Apiphobic Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I remember reading some WTM'ers rave about their duvets and how they'll never go back. Something about it being easier without the sheets getting all tangled up? I must admit I've never gone without sheets. I feel like I haven't lived! It's time to experience the whirlwind romance with the duvet! But, but ... now to the nitty gritty details. Duvet covers? That means I'll need a down comforter? No sheets? But I'll need a fitted sheet? Ummm, help please? Has anybody ever gone the duvet way and decided it just wasn't meant to be? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 We've used down comforters with duvet covers for years. The cover protects the comforter and is much easier to wash than the comforter. We have always used a top sheet with our duvet. It's a lot easier to take a sheet off the bed, wash it, and put it back on than it is to wrestle a duvet cover off a comforter, wash the duvet cover, and then wrest the comforter back into the cover. You would have to wash the duvet cover as frequently as you would wash a top sheet. The only downside I can think of to using a top sheet with a duvet is that the duvet tends to slide around a little at night. This has never been much of a problem for us, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbac Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Duvet user here, but I would never even dream of giving up my top sheet! It never even crossed my mind, and it's never been a problem. I don't do anything differently than when I used a comforter. I agree with Claire about the washing. Not using a top sheet would mean I'd be wrangling that cover off ever time I change sheets. No thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Use top sheet here too. One suggestion is to buy the clips for the corners and the comforter will stay in place. Otherwise, it gets all in a ball and has to be readjusted daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in Toronto Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Long time duvet user here. We use a down duvet with cotton covers (as do our children). In the past, we have gone without a top sheet (just fitted sheet and duvet cover) and our children continue to do so. So we just use a fitted sheet plus the duvet and cover. I don't find it a big deal to put on the cover (maybe it's years of practice) so swapping it out isn't a problem. The big advantage is that it's a lot easier to make the bed in the morning, especially for the kids. Just shake the duvet and arrange the pillows. Currently, we're using a top sheet because I bought a bed set with a really nice embroidered top sheet so we decided to shake things up a little (in the bedroom, no less, LOL!) and use it. Our covers are always 100% cotton sheeting-weight fabric so it's not a lot of extra laundry. In fact, I have sometimes made duvet covers from flat sheets if I couldn't find a cover to match my sheets. In the summer, we switch out to a top sheet and cotton quilt for a couple of months when the down is too hot, but I'm in Canada so that doesn't last too long! I can't imagine going back to sheets and blankets again. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Use top sheet here too. One suggestion is to buy the clips for the corners and the comforter will stay in place. Otherwise, it gets all in a ball and has to be readjusted daily. OK, what are the clips you're talking about? The thing I don't like about duvet covers is that the comforter is never where it is supposed to be. I just don't have the patience for badly behaved comforters! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 OK, what are the clips you're talking about? The thing I don't like about duvet covers is that the comforter is never where it is supposed to be. I just don't have the patience for badly behaved comforters!Cindy They are clips that go inside the four corners of the cover, basically clipping the comforter corner to the inside of the cover corner. I have seen duvet covers at Overstock that feature ties inside the corners, but I'm not sure how those work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kids4me Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I could never ever in a million bijillion years imagine using a top sheet with my duvet! Different strokes for different folks, I guess. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference between a duvet and a comforter? We have down duvets in winter and synthetic fibre in summer. We use only a duvet cover - as the top sheet always gets tangled. My parents insist on a top sheet. Hannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I could never ever in a million bijillion years imagine using a top sheet with my duvet! Different strokes for different folks, I guess. :D me too! Plus, we also have two down comforters on our king size bed. That way, dh has his coevers and I have mine! I love never fighting over the covers! my kids all use the duvets and covers too. love it!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I use our duvet with comforter as a bedspread, and it's put away now because it's too much bother. It's never gotten cold enough for me in NC to sleep under our down comforter, even the summer weight one we got when we moved here. I have put a light blanket inside the duvet cover, but it's still too hot for summer here. I need to have some covers to feel comfortable while I'm sleeping, so I always have a sheet and a light blanket in summer, slightly heavier light blanket in the winter. Hannah, I think what we're referring to as a duvet is a cover you put your comforter inside - it keeps the comforter clean and you can switch the fabric to suit your mood. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Hannah, I think what we're referring to as a duvet is a cover you put your comforter inside - it keeps the comforter clean and you can switch the fabric to suit your mood. :) Ah! Thanks Beth. We call a comforter (the plain fabric bag with filling inside), the duvet and the cover is a duvet cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I'll add my 2 cents, even though you've gotten lots of other good replies. First, a duvet cover is kind of like a big pillowcase for your comforter/blanket. A duvet cover (vs. a comforter or bedspread) is easier in that it fits in a washer better (easier to clean more frequently), is cheaper (esp. if you want more than one, so you can change out styles), and is easier to keep clean overall (ability to wash it more frequently -- great when you have pets that sleep on the beds too or if you have allergies!). You use a 'duvet' inside the duvet cover & it's often a down blanket (or that's what people will refer to). But, it's plenty hot where we live & we never have need of a down blanket. Ikea, for one, sells lighter-weight duvets. They even have one that is a combo set of 2 blankets that snap together -- there is a light-weight one & a medium-weight one; if you have both snapped together, it's great for winter, use the med-wt. one alone in fall or spring, and the light-wt one alone in summer. Here is one of the ones they have: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80129235 