In which I return a third duvet cover
This is not a post about food. We are still eating well around here, but I interrupt the cooking report to bring you news of my latest foray in home decor.
When we got married, nearly six years ago, my husband had a denim duvet cover. With green vines embroidered on it. And covered buttons. He liked it. I liked it. So it got to stay. And it stayed. And stayed. I have no idea how old it was.
Finally, over the past couple of years, the broadcloth backing on it began to split at the top (under our chins). Every time I shook out the duvet, it would split a bit further. And washing it didn't help matters any. The plus side was that it was easier to adjust the feather duvet inside the cover if it started slipping down inside.
I thought about using duct tape to keep it together. (I knew an elderly man from the Greatest Generation who did use duct tape on his sheets when they ripped, and because he epitomized the millionaire next door, it leant credence to his practice.) Except I didn't relish the thought of duct tape against my chin. Not at all.
I've been looking for a denim duvet cover to replace ours, well ever since we got married.
Folks, they don't make them like they used to. Truth be told, it is hard to find a denim duvet cover at all. And it had to be denim because, well, ahem...our two 50-pound rescue dogs do find themselves on the bed sometimes. And my husband lounges on top of the duvet. In his work clothes.
First, I used a gift card from Pottery Barn that we got as a wedding gift to order a matelasse duvet cover in a shade of blue that approximated denim. It ended up being more gray than blue. It was not denim at all. I liked it, but my husband didn't. I spent $15 to ship it back.
Then I tried a Calvin Klein duvet cover in midnight blue from Macy's. It was too dark. It looked almost black. Plus the fabric was kind of flimsy, even though it claimed to be denim. I was probably out shipping on that too, but Macy's gives you a prepaid shipping label so if I remember right it was only $6.95, or so.
I've googled "denim duvet cover" so many times, I'm surprised someone hasn't launched a new company specializing in nothing but denim duvets!
I finally decided, after months had passed, that I would order the "denim duvet" from The Company Store. This is not a company I was familiar with before, but it seemed like they carried quality products and I liked that they are manufacturing in the USA. Conveniently, they were offering a 25 percent discount and free shipping. So it was under $200. Still more than I wanted to spend, but I had to be realistic, duct tape being ruled out.
The said denim duvet arrived. I waited several days before opening it because I suspected it was not what I had in mind either.
And sure enough. It wasn't. I think it was described as smoke blue. Again, blue gray. (What is it with designers and shades of gray? There are more than fifty. I am not a fan of any of them in decorating.)
Disappointed, I spread out one pillow sham on top of our old duvet cover on the bed. And sighed. And thought to myself, "Fine, I guess I'll keep it." But it looked so drab. I wasn't about to paint the room and put in new carpet just because I'd changed the duvet cover. But it seemed like that might be required.
Why couldn't someone make a true blue denim duvet cover? Denim on both sides. With nice pillow shams.
Friday night, I told my husband, "You know, as soon as I settle on a duvet cover that I don't like, we'll find the perfect one at an estate sale."
He agreed, because he knows this happens. Quite often. Or we'll describe exactly what we are looking for to each other, and then go out early on Saturday, and it will be there: bookshelves, brand new mattress and box springs (Sterns & Foster!). You name it. There should be a German term for this phenomenon.We don't know one, so we attribute it to "the estate sale fairies."
Mind you, I don't see duvet covers at estate sales that often, much less denim ones (or I would have bought one already).
Do you know the next morning, at the second sale in South City, there was of all things, a heavy denim duvet cover and matching shams hanging in the closet, just back from the cleaners?
Ralph Lauren, hardly used. $20. Yes, that's right: twenty dollars.
And it was blue, not gray, not black. The pillow shams had ruffles. I was dubious about the ruffles, but my husband liked them. There were a lot of people at that sale so I would have felt funny about doing a happy dance.
Instead, I kept calm and carried that duvet cover to the "sold" table to hold while we finished looking around.
And when I got home that afternoon, I put the blue gray pillow sham back in the package and readied the third duvet cover for return. And the postage cost about $14.
Which I suppose brings my "new" $20 duvet cover and shams to a whopping $55.95. I'm ok with that.
