CHOOSING THE PERFECT QUILT OR DOONA
Choosing the perfect quilt or doona, for you and your family can be an easy and rewarding experience if you follow the simple guidelines below.
Ensuring your family sleep comfortably and well goes a long way to ensuring everyone in your home is happy and healthy.
The most important things to consider when choosing a quilt or Doona include:
- Quilt Size
- Quilt Warmth
- Quilt Weight
- Quilt Loft
- Budget
- Quilt Durability
- Special Needs
Let’s have a closer look at each one of these in turn, along with some other information you might find useful.
QUILT SIZE
One of the first things to look at when shopping for a new quilt is the size of the quilt. There’s no point buying the perfect quilt if it’s sized for a single bed and you have a king bed.
Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Just be careful. Australian standard quilt sizes are different than many other counties, so it’s best to check carefully if the quilts you’re looking at are imported or have been made in Australia for export.
QUILT WARMTH
The warmth of quilts is probably the number 1 consideration to most people shopping for a new quilt or doona
In other countries, such as the UK, they use standardised rating systems, such as TOG, which is the measure of thermal resistance, also known as thermal insulance.
In Australia, quilts are given a more simple warmth rating, such as 1, 2, and 3, along with a description about the warmth of the quilt and the season it’s most suitable for. For example, a quilt may have a warmth rating of 3, and or a description such as high warmth, most suitable for winter.
Tontine quilts feature both a numerical warmth rating, warmth description and season suitability guide to make the warmth of the quilt clear and selecting the perfect quilt simple.
As part of checking that your new quilt has the correct warmth for you, it’s also worth checking the construction of the quilt, including the stitching, to make sure that the warmth of the quilt is evenly distributed across the quilt, and that with a little use, all of that warmth won’t be contained in one of the corners of the quilt because all of the filling has bunched over to one side and one end of the quilt.
The way quilts are made, filled and stitched (e.g. box stitched quilts, diamond stitched quilts, cloud stitched quilts, etc.) are specifically designed to ensure even warmth distribution.
Seasonality often comes into play when we’re considering the ideal warmth of a quilt, which is why quilts come in different warmth ratings in the first place. For maximum comfort throughout the year, it’s often best to change the quilt on your bed to suit the particular seasons you’re in, such as changing from a winter warmth quilt to a summer warmth quilt, or an all seasons warmth quilt at the beginning of spring.
If that’s not the right option for you, go for an all seasons quilt and in winter you can use an extra blanket on top of your quilt on those extra cold nights.
QUILT WEIGHT
In addition to the warmth of a quilt, the weight of the quilt can be an important consideration.
Some people love to snuggle under the weight of a heavy quilt because it makes them feel comfortable and secure. Others prefer light and fluffy quilts that feel as light as a sheet.
The common mistake made here is to assume that a winter warmth quilt is heavy, and a summer quilt or all seasons quilt is automatically going to be light.
When choosing the right quilt for you, be sure to check both the warmth rating and the quilt weight to make sure you find the perfect quilt for you.
Again, all Tontine quilts feature both the warmth rating and quilt weight to make it simple and easy to find the perfect quilt for you and your family.
QUILT LOFT
Quilt loft refers to how high a quilt sits, and is more of an interior design consideration than a functional consideration, because it affects how fluffy and luxurious a quilt looks on the bed, rather than how it performs.
For those that love the look of a fluffy luxurious quilt, look for a quilt described as a high loft quilt, or superior loft quilt, and chances are you’ll find the quilt you’re looking for.
BUDGET
The golden rule when it comes to buying a new quilt for yourself or someone you love, is the same as when you’re buying a new pillow; “buy the best quilt you can afford”.
Good quality sleep plays a vital role in ensuring we all lead happy, healthy lives, and along with the mattress you sleep on and the quality of your pillow, your quilt plays a key role in determining how comfortable you are throughout the night so is an important factor affecting your quality of sleep.
