How to Make a Fitted Bedspread? | Sew Your Own Custom Cover

A fitted bedspread is sewn like an oversized coverlet, with extra drop on each side and elastic corners so it stays aligned to the mattress.

Making a fitted bedspread solves a real problem: store-bought covers never quite match your mattress depth or the exact drop you want over the box spring. Sewing your own takes a few hours and gives you a cover that stays put, no constant re-tucking. The process breaks into four stages — measuring, cutting, sewing, and finishing — and the right measurements matter more than any stitching trick.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather your tools first so cutting goes smoothly. You will need your chosen fabric (cotton, quilting cotton, or a cotton-poly blend all work well for bedspreads), matching thread, sharp fabric scissors or a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, a long ruler or measuring tape, straight pins, and a sewing machine. A walking foot helps when sewing through multiple layers, though a standard presser foot works for thinner fabrics.

Fabric width matters for your layout plan. Most quilting cottons come 44–45 inches wide, while some decorator fabrics run 54 or 60 inches. A queen or king mattress is wider than any single fabric width, so you will seam at least two panels together for larger beds. Plan your panel seams before cutting so the seams fall logically across the bed rather than down the center where they would show.

Measuring Your Mattress: The Step Most People Get Wrong

Accurate measurement is the entire foundation of a well-fitted bedspread. A cover that is too short looks sloppy; one that is too long puddles on the floor. Take your time here.

Measure the mattress top from edge to edge in both directions — the width across, and the length from head to foot. Then decide your drop: how far down the sides and foot you want the fabric to hang. A typical drop for a bedspread that reaches the box spring is 14–18 inches; a coverlet-style drop that barely clears the mattress top might be only 8–10 inches. Add your chosen drop to both sides and the foot edge — but not the head edge, which tucks behind pillows.

One common method adds the drop to the left, right, and bottom edges, then adds seam allowance. A fitted-sheet-style variation adds extra tuck-under allowance along the edges so the cover grips beneath the mattress. For a true fitted look with elastic, The Spruce Crafts’ bedspread measuring guide walks through the full calculation. Whichever method you choose, add at least 1–2 inches beyond your drop measurement for seam allowances; trim any excess later rather than fighting a fabric panel that comes up short.

Sewing the Bedspread Body

Once your panels are cut to final size, finish the raw edges before assembly to prevent fraying during the life of the bedspread. Serge the edges, zigzag stitch them, or use pinking shears on stable woven fabrics.

If your bedspread uses multiple panels, sew them together first with a flat felled seam or a plain seam pressed open. This gives you one smooth top piece without ridges that would show through. For a quilted look, layer your top fabric with batting and a backing, then quilt or tie the layers together at even intervals before adding any elastic.

Follow this sewing sequence for the main construction:

• Place your layers right sides together, with any batting or lining sandwiched between the outer fabric and backing.
• Pin the layers around the full perimeter, leaving a 12–15 inch opening on one side for turning.
• Sew around the perimeter with a ½-inch seam allowance, pivoting neatly at each corner. Remove pins as you reach them.
• Trim the seam allowance at each corner diagonally — clipping close to the stitching line without cutting through it. This removes bulk so the corners turn out sharp rather than lumpy.
• Turn the bedspread right side out through the opening, pushing corners out gently with a blunt tool like a chopstick or knitting needle.
• Press the entire bedspread flat, folding the seam allowance at the opening to match the sewn edges.
• Close the opening by hand-stitching it invisibly, or topstitch around the full perimeter for a cleaner, more durable finish.

Round the foot-end corners before sewing if you prefer a softer look, or skip the elastic entirely for a draped coverlet style — the fitted effect comes from the elastic edges gripping the mattress.

Adding Elastic for a True Fitted Grip

A fitted-sheet-style bedspread needs elastic near the bottom edge to hold the cover in place through a night of movement. Cut elastic (¼-inch or ½-inch width works well) to roughly two-thirds the length of each side you want to gather.

Create a casing by folding the bottom edge over, or attach elastic directly to the underside of the fabric. Place the elastic near the edge and secure it with backstitching at both ends. Leave a small border of fabric before the elastic — this helps the cover grip the mattress like the band on a fitted sheet instead of simply puckering the edge. Stretch the elastic slightly as you sew so the gathers distribute evenly across the full side length.

Test the fit on your mattress before you commit. If the bedspread is going over a mattress topper or an unusually deep mattress, your original measurements may need adjusting. The cover should sit snugly without distorting the fabric pattern or straining the seams — if it pulls visibly at the corners, the elastic is too short for your mattress depth.

Finishing Touches and Common Mistakes

Edge finishing separates a bedspread that lasts from one that frays within months. Double hems, perimeter topstitching, or quilting ties secure layers and improve durability through repeated laundering. If your bedspread has no elastic, perimeter topstitching alone adds enough weight and structure to keep the cover draping well.

Most first-time bedspread failures trace back to the same handful of errors:

• Not adding enough drop or tuck-under allowance, leaving the mattress exposed at the sides.
• Failing to square or match panels, causing the bedspread to hang crooked on the bed.
• Leaving bulky corner seams that refuse to lie flat against the mattress.
• Skipping edge finishing entirely, which invites fraying at the first wash.

Secure every seam and raw edge — bedding gets laundered frequently, and loose threads or opening seams unravel quickly under that wear. If you would rather skip the sewing and buy a ready-made option, our tested roundup of the best zip-up bedspreads for easy bedding changes covers pre-built alternatives that install in under a minute.

These instructions apply to sewn fabric bedspreads, not mattress pads or commercially elasticized fitted sheets. Your final fit depends entirely on your mattress dimensions, your chosen drop, and whether the bed uses a topper that changes its effective depth.