When we got married, nearly six years ago, my husband had a denim duvet cover. With green vines embroidered on it. And covered buttons. He liked it. I liked it. So it got to stay. And it stayed. And stayed. I have no idea how old it was.
 |
| The original denim duvet cover (in better days) |
Finally, over the past couple of years, the broadcloth backing on it began to split at the top (under our chins). Every time I shook out the duvet, it would split a bit further. And washing it didn't help matters any. The plus side was that it was easier to adjust the feather duvet inside the cover if it started slipping down inside.
I thought about using duct tape to keep it together. (I knew an elderly man from the Greatest Generation who did use duct tape on his sheets when they ripped, and because he epitomized the millionaire next door, it leant credence to his practice.) Except I didn't relish the thought of duct tape against my chin. Not at all.
I've been looking for a denim duvet cover to replace ours, well ever since we got married.
Folks, they don't make them like they used to. Truth be told, it is hard to find a denim duvet cover at all. And it had to be denim because, well, ahem...our two 50-pound rescue dogs do find themselves on the bed sometimes. And my husband lounges on top of the duvet. In his work clothes.
First, I used a gift card from Pottery Barn that we got as a wedding gift to order a matelasse duvet cover in a shade of blue that approximated denim. It ended up being more gray than blue. It was not denim at all. I liked it, but my husband didn't. I spent $15 to ship it back.
Then I tried a Calvin Klein duvet cover in midnight blue from Macy's. It was too dark. It looked almost black. Plus the fabric was kind of flimsy, even though it claimed to be denim. I was probably out shipping on that too, but Macy's gives you a prepaid shipping label so if I remember right it was only $6.95, or so.
I've googled "denim duvet cover" so many times, I'm surprised someone hasn't launched a new company specializing in nothing but denim duvets!
I finally decided, after months had passed, that I would order the "denim duvet" from The Company Store. This is not a company I was familiar with before, but it seemed like they carried quality products and I liked that they are manufacturing in the USA. Conveniently, they were offering a 25 percent discount and free shipping. So it was under $200. Still more than I wanted to spend, but I had to be realistic, duct tape being ruled out.
The said denim duvet arrived. I waited several days before opening it because I suspected it was not what I had in mind either.
And sure enough. It wasn't. I think it was described as smoke blue. Again, blue gray. (What is it with designers and shades of gray? There are more than fifty. I am not a fan of any of them in decorating.)
Disappointed, I spread out one pillow sham on top of our old duvet cover on the bed. And sighed. And thought to myself, "Fine, I guess I'll keep it." But it looked so drab. I wasn't about to paint the room and put in new carpet just because I'd changed the duvet cover. But it seemed like that might be required.
Why couldn't someone make a true blue denim duvet cover? Denim on both sides. With nice pillow shams.
Friday night, I told my husband, "You know, as soon as I settle on a duvet cover that I don't like, we'll find the perfect one at an estate sale."
He agreed, because he knows this happens. Quite often. Or we'll describe exactly what we are looking for to each other, and then go out early on Saturday, and it will be there: bookshelves, brand new mattress and box springs (Sterns & Foster!). You name it. There should be a German term for this phenomenon.We don't know one, so we attribute it to "the estate sale fairies."
Mind you, I don't see duvet covers at estate sales that often, much less denim ones (or I would have bought one already).
Do you know the next morning, at the second sale in South City, there was of all things, a heavy denim duvet cover and matching shams hanging in the closet, just back from the cleaners?
Ralph Lauren, hardly used. $20. Yes, that's right: twenty dollars.
And it was blue, not gray, not black. The pillow shams had ruffles. I was dubious about the ruffles, but my husband liked them. There were a lot of people at that sale so I would have felt funny about doing a happy dance.
Instead, I kept calm and carried that duvet cover to the "sold" table to hold while we finished looking around.
And when I got home that afternoon, I put the blue gray pillow sham back in the package and readied the third duvet cover for return. And the postage cost about $14.
Which I suppose brings my "new" $20 duvet cover and shams to a whopping $55.95. I'm ok with that.
 |
| And the fourth time's a charm |
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