the border pieces. Press the seams open.
2. Cut an 111 x 138-cm/43¾ x 54½-in. rectangle of floral fabric. With right sides together, pin and machine stitch one border piece to each end. Press the seams open.
3. To make the ties, cut six 36 x 5-cm/14 x 2-in. pieces of one of the co-ordinating fabrics. Along each long side of each tie, fold over 1 cm/⅜ in. to the wrong side. Fold over 1 cm/⅜ in. at one short end of each tie. Fold each tie in half lengthways and stitch, stitching as close to the edge as possible.
4. Cut a 203 x 138-cm/80 x 54½-in. rectangle of fabric for the back of the duvet cover. Pin three ties along one short end of the fabric on the right side, spacing them evenly. Cut a 39 x 138-cm/15½ x 54½-in. strip of the backing fabric for the flap. Along one long edge, fold over 1 cm/⅜ in. and then another 1.5 cm/½ in. to the wrong side and machine stitch. With right sides together, aligning the raw edges, pin this strip on the backing fabric and machine stitch along the top, sandwiching the ties in between.
5. Along one short end of the front of the cover, fold over 1.5 cm/½ in. and then another 1.5 cm/½ in. to the wrong side. Place the raw ends of the remaining strips under the fold, spacing them as for the back piece, and machine stitch along the fold. Flip the ties over so that they hang off the bottom of the fabric and work a few stitches to keep them in place.
6. Lay the back piece on your work surface, right side up. Place the front piece on top, right side down, aligning the raw edges. Fold the flap on the back piece over the front piece. Pin and stitch along both long sides of the cover and the raw short side. Trim the corners and turn right side out. Press.
To make the pillowcase
1. Cut two 53 x 12-cm/20¾ x 4¾-in. rectangles of each of the co-ordinating border fabrics. With right sides together, pin and machine stitch one piece of each fabric together along one long side. Press the seams open. Cut a 41 x 53-cm/16 x 20¾-in. rectangle of floral fabric. Pin and machine stitch one border piece to each long end. Press the seams open.
2. Make four ties, as in Step 3 of the duvet cover. Attach two ties to the front of the pillowcase, as in Step 5 of the duvet cover.
3. Cut a 78 x 53-cm/30¾ x 20¾-in. piece of fabric for the back of the pillowcase and a 19 x 53-cm/7½ x 20¾-in. piece for the flap. Hem one long side of the flap, as in Step 4 of the duvet cover. Lay the back piece right side up on your work surface. Place the two remaining ties on top, spacing them as for the front piece. Place the hemmed flap right side down on top, aligning the raw edges, and machine stitch. Follow Step 6 of the duvet cover to sew the pillowcase together.
