Bedding - Duvets or Blankets?

[smudge]

In the 'olden days', we used to use sheets, blankets & bedspreads on the beds, but have been using duvets & sheets for years now. Just wondering what your preferences are these days?

[Ethel]

Sheets, blankets, and eiderdown.

I like the weight, and the choice of how many blankets.

[B00]

Urgh to blankets!!!

When I was a kid my gran provided us with old itchy army blankets and they were horrible!

[maggie01]

I used to like the eiderdown and blankets, but then I didn't have to make the bed. Much easier with duvet and sheets.

[shaneystar2]

I remember years ago when I was first married and went to live in Germany ..I had never seen a duvet and had no idea what they were having been brought up with sheets blankets and a thick eiderdown.
Every morning Mum-in-law would throw the duvets over the window sill to air and when you went down the street all the flats and houses had them hanging off the balconies or window sills weather permitting.I think this is because they were all feather duvets in the days before the synthetic ones .
I brought one home for my own Mum and she never ever used it ! In fact it was still in it's wrapping when we sorted out her things after she died.
I love the warmth of a feather and down duvet in the winter which is what we have but cannot stand these synthetic ones which make me sweat for some reason.In the summer I just have cotton sheets and a throw thingy in case it turns cool of a night.

[meltoadhall]

duvet and fitted sheet everytime.
i grew up with the blankets and the eiderdown days and they kept you warm growing up in the frozen north with no central heating or double glazing, but dont really need them now

[smudge]

Firstly, thank you for your warm welcome IAP - nice to be able to pop in now & again. Glad you've been keeping the bed warm for me!!!! Loved all your stories too.

We also use fitted bottom sheets & duvets nowadays.

I don't think I could ever go back to the days of sheets & scratchy blankets either! I can still remember the utility labels on our old grey ones & when it was really, really, freezing cold, along with frost on the windows, we used to put big overcoats on top of the eiderdowns!

Fortunately, there were lots of children in our house, so we all use to snuggle up together, lots of feet sharing a couple of water bottles to keep warm. Also had a black ornate paraffin heater & used to fall asleep whilst watching the lovely patterns flickering on the ceiling from it! Those were the days!

(Incidentally, I was born in 1947 too IAP)!

[spudqueen]

Yes we had blankets and bedspreads when I was little and I used to like the weight of them then but don't think I could stand it now. We too have a fitted bottom sheet and a nice feather duvet. It's so light yet so warm.

[WendyS]

Having been brought up with layers of blankets I couldn't imagine that just one duvet would ever keep me warm enough, being a chilly mortal. But the first night we slept under a duvet in somebody else's house I was hooked. Bedmaking is so much simpler, and I find the bedroom is far less dusty now wool fibres don't shed all over the floor. But our first purchase was a 13.5 tog. It was so hot that we couldn't sleep a wink. Now we go all through the winter with a lightweight summer 4.5 tog duvet. (thanks to a combination of central heating and global warming).

[smudge]

Yes, how times have changed for the better - on the bedding side at least!

We also made the mistake of buying a 13.5 tog to begin with, but combined with the central heating, found it much too hot & stifling! We then tried a 10.5 tog which was also too hot for us! We now use a 4.5 all year round - much, much better! zzzzzzzz

[xx cutie xx]

smudge you're back! i've been looking out for you for ages! not sure if you remember me but i posted a question about wolf parkinson white a while back? was wanting to ask you some questions about heart ablation surgery.

[jproximo]

i prefer cardboard and a bit of bubble wrap if i'm lucky enough to stumble upon some!

[Carakeel]

Duvet and sheets at night, nice bedspread over the top during the day. My partner to cuddle up to makes it all perfect!!! :o)

[smudge]

Back again - thank you for all your answers.

I don't think I could handle sleeping between cardboard & bubble wrap jp, but if you're getting to use a pc, I bet you have a nice comfy bed too!

Hi IAP - approaching 60 can be quite daunting, but not if you don't look it - like you & me, he, he!

Mine's 16 Aug 2007!!!!

[bancodegaia]

Smudge, how cool is that - you turned into a fossil (30) on the exact day Elvis snuffed it!

[smudge]

I know banco, I was dreading reaching 30 (& not being in my 20's any more), then Elvis died on that very day 16 Aug 77!

I cried when I heard the sad news about him & cried when I blew the 30 candles out!

Can't believe that was all 29 years ago!

[moon_unit]

I dont even know what an eiderdown is! p.s Is being born in the eighties a good excuse?

[KARL]

I am apparently older than everyone in this thread so far and it does not worry me a bit. Apart from occasionally suffering in other people's beds, from birth I have always slept under a duvet/downie (or whatever it might be called), and always accompanied by central heating (sometimes airconditioning) except when away from home (temporary or permanent). Yes, always containing down (swan, goose, duck - rarely eider), not feather at all, and therefore very light, I/we find the synthetic ones very disappointing. Always a single and my wife (and girlfriends before that) has her own single - no adverse affect on love life, contrary to popular myth. They have all been the same grade/weight, I have no idea what a tog is and I don't know who really does does, so far as I can tell - apparently a very loose term and not really relevant to the insulating qualities which after all is what matters. I have slept under mine on a work assignment (we take them with us on such occasions) where the overnight temperature in the room dropped to freezing - I only found out when I got out of bed ! Our sons will not consider anything else and sometimes insisted on taking theirs with them when visiting friends (more comfortable than sleeping bags). If it is warm in the room then you simply dangle a leg or arm - until it passes the point to where a simple sheet will do (not applicable for those who always sleep completely covered, including the face), but please no blanket - the two slide around independently and being trapped under tucked bedding is for me intolerable.