The supper dishes are done but my article for April isn't, so of course I have something else I need to blog about.
When I was young, my mother taught me to make a bed. There was only one right way to make a bed, like this. Lay down the spread, fold it back at the north end, lay two pillows down, cover the pillows with the folded-back spread.
About a month ago we bought a secondhand bed-in-a-bag set. It's pretty and all, but the spread just won't fit. It isn't nearly long enough to make a bed the proper way. And I know I don't have it turned the wrong way, because there's this piping all around except for one edge which of course would go at the head of the bed.
Yesterday I was leafing through the JCPenney catalog that came in the mail and I discovered something. NONE of the beds were made in the old way that Mom taught me. Instead, they all looked like this, with a vast army of pillows set up at the head, and the spread folded funny just to the south.
Is everyone making their beds like this, and I missed the memo? Or is this just the catalog way and no real people actually do it like that?
Help me out here if you know.
I haven't seen people fold their comforter over their pillows in a long time. I remember my great-grandmother did her beds that way and I thought it was really cool.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a conspiracy to make us buy more stuff. Instead of having enough comforter to cover our pillows, we have to buy extra pillows and put "shams" on them. :)
Generally speaking, bedspreads are made large enough to cover your pillows, comforters generally don't do as well. Bedspreads do better because they are thinner and fold nicer, while comforters can be poofy and not lay as nice.
I find it comforting(no pun intended) to know that someone still makes their bed that way. I've always liked it.
I make my bed the old-fashioned way--with only one pillow! I am not an advocate of superfluous pillows. But I don't know what is the politically correct way to make a bed...I just know what works for me!
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered what people DO with all those pillows when they want to actually use the bed. When I use a quilt, I use the old fashioned way. Quilts often have an extra design that only shows up properly if you drape them over the pillows. But comforters that are too short just get one pillow and sham to cover the short end. I have to admit, it is an easier way to fix the bed.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the difference between a bedspread or quilt (light) and a comfortor (thick). If you have bedspread, of course you cover the pillows to keep the dust off your pillow and to keep the cat from sleeping where you plan to put your face. If you have a comforter, it's just too thick to do that...(keep the cat out and turn your pillow over before you lay your head down??
ReplyDeleteWe also made our beds the first way you described when I was at home, and I think what the others already said is true. The comforters are to puffy to do that,and also not long enough. I just bought a bed in a bag with all the extras, so now I've also resoerted to the J.C.Penney way! (Bute we don't have a cat in the house!)
ReplyDeleteThey just don't make comforters long enough to do the fold over the pillow thing - which is what I did at home when I was young. But, we also had a bedspread and not a comforter.
ReplyDeleteI think whether you fold down the top of your comforter has to do with whether or not you have pretty and coordinating sheets and blankets to show! :-) I cover my pillows with my comforter if the sheets don't match that well and then place the shams on top at an angle - or if the sheets match I put them on top - leaning against the wall and then put the shams in front of them. I don't do throw pillows - who has time?
I haven't folded a bed like that for years and frankly I like the new way it's much simpler. But when I by a bed spread I just buy two shams along with the spread and not all the extra pillows. You don't really need all the extra's to make your bed look nice.
ReplyDeleteYes, the way we learned is "old school" but it's still the way I prefer to make a bed. Unfortunately, the newer spreads do not allow this option. They're simply not long enough. So I've gone with the multiple-pillows-at-the-head-of-the-bed look.
ReplyDeleteNot ALL changes are for the better, in my book :-)
I changed to the new format for bed-making several years ago, since I ran into the same issue. The only problem is hubby would never adjust. He actually hid the pillows (I found them later under the bed) so he didn't have to move the mountain to go to sleep. So now we are not very pretty. only functional, but he's happier, so that is that!
ReplyDeleteI cover our 2 pillows with the comforter to prevent them from becoming totally covered with long white dog hair. I SO hate to breathe in dog hair all night:)
ReplyDeleteHowever, we're a bit strange--my hubby likes to use the foot of our bed as the head of the bed so the pillows go there. Looks odd but he likes it.
Blessings, aimee
I totally understand using the foot as the head...It's a claustrophobia thing. if I sleep with my head at the head, then I scoot way down almost until my feet are dangling off.
ReplyDeleteWe don't even put on a comfortor/spread in warm weather. What do you do with it when you sleep? If you fold top back, your body is too warm, and if you do like my mom suggests and fold it back across the bottom of the bed, your feet are too hot. I have to sleep with my feet uncovered, so I don't even like to have a sheet tucked in....
Guess we all have our idiosyncracies!!
Now that you started a whole debate over how to cover a bed, let me ask about kitchens. They said that a presentable kitchen should be devoid of clutter: that means less of those kitchen equipment like toasters, etc. on the counters. My kitchen would never be featured on any magazine as an example of 'rich' and 'elegant'. Mine would be all practical and messy.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this speaks the same about my bed. Out of habit and practicality, I cover it the same way you do, Dorcas. As much as I love pillows (the smaller neck-kind only), having these other frivolous, non-essentials just aren't my cup of tea. Imagine the added laundering to be done.
One more thing: it's Spring but I still need the comforter and the flannel sheets. I'm sick of it already! Can't wait for bedspread season!