We don't do duvets!

If you grew up in the late 80s you know what I mean. For those of you that don't - Saturday morning tv in the UK was dominated by a magazine type kids show called Going Live with Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene. The shows were a mishmash of chat, gameshows, cartoons, music and general silliness. Most of the comedy was provided by Trev and Simon who did a series of various short sketches, the most popular of which was probably the Launderette - that didn't do duvets! An unsuspecting film or pop star would be sent in to have a duvet cleaned only to have the giant washing machine explode and be covered in a flurry of feathers - nobody was too famous. To the average 7 year old this was the funniest thing going.

I only bring it up because while I do do duvets, I don't do duvet covers. I hate them. I use them of course, but usually end up wrestling with them in the middle of the night as they never stay closed. Maybe I wriggle more than most because they cause me great trauma. Whether it's press studs or buttons at the opening they rarely stay closed and even if they do the duvet is never in the same place it started by the morning. I've had a quest for ages to find a decent duvet cover as most of mine are darker winter colours, after looking for ages and finding none I particularly liked I fell in love with this fabric and decided to make my own.

My sewing skills are a little ropey, I can't sew in a straight line to save my life, but despite all that I've put one together. With Toggles!

Each corner of the cover has a wee toggle inside and the duvet itself is getting a ribbon loop in each corner. HA! TAKE THAT! The dastardley duvet escapes no more. I've also put a deep fold by the opening as well as press studs so it's going nowhere. If it works each cover I own is getting the toggle treatment.

I had enough fabric to make the duvet cover and two pilllow cases, but didn't find enough for curtains which I'd have liked. It cost around £8 from Abakhan's Fabrics which have warehouses in Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Birkenhead, Mostyn (N Wales) and Stoke-on-Trent. They sell differently than most places - as well as fabric off the roll sold by the metre they also have a large section of roll-ends, offcuts and remnants sold by weight with everything from broidery anglaise to zebra print fur. It's all a bit pot luck and you have to have a good sort through. There's a yarn department too and plenty of haberdashery supplies. Well worth a visit if you live near one.

And for those of you that got the title...

Swing Your Pants!