The things that most effect the price you pay for your new quilt is the type and quality of materials it’s made from, and where it’s made.
Some materials are more expensive than others, for example feather and down quiltsand Australian wool quilts are usually more expensive than cotton and polyester quilts.
And even among quilts made with the same type of material, there can be quality differences. For example, not all polyester fibres have the same specifications and treatments.
Where a quilt is made can also affect its price. For example, generally Australian madequilts are often a little more expensive than fully imported quilts, and more often than not, the increased price reflects a better quality of construction and grade of material used.
Despite most of Tontine’s quilts being made in Australia, Tontine quilts represent great value for money, and with such a wide range on offer, you’re sure to find a Tontine quilt or Tontine Doona® that suits almost any budget.
QUILT DURABILITY
Often, but not always, related to the price of a new quilt is the durability of that quilt.
Durable quilts are often those made from superior materials, hence the common link with the price of the quilt.
The material type, in addition to the material quality, used to make a quilt usually has a direct link with how durable a quilt is, but so too is how well you care for your new quilt.
A good quality quilt should last for years with normal use and regular care. Regarding care, some quilts are machine washable, while others can only be dry cleaned. If you wash your quilts regularly, you may want to look specifically for a machine washable quilt.
SPECIAL NEEDS
In addition to all the considerations listed above, you may also need to consider other things, which we call “special needs”. Special needs relate specifically to your circumstances and preferences, and include things like whether you or someone in your family suffer from allergies and asthma, whether your child is transitioning from sleeping in a cot to a bed for the first time, etc.
In each of these examples, there are quilts designed to cater to these special needs, as well as all the other quilt choice considerations there are.
For example, the fibres used in making Anti Allergy quilts are coated with an anti-microbial treatment that inhibits the growth of bacteria, as well as mould and dust mites, which are known triggers of allergies and asthma. What’s more, Tontine Anti Allergy quilts are approved by the National Asthma Council of Australia.
If you have young or growing children, consider choosing a quilt from the Tontine Kids quilt range.
QUILT MATERIAL OPTIONS
As mentioned above, the materials used to construct a quilt can have a bearing on its price, but most of the time people choose a quilt made out of one material or another because of the characteristics that each material brings to the functionality of the quilt.
Here’s some basic information about the different materials used to make quilts and what the benefits of each are.
Cotton is a natural material which is valued for its quality, comfort, durability and softness. Cotton is generally considered to be much cooler than some of the other quilt materials because it tends to be thinner, lighter and breathes easily.
Polyester is very popular for making quilts because it is very efficient at retaining heat, is very light and durable, and can be coated with anti-bacterial and anti-microbial treatments that make them ideal for allergy and asthma sufferers.
Polyester quilts are also easy to care for, are machine washable, and quilts made with very think microfibre can mimic the warmth and feel of a much more expensive feather and down quilt.
Some Tontine quilts combine the polyester filling with pure cotton covers to take advantage of the benefits of both.
Wool Quilts
Wool fibres are natural and biodegradable, and wool makes a wonderful filling for quilts because wool helps our body to regulate its own temperature by absorbing body moisture and eliminating humidity so you don’t feel hot and clammy during the warmer months. Wool fibres also trap air keeping you warmer in winter.
Down has the best thermal properties of any natural fibre, and is very light and fluffy, so you get the warmth without the weight.
Feather and down quilts are very soft, light and fluffy, so look wonderful on the bed, if you’re into interior design and decoration.
Feather and down quilts are usually much more expensive than quilts made with other materials and are generally dry clean only.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, choosing the right quilt for you and your loved ones isn’t as straight forward as making sure it fits your bed.
And although there are quite a few factors to consider, the investment in choosing the right quilt and buying the right one for you, will pay off in terms of providing years of great night’s sleep.
For the perfect quilt or Doona, and comfort you can trust, the only choice is Tontine.