Comforter clips are a must, imo, to hold the duvet in place inside the cover. Otherwise, as someone else said, the duvet ends up bunching up inside the cover. I bought the clips at Bed, Bath, & Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=10313465 For a king size cover, I would recommend getting 2 packs of clips (for 8 clips total). For twin/single sizes, a single pack of clips is sufficient. As for top sheet or no top sheet... In my experience, duvets w/ their covers do not come down as far over the sides of the beds as a traditional bedspread would. (So, make sure when buying a duvet to get a duvet, not a regular bedspread or blanket -- that way you can ensure the cover will fit properly.) Therefore, when making the bed, you need to make sure that the top sheet is tucked in well so it doesn't hang out longer than the duvet. Since that gets trickier for kids, I find it easier just to give them a fitted sheet & the duvet -- no top sheet. That way, making up the bed involves spreading out the duvet or folding it in half & laying it on the bed -- no sheet tucking issues to worry about. We (the adults) do have a top sheet on our bed, though I may ditch it soon for us too. When we were in Italy earlier this year, they used duvets in the place we were staying. Instead of a king size duvet, they had two twin sizes on the bed. This is a great solution if one person is hogging the covers all the time, lol. :D They made up the bed by folding the twin sized duvets in half & laying them at the foot of the bed. No top sheet there either. So, that's another option to consider. One last thing, for those that are handy/seamstress types, you can stitch up your own duvet cover using 2 flat sheets in the size you need. Stitch 3 of the sides together & part of the 4th side (leaving enough of an opening to put the duvet in). Across the opening, you could add small ribbons, buttons, snaps, or velcro to close as needed. I love using duvets & wouldn't consider going back to a regular bedspread. Hope all my rambling helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Duvet user with covers. I use a top sheet for master bed and DD's bed. My 4 boys get tangled in the top sheet, so they just use the duvets with covers.....which means I have to wash their covers more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 The ties are ribbons sewn into the seam on the inside of each of the four corners of the duvet cover. You bunch up about 2 inches of the corner if the comforter, and tie it into the corner of the duvet cover with the ribbons. Another option is to tack (sew) a little plastic ring on each corner of the comforter, and tie the duvet ribbons to the ring. That eliminates the bulk of the comforter bunched up in the corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Oh, it just doesn't seem civilized *not* to use a top sheet, regardless of what kind of cover goes on top, lol. There will always be top sheets in my house:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted May 4, 2008 Author Share Posted May 4, 2008 Thank you to all who responded, especially for clarifying about duvets, duvet covers, top sheets, et al. I was really looking forward to trying this whole new duvet experience, but it sounds like it'd be too warm unless I looked for those lighter-weight covers. I'm not anywhere near an IKEA, and I'm a little leery about choosing colors online. They don't always look like it appears on the screen. Plus I kinda wanted to see and feel it before I bought it. So ... it's back to the drawing board. Thanks again for educating this newbie in virgin linen territory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted May 23, 2008 Author Share Posted May 23, 2008 Thank you all again for your help! I bit the bullet and bought the combo duvet from Ikea that Stacia recommended. I finally decided on this duvet cover because of its reviews even though I wish there'd been more color choices. Then I checked out consumersearch.com for their reviews on sheets and ventured over to the Garnet Hill website to check out their selection. Now it feels like I'm in some fancy hotel when I go to bed, and I love it! Oh, I also got those clips, so many thanks for sharing that tip as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancypants Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 We use sheets, blankets and a duvet... well, we used a duvet when we had a Queen size bed but couldn't afford a new one when we got our King size. But I would prefer the feather duvet. It's cold here so much that we have a top sheet, two blankets and a comforter. When we had the duvet we just had a cover for it that we got at Ikea. Without the cover, one time as I was falling asleep I actually inhaled a feather that was sticking out and just about croaked! Freaked the heck out of me. So there are probably plenty of other reasons to have a cover (like cleanliness) but for me it's cause I don't want to die of feather inhalation. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 We've used down comforters with duvet covers for years. The cover protects the comforter and is much easier to wash than the comforter. We have always used a top sheet with our duvet. It's a lot easier to take a sheet off the bed, wash it, and put it back on than it is to wrestle a duvet cover off a comforter, wash the duvet cover, and then wrest the comforter back into the cover. You would have to wash the duvet cover as frequently as you would wash a top sheet. The only downside I can think of to using a top sheet with a duvet is that the duvet tends to slide around a little at night. This has never been much of a problem for us, though. :iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sena Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I saw on HGTV you can also use large safety pins instead of clips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 They are clips that go inside the four corners of the cover, basically clipping the comforter corner to the inside of the cover corner. I have seen duvet covers at Overstock that feature ties inside the corners, but I'm not sure how those work. I just used big safety pins, pinned inside the corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bess Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 When we were in Europe, I noticed the place we stayed had duvets with duvet covers and *no* top sheets. They would fold the duvets in half vertically, and lay them on top of the bed. Even on the queen beds, they would have two duvets, and both would be folded vertically laying next to each other. Very interesting! My only beef with a duvet and no top sheet... I like to wash my sheets often especially with our dog, so I would think it would be a pain to have to take the cover off of the duvet so often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference between a duvet and a comforter? Hannah Isn't a comforter the fluffy thing similar to a duvet but made of patterned fabric and never intended to have a cover? While a duvet is usually white/off-white and needs a patterned cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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