tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post291228233800616055..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: bed linen(s): duvets and comforterslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63007368724534373252023-06-17T19:31:13.229+01:002023-06-17T19:31:13.229+01:00Rhod is the correct spelling.Rhod is the correct spelling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83835607397369556882020-11-11T15:12:30.252+00:002020-11-11T15:12:30.252+00:00My 2020 comparative experience while shopping for ...My 2020 comparative experience while shopping for bedding online in the USA is:<br />1. The USA use of Duvet Cover is almost as common as it is in the UK;<br />2, Oddly, even though Duvet Cover is widespread, the use of Duvet is much less common. Comforter is most common, while Insert is also used. Duvets (however they’re named) are sometimes buried in a Bedding Basics tree, and you have to filter to find them, rather than having their own category as in the UK.<br />3. Tog is a universal measure in the UK, but still unknown in the US. Even on web sites that have both a US and UK presence! (The White Company is a good example) In the US there are just descriptors, such as Standard Weight or Light Weight.<br />4. Fill Power, which describes a duvet’s quality of down but not its warmth, is almost universal in the US.<br />5. If you have a Superking bed in the UK, you might opt for an oversized “Emperor” duvet to prevent your other half hogging the bedclothes at night. Despite the high popularity of similarly sized beds in the US, the term Emperor is never used here. Oversized King duvets (or comforters or inserts, or whatever) do exist, but they seem rare and not having their own special name makes them hard to find.<br />6. The overall effect is it is harder to shop for a duvet in the US and know what you’re getting than it is in the UK. I recommend US sellers start calling the thing you put inside a duvet cover a “duvet”, introduce the tog system to indicate warmth, and adopt the term Emperor for an oversized King duvet.anthonyinseattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06134896844557685951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47572807162139925742018-07-16T16:06:02.283+01:002018-07-16T16:06:02.283+01:00I live in South Africa and I have NEVER heard the ...I live in South Africa and I have NEVER heard the term 'manchester' used for anything other than the UK city.Elaine Dodgehttp://www.elainedodge.weebly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34175858058224514722018-07-16T16:03:02.121+01:002018-07-16T16:03:02.121+01:00I would say that most of the British, and those of...I would say that most of the British, and those of British-descent around the world, would say DOO-vay. Not DOO-vet. Elaine Dodgehttp://www.elainedodge.weebly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81641233104420970242018-05-06T13:31:37.608+01:002018-05-06T13:31:37.608+01:00Jennifer, I just spent three weeks traveling in Sc...Jennifer, I just spent three weeks traveling in Scotland and fell in love with the duvet you describe- thick and firm. It seems as if they have some sort of batting rather than down. Did you ever find a place to purchase them?Sue Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11746871496297926197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54842327321166294352017-06-20T13:00:05.397+01:002017-06-20T13:00:05.397+01:00I'm from New England (upper east coast US), bu...I'm from New England (upper east coast US), but I've been going to Yorkshire England to visit family my whole life. I've always noticed that what it called a duvet there, is more of a thicker, less flexible version of what we call a comforter (plain comforter that you put a cover on) here. The duvets are so thick and firm that you can almost just toss it on the bed like a piece of paper and, viola, the bed is made. Whereas here we have to mess around and pull the comforter (duvet) every which way to make the bed. I would love to find one like that here in the U.S. Making the bed is so much easier with the duvets I have used in the UK.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14617691246364708914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60412546666485143772017-02-23T10:27:42.612+00:002017-02-23T10:27:42.612+00:00An afghan to me was a strange rug crocheted by an ...An afghan to me was a strange rug crocheted by an industrious aunt. She made ever so many woollen discs in bright colours and then connected them all with more crochet in black wool and a black border. Sometimes it had some backing fabric, others were a bit lacy. People used to exhibit them in country agricultural shows in th handcraft section.Anthea Flemingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1254336153557659532017-01-31T23:00:57.397+00:002017-01-31T23:00:57.397+00:00PW has it as I (BrE) understand it: a quilt's ...PW has it as I (BrE) understand it: a quilt's defining feature is that it is stitched right through covers and padding/filling into channels or pockets to hold the filling in place = ie 'quilted'. David Crosbie's "= approx 'padded'" is not my understanding. Quilted toilet paper isn't stitched but kind of embossed here and there to hold the (generally) three layers together; a Google image search will provide many examples.KeithDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10451059429340892054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-64395762364416298312016-04-12T15:00:23.577+01:002016-04-12T15:00:23.577+01:00This makes sense because in America, 'biscuits...This makes sense because in America, 'biscuits' are not cookies, but rather a light, fluffy square of dough baked to a steamy, flaky tenderness. So this 'puff' quilt is justifiably called a 'biscuit' quilt.EC Dunhamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19334364655216216652013-05-04T08:01:43.153+01:002013-05-04T08:01:43.153+01:00A puff quilt is a quilt made by sewing tiny square...A puff quilt is a quilt made by sewing tiny square pillows together. You make lots and lots of tiny pillows (maybe 3 or 4 inches per side) and then stich them together randomly or in a pattern. I have no idea where it comes from, but you can see examples if you do a google image search. I guess some people call it a biscuit quilt, but that makes less sense to me because no part of it looks anything like any biscuit (AmE or BrE) I've ever seen. <br /><br />Also, I sometimes hear and say "sheets and bedding," where bedding is just the covers, be they quilts, comforters, bead spreads, or other types of blankets. I'm from the US Mountain West. