Weighted blanket duvet cover dilemma

January 21, 2020 12:06 PM

I've got a weighted blanket I love that I've been using for years. Only one problem: when I put a duvet cover on it, rather than acting like a nice duvet, it gets wadded up in the corner under its own weight, like the whole thing is a giant sock full of pennies. Does anyone have a solution that doesn't involve buying a new blanket? The internet says there are fancy blankets that have built-in attachment points for special covers, but I like the one I've got and would rather not buy a whole new one.
posted by nebulawindphone to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

My comforter is not weighted (just ugly!) and I solved the wadding problem with something I ordered called duvet clips or comforter clips. You use them to clip the corners of the blanket to the inside corners of the duvet. I also sewed ribbons onto the middle edges of the blanket and the duvet so I can tie them. Works a treat!
posted by Aquifer at 12:09 PM on January 21, 2020 [8 favorites]

If you can sew a couple of stitches, you can build in attachment points with needle, thread and a metre of sturdy ribbon. Sew loops on the corners of the blanket, sew a length of ribbon into the inner corners of the cover (attaching it in the middle of the length), tie the ties into the loop. Slightly fancier tutorial here.

About to do the same to mine, same problem...
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:11 PM on January 21, 2020 [2 favorites]

Velcro on the duvet cover and blanket. Or tie off the corners like ears with a ribbon once it’s situated.
posted by Iteki at 12:11 PM on January 21, 2020 [2 favorites]

I don't know if this will work with weighted blankets, but with my old down duvet that had a slippery case and suffered from a similar problem, I would safety pin the corners to the cover. I had to be really careful not to put holes in the actual case though -- the safety pins could only pass through the seams or the duvet would rip and the feathers would come out (feathers need only very, very small holes to escape).

I also considered sewing small loops of elastic onto the corners of the duvet and then buttons for them to go around on the corners of the duvet cover, but before I got that ambitious I got a new duvet that doesn't have that problem.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:13 PM on January 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

I use magnetic duvet clips. I had non-magnetic ones before and they would regularly come off, but these work like a charm.
posted by Skybly at 12:43 PM on January 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

Medium-sized binder clips? You can easily remove the handles, keep them handy for when you wash the duvet covers.
posted by theora55 at 1:22 PM on January 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding sewing ribbon or other strip of fabric to the corners of the blanket and the inside corners of the duvet cover and knotting them together. I used safety pins for a while, but one morning I somehow poked myself in the eye with one.
posted by little king trashmouth at 2:23 PM on January 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

Stitch shoe laces to the corners of the weighted blanket and inside each corner of the duvet cover. You easily connect the cover and the blanket, by tying the corners of the bottom of the duvet to the blanket, slide the duvet up to the top, tie and close.
posted by jennstra at 3:07 PM on January 21, 2020

Dont use safety pins to secure a weighted blanket. They will bend and you will get poked.

The corner ribbon idea will work, but you will need to sew the ribbons properly so they dont rip out the corners on either blanket or cover. You basically stitch a box with an x going through it (your backpack probably has this stitch pattern) to distribute the load. Use a thick, sturdy ribbon, fold over the end a couple times, and then sew that bit to the corner. Dont forget to singe or sew the other end so it doesnt unravel.

PM me if you want a diagram!
posted by ananci at 5:35 PM on January 21, 2020 [4 favorites]

I use sturdy 1/2" wide twill tape for the ties, a set at each corner and halfway down the long side.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:55 PM on January 21, 2020

Some European style duvet covers have hand holes, for lack of a better term, on the top two corners of the duvet. It allows for you to reach your hands into the duvet to pull the comforter in, rather than the standard inside out routine.

I mention this because having small holes on the top side of the duvet cover will allow for the ribbons and tying options that others are saying here. Tie the four corners, and you're all set — no hard pieces to contend with nor any clumps.
posted by wile e at 8:11 AM on January 22, 2020 [1 favorite]

I did the ribbon thing and it worked well. Two pieces of advice: sew more thoroughly than you imagine you should, and attach the blanket and cover at more than four points: eight points of attachment minimum are needed.
posted by Edna Million at 11:55 AM on January 22, 2020