Single mother Mrs Bert, 43, said she was unemployed and living on the breadline before she came up with the idea.
She said: 'Like all good ideas, it was borne out of frustration. I was battling with my duvet in the washing machine and, as always, all my socks and clothes had become stuck in the cover.
Her friends and family were so impressed by her simple idea they urged her to sell the covers.
She patented the design and launched her own company, Qande Duvet Covers, and has sold hundreds online and in local stores.
But now the invention could make her a fortune after she entered talks with major high street retailers, including Matalan.
'After a quick online search, I realised there were loads of people out there complaining on forums that they struggled to put their cover on.'
So Mrs Bert came up with her simple design of sewing buttons on to three sides of the cover instead of the traditional one.
She spent £15 on a roll of fabric and handmade three covers, which friends quickly snapped up.
She turned to a local scheme, Urbanbiz, which helps budding entrepreneurs get their product on to the market.
After selling more than 50 covers for £35 each on a market stall in Leeds, Mrs Bert launched her own company and set up a website, and when word spread her covers began selling in their hundreds.
She said: 'Most of my customers have told me it's changed their lives. They're amazed that something so simple hasn't been designed before.
'The general consensus seems to be that something which is an everyday problem for so many people can be solved so easily.'
Kenyan-born Mrs Bert said the idea has transformed her life.
She worked in London as a personal assistant for nine years before moving to Leeds in 2002 and struggled to find work despite countless interviews.
She said: 'I was so embarrassed I would go into the job- seekers office and check that no one saw me entering.'
'I was on the breadline and had a son to look after - who was also struggling to find work - it was a very dark time in my life and I was so desperate to find something, anything to pay my way.'
Now her company is set to boom with interest from big chain stores.
Mrs Bert added: 'I have had talks with Matalan and a very reputable online shopping channel who both say they want to stock them next year.
'At the moment I am hand-making all of them but hope to mass-produce them in India or China for a fraction of the cost later this year.'
She said: 'Like all good ideas, it was borne out of frustration. I was battling with my duvet in the washing machine and, as always, all my socks and clothes had become stuck in the cover.
Her friends and family were so impressed by her simple idea they urged her to sell the covers.She patented the design and launched her own company, Qande Duvet Covers, and has sold hundreds online and in local stores.
But now the invention could make her a fortune after she entered talks with major high street retailers, including Matalan.
'After a quick online search, I realised there were loads of people out there complaining on forums that they struggled to put their cover on.'So Mrs Bert came up with her simple design of sewing buttons on to three sides of the cover instead of the traditional one.
She spent £15 on a roll of fabric and handmade three covers, which friends quickly snapped up.
She turned to a local scheme, Urbanbiz, which helps budding entrepreneurs get their product on to the market.After selling more than 50 covers for £35 each on a market stall in Leeds, Mrs Bert launched her own company and set up a website, and when word spread her covers began selling in their hundreds.
She said: 'Most of my customers have told me it's changed their lives. They're amazed that something so simple hasn't been designed before.
'The general consensus seems to be that something which is an everyday problem for so many people can be solved so easily.'
Kenyan-born Mrs Bert said the idea has transformed her life.
She worked in London as a personal assistant for nine years before moving to Leeds in 2002 and struggled to find work despite countless interviews.
She said: 'I was so embarrassed I would go into the job- seekers office and check that no one saw me entering.'
'I was on the breadline and had a son to look after - who was also struggling to find work - it was a very dark time in my life and I was so desperate to find something, anything to pay my way.'
Now her company is set to boom with interest from big chain stores.
Mrs Bert added: 'I have had talks with Matalan and a very reputable online shopping channel who both say they want to stock them next year.
'At the moment I am hand-making all of them but hope to mass-produce them in India or China for a fraction of the cost later this year.'
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