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14037639804159727042012-12-30T04:33:19.949+00:002012-12-30T04:33:19.949+00:00Nope. And there are zero hits for 'puff quilt&...Nope. And there are zero hits for 'puff quilt' in the Corpus of Contemporary American English. I'd guess it's a regionalism that might've gone out of date, but I'm away from my resources.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60130850669392394842012-12-30T00:07:39.327+00:002012-12-30T00:07:39.327+00:00I got that one from Random House Webster's Col...I got that one from Random House Webster's College Dictionary, Ed. 1991? where it's defined as a quilted bed covering usually filled with down. Another name for it is "puff quilt". Still doesn't ring any bells with you, Lynne?Elianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16930398121025074531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81395652929655011982012-12-18T01:00:54.001+00:002012-12-18T01:00:54.001+00:00I've never heard 'puff' to describe a ...I've never heard 'puff' to describe a comforter/duvet. Not sure where you're getting your AmE info from!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69536380842250763792012-12-17T20:37:19.005+00:002012-12-17T20:37:19.005+00:00How about AmE puff? Does it sound liike a better a...How about AmE puff? Does it sound liike a better alternative to define a down filled quilt? What do you think?Elianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16930398121025074531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-10627393013241208232012-10-31T03:50:53.742+00:002012-10-31T03:50:53.742+00:00That's right. About the Aussie terminology som...That's right. About the Aussie terminology someone said...they ARE called DOONA's by the Danes. First heard the term in Denmark in 1978. She lifted what I thought was a Duvet/Comforter...and said..."Do you know what this is called?...It's called a DOONA."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7179107951977630252012-08-26T22:54:26.537+01:002012-08-26T22:54:26.537+01:00Coming late to the discussion...
As an Aussie, I ...Coming late to the discussion...<br /><br />As an Aussie, I lived in the US for several years. I remember learning "comforter" but I could never understand why they didn't make them plain and then stick them inside a pretty cover. (I guess my mother instilled in me some sense of frugality regarding care of bedclothes - you always used a top sheet so that your doona cover didn't get all sweaty, and need frequent washing, leading to early demise of said cover.)<br /><br />Mrs Redboots' description of making the bed at school reminded me of my childhood, except it was my mother and not my school who insisted on making the bed that way. She was always anti-fitted sheets, as the bottom sheet always got more wear and tear, and expired sooner than the top sheet, so we never had fitted sheets, and rotated our flat ones top-bottom-wash.Mrs Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05655632448285928588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69612836354276455802012-08-22T02:06:52.665+01:002012-08-22T02:06:52.665+01:00Sorry to say that "quilt" doesn't me...Sorry to say that "quilt" doesn't mean the same thing, but then not define what a quilt is in AmE. Amanda is correct that a quilt has 3 layers (top, batting in the middle to provide warmth, and bottom) and that the bottom is generally a plain piece of fabric. The layers are sewn together not just at the edges, but thoughout the entire quilt using tiny, even stitches that keep the batting in place. That stitching can be either plain (lines or squares) or in a complex pattern. The top layer can be a wide variety of things: another plain piece of fabric, a "pieced" top made of smaller pieces of fabric sewn together in any of a wide variety of patterns, an embroidered piece of fabric, or appliqued with smaller pieces sewn onto a large piece of fabric. A "pieced" top may also be known as patchwork. The Quilting Gallery has some examples of different quilt types, though not all types are included on this page because even this long explanation is very simplified.<br />http://quiltinggallery.com/2012/03/06/quilting-types-and-styles/PWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90766315546105284772012-08-14T14:34:32.252+01:002012-08-14T14:34:32.252+01:00I (AmE) have read 'bedclothes' in novels a...I (AmE) have read 'bedclothes' in novels and always thought it's a delightfully anthropomorphic term, as if a bed is getting dressed up for an evening out. Love it!<br /><br />In Vermont in the 1980s we did not have central heat, only wood stoves located far from my bedroom. I slept under a huge pile of blankets including an electric one (turned off overnight) and a feather bed on top. It was a shapeless bag of goose feathers and air and would sometimes puff up so high that the cat had trouble jumping to the top. flatlanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14711270206823934186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71988448742673613072012-08-14T13:22:12.061+01:002012-08-14T13:22:12.061+01:00I have inherited two rugs which, when I was a chil...I have inherited two rugs which, when I was a child, we used to spread on the ground to sit on for picnics. Both are heavier than a blanket and have a fringe (of thick lengths of wool) along two opposite edges. I now use them to spread over my sleeping bag when camping in chilly weather.<br /><br />Kate (Derby, UKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42481704180103323612012-08-14T01:09:44.088+01:002012-08-14T01:09:44.088+01:00Here's an example: "I've found you so...Here's an example: "I've found you some rugs," she said. "You can each take one. They are old, but very thick and warm, and as good as two blankets. If Bill hasn't got enough blankers for you it won't matter at all – the rugs will give you plenty of warmth. Don't forget to bring them back, now!"