Bedding, no not plants

[Florence Fennel]

I've just been changing the bed (don't know if that's what you call it, suppose if you're posher than me it's changing the bed linen (even if it's not) and I got to thinking, like you do, about bedding while I was fighting with the duvet. When I was younger, my bedding consisted of sheets, pillows, blankets, eiderdown and on freezing nights sometimes, a fur coat. Then my mum went all modern and I was given a "Continental Quilt". My mum had a counterpane. My granny had a patchwork quilt. Do you remember nylon fitted sheets? Ooh I'm away with the fairies now, sorry

[Florence Fennel]

I never had a vallance or a throw, but I did have to sleep with my 2 sisters in a double bed until they married and left home! I'll shut up now.

[WendyC]

We had some lilac and purple nylon fitted sheets- horrible. Also remember some cotton sheets which had half inch wide pastel stripes. There's a series on tv at the moment BBC4 "If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home. They did the bedroom last week and had a lady from Habitat who had to demonstrate how to use a duvet them. I remember getting my first one. Mid 70s?

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Wendy. We had candy striped flannelette sheets. I've still got one! My children always called it the "poorly blanket" because it came downstairs to cover them up on the sofa when they were ill. It's wearing a bit thin now, but I doubt I'll ever part with it. The only dusters my mother ever used were old flannelette sheets that had worn so thin she could tear them up. My eldest sister was quite well off and would only use white linen sheets. My mum called them "hospital" sheets and she would spend hours helping to iron them.

Oh and I remember having a bolster pillow that we took on holiday with us when I was little so I could sleep with my brother with the bolster down the middle

[Aberdeenplotter]

I think the expression changing the bed may well have its roots in agricultural history. The farm employess would be housed in accomodation next to the stable which in our neck of the woods was called the chalmer(probably local dialect for chamber) and the bed would be a wooden bench with a mattress which was no more than a large jute sack filled with the chaff after the oat(corn up here)sheaves were threshed and the grain separated from the straw(and chalf). When the bed went flat, the chaff would be replaced at the next threshing of grain. Hence, changing the bed.

[Aberdeenplotter]

employess = employees not the female version

[Bren In Pots]

Hi Wendy. We had candy striped flannelette sheets. I've still got one!

Snap we've still got a couple of them and they get used for dust sheets when we're decorating.

I remember those nylon sheets you'd turn over in bed and all the covers would follow you

[Glutton4...]

Aaaah! Memories!

My Nan and Grandad had Bolster pillows, and one went down the middle of the double bed in the spare room, so my sister and I didn't kick each other in the night. I also remember candy striped flannelette sheets, and eiderdowns. At home we had a hot water bottle each, but at Nan and Grandad's we had a Leccy blanket! They did used to spoil us - perhaps that's why we never wanted to come home!

I am a confirmed Duvet lover now, though. We usually change the cover together, as it's far easier; do the top corners, then anchor your corner with one foot, whilst doing the bottom corners. Then, remove foot, hold both your corners, one in each hand, and shake it out. Simple. It takes me forever on my own.

[scarey55]

I have continental quilts these days because they are so easy but when I was a child, we used to have sheets and blankets and eiderdowns and counterpanes, as my Grannie used to call them. My mum used to take the bottom sheets for washing and then put the top sheet on the bottom - that way, she only had to wash one sheet from each bed at a time. Well, there were 4 of us children so she had 5 beds to change and wash and those days washing and drying wasn't as easy as it is now!

[Florence Fennel]

Remember that well Scarey, I am the youngest of nine children, so there were plenty of beds to change and no automatic washing machines, so top sheet to the bottom and bottom for the wash was the same in our house. Infection control? Hah! My grandparents had a coal fire in their bedroom, but they didn't light it very often.

[Jeanied]

Ooh yes I remember the top to bottom thing too!
I made my own first duvet from grandma's old eiderdown. I think it may still be somewhere in the loft!
I have given up on duvets now though, because I am always too hot with them.
I am a sucker for crisp cotton sheets - ironed or line dried and folded carefully and aired to avoid ironing!
And my latest luxury is linen sheets - also linen and cotton mixed. Beautiful - I get the best sleep with these! And as it gets colder I add cotton quilts on top, and blankets and finally throws - layered up till I am comfy!

[Florence Fennel]

Dare I ask if you had a jerry under your bed?

[Hilary B]

It was always normal to put the top sheet to bottom, and wash the bottom sheet, not only to reduce the bulk of washing, but also because that way 3 sheets per bed were enough (2 on the bed, 1 either in the wash, or freshly washed ready for next time).
I had nylon sheets for a while when I was perhaps 12. I can't imagine how I ever managed to sleep under them!

[Florence Fennel]

It was the static in the nylon sheets that I disliked, so they didn't last long. We went to a B & B in Bridlington a few years ago and when we were shown to the room and the bed had nylon fitted sheets we couldn't get out fast enough. Needless to say we looked for another B & B.

[cardiffsteve]

Yea nylon sheets dont mix with nylon knickers do they Flo?
too much static