Don't Lose Any Sleep . . .

We all value our sleep and the quality is important. Although it is almost spring, nights will be cool for months to come - and that poses a unique problem in our house. I do not like the heat on at night, so it gets very chilly. On a cold morning a few months ago when my husband complained to me, “I can’t take it any more,” I knew I had a problem to solve.

I am a restless sleeper, tossing and turning all night. My husband pretty much stays in one spot, with maybe a turn or two. I kick up the duvet when I toss about - It lets in cold air and my husband wakes up from the chill. He basically told me he couldn’t handle it one night more and after 32 winters together, he has taken it long enough.

My Valentine's Day card kind of sums it up . . .


Okay, a problem to solve and solve fast. We sleep with just a bottom sheet and the duvet on top. We don't use the top sheet, mainly because I get tangled in it when I toss and turn! Now, he wanted his own covers by bedtime. Really? We had a nice queen-size organic cotton duvet cover and a really good quality duvet – what was I to do? 

The first thought was to go out and get us both twin-size duvets and covers.  But I knew that they would really be too big side-by-side on a queen size bed.

So, I took a big leap and said, “I will cut our duvet and cover in half and make two small sets.”  My husband could have his own cover and keep warm while I toss about all night. We were willing to risk that I may have to take a run to the home store before bedtime if it didn’t work. 

With a bit of hesitation I got out the sewing machine and began to cut a down-filled comforter in half. Well, first I stitched down the middle . . .

The duvet with ziz-zag stitching on the cut seam.

That was an essential step to avoid losing too many feathers. Then I decided to sew another row close-by so that I could cut down the center of both rows of stitching. Yes, there were many feathers that escaped and I was happy that I made the decision to cut the duvet outside. After cutting down the middle, I went back and sewed the cut sides again with a zig-zag stitch, folding over the fabric a bit. It worked!!

The winter linens with the two duvets side-by-side on the queen bed

Cutting and sewing the cover was a lot easier and the job was soon done. Now it was time to try out the finished product. 

At first I thought I would not be warm enough because the entire duvet was no bigger than the size of a sleeping bag. But it worked great and both of us are much happier – my husband stays warm and I do not disrupt his sleep and the bonus is that I have less bedding to deal with as I toss about.

When summer approaches I hope he doesn’t want me to cut our beautiful bamboo coverlet in half too. At least during the warm months there is no cold air to let in when I kick it up!

Summer bed linens