<br /><br />(The Valley of Adventure, Chapter 2)<br /><br />I really did imagine using a floor rug instead of a blanket, which seemed very odd indeed!Canadiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-59255980824456719672012-08-14T01:03:30.438+01:002012-08-14T01:03:30.438+01:00No, the Enid Blyton books did not say travelling r...No, the Enid Blyton books did not say travelling rug, just rug. I think this was either the Adventure series or Famous Five, and in the context of going on an expedition/trip or perhaps they were just kept in the car trunk (boot).Canadiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55520044590727164792012-08-13T18:48:35.059+01:002012-08-13T18:48:35.059+01:00US - MIdwest, with German ancestry:
Afghan is a c...US - MIdwest, with German ancestry:<br /><br />Afghan is a crocheted or knitted blanket with any of a number of options for color pattern, thickness (lacy to very solid) and warmth.<br /><br />Blanket is a default term for the covering over the top sheet that doesn't fall into some other category, including waffle-weave, fleece, flannel, and others (blankies, on the other hand, are comfort items for children which may be smaller portions of blankets from when they were babies).<br /><br />Counterpane/Coverlet/Bedspread is a single layer, slightly heavier than a sheet, often candlewick or chenille, to be removed before sleeping (unless your grandmother keeps her house too cold at night!)<br /><br />Comforter is an all in one heavy item with a heavier weave fabric than a sheet, filled with a polyester batting and used on top of the top sheet in the winter. You wouldn't put another cover over it, because you can just machine wash it.<br /><br />Duvet is a feather comforter that doesn't have the heavy weave fabric on it, needs a cover, and has to be dry cleaned because of the feathers. Also, the filling tends to end up all at the foot of the bed (but they are SOO comfortable in the winter, even in the South!).<br /><br />Quilt is a handmade or machine made bed cover where one side is a design of pieced fabric (if there is no particular pattern, this is patchwork, other designes have specific names, but are still made of patches of fabric) and the other side is typically not patterned. The top and bottom cover batting (now polyester, formerly cotton, or clean rags, or layers of ragged sheets, or anything that provides warmth), and then the 3 layers are sewn together with a seam pattern - always decorative. The sewing together of a quilt was a big undertaking and was often part of a large gathering of women called a Quilting Bee, where the quilt was streched and women would sew the part they could reach, and the quilt could be finished faster (much like a barn-raising brought the community together to do in 1 day what an individual could not do by him/her self).<br /><br />Too much information? Sorry, I like to think about bedding and covers. It helps me remember how comfortable I used to be when I could still sleep late.Amanda P.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44745668568095551852012-08-13T17:32:34.256+01:002012-08-13T17:32:34.256+01:00PW - my knowledge of American quilts dates from th...PW - my knowledge of American quilts dates from the late 1970s - early 1980s when there was an upsurge of interest in both American and British styles. I have made two small quilts from American books of patchwork designs, for my children, and also a large 'Barnraising' quilt from a set of instructions in a British magazine. I considered them all quite intriguing, but was not aware that there were any non-patchwork designs in the US that could be referred to as 'quilts'. The American Museum in Bath (England) has a good collection of American quilts, all patchwork as far as I can remember. In the UK we would refer to any padded bedcover as a quilt: an eiderdown is much thicker but only the size of the bed top (probably because the genuine down filling is very expensive), and a duvet or continental quilt belongs to the category of bedclothes rather than a bedcover.<br /><br /> Two years ago the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London held a marvellous exhibition of 'Quilts 1700 - 2010'. It seemed to me that the more accurate title of 'Bedcovers and hangings' would not have attracted the large numbers who attended the show. British bedcovers from the period were shown - some were lace or embroidered but the majority were patchwork (rather few in the traditional British hexagons: some had amazingly complex applique or intaglio designs as well as patchwork), and not all were quilted. There is a strong English and Welsh tradition of quilted satin bedcovers - thinner than eiderdowns but definitely intended as bedcovers rather than bedclothes. A batch of these 'Durham' quilts was hand-made for Claridge's hotel (London) in 1932. <br />The V&A sells a great book covering the exhibition.biochemistnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72137702493635637722012-08-13T17:08:07.324+01:002012-08-13T17:08:07.324+01:00And here I thought my four-year-old daughter was k...And here I thought my four-year-old daughter was kind of nuts for wanting to use her duvet (with duvet cover) from IKEA (which I had intended as a comforter/bedspread) and completely eschewing her top sheet for sleep. Turns out she's just continental! Guess reading Topsy and Tim stories does more than introduce her to different vocabulary--it actually makes her use less American things the right way instinctively (despite her mother's ignorance)! ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65061194422582672852012-08-13T15:58:28.155+01:002012-08-13T15:58:28.155+01:00The "y" in "dyne" is pronounce...The "y" in "dyne" is pronounced something like the German "u-with-an-umlaut", so, as Autolycus implies, the Australian "doona" is probably derived from the Scandinavian "dyne".<br /><br />Kate (Derby, UK)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com