BEDS & BED LINEN
BED SPREADS
For centuries,
sumptuous bedspreads, coverlets and quilts have been important elements of
bedroom furnishing. Crimson silk worked with gold thread was the stuff of royal
fourteenth- century quilts; Henry VIII's bed also boasted splendid covers
quilted in gold and silver; humbler Tudor households made do with embroidered
linen and serviceable woolen blankets. Washable, brightly printed Indian chintz
bedspreads, known as “palampores”, were first seen on European beds over 300
years ago and were imported from Madras by the East India Company; contemporary
regal four posters, however, favored more elaborate bedspreads of damask and
velvet.
Marriage quilts
were something special- Victorian girls would spend years stitching their own -
and in colonial America, betrothed girls would be expected to stitch at least
twelve everyday quilts as well as a marriage quilt for a trousseau. Styles,
colors and fabrics Bedspread fashions may come and go but for cottage and attic
bedrooms a traditional patchwork quilt teamed with a simple iron, pine, or
painted bedstead is a recipe for success.
Grand, more formal beds can take a
dressed-up patchwork quilt. A frilled or pleated valance showing below gives a
variety of different effects. The fabric could echo or contrast with colors in
the quilt, bedhead, window dressing or upholstery fabrics. Quilts and
bedspreads in children's rooms in pastel-colored fine cotton prints with embroidered angles edges look enchanting appliqued with alphabet or animal motifs.
For more unusual applique inspiration, say, in an Edwardian-style
child's bedroom, Kate Green away's characters would also look appropriate worked
in typically muted grey-greens, blues, cream and terracotta. Lace and crochet
bedspreads always look feminine and pretty, providing a soft, glamorous
contrast to sturdy brass and iron bedsteads.
BEDS & BED LINEN fortunately, it is not
hard to find new versions of authentic nineteenth-century lace designs as these
are still being made. A fine white or cream voile or lace 'overspread' with a
gathered skirt can cover an existing chintz quilt for an exciting new look and
give added protection at the same time. Throw over bedspreads consisting of a
simple hemmed sheet are useful in informal bedroom schemes and are quick and
easy to make.
For grander beds
needing a more luxurious, finished look throw overs can be quilted and lined
with a complementary coordinating fabric in a tiny geometric print. Alternate
bed covers according to the season with a heavy quilt for winter warmth and a
light cotton cover for the summer. A tailored bedspread with a paneled or
pleated skirt lends dressed-up dignity to a four poster.
In one-room apartments
and spare bedrooms the bed needs to blend in unobtrusively as part of a seating
arrangement. Suitable fabrics here could be a plain linen union or cotton pattern
or paisley prints in sophisticated burgundy, navy, charcoal and bottle green
will also work well. To add interesting detail, pick out the piping and pleats
in a fabric to match the curtains and upholstery.
