Matelasse is wonderful as a coverlet but quite heavy. I had one on my bed for any years but after the meno years I just couldn't tolerate the warmth. I think of a comforter as having an outer cover with a type of fill inside. A quilt is made with blocks of fabric.at least that is what I refer to as a quilt. HTH.

Thank you holly-kay and maire cate. I have always assumed matelasse is mostly used in warmer weather, whereas quilts can be used year round. We too use a down alternative comforter in the winter and a lightweight one in the summer but I'm looking into other options. I love duvet covers, but what a hassle to use! They look gorgeous in the Pottery Barn catalog, but using them is a different story.

I want my bed to look pretty and inviting but very functional. It used to be that I would fold down my pretty coverlet to keep it looking nice and used either a comforter or blanket along with my sheet to cover up with. Now I want something pretty and functional. Would like to hear what you all do.

I have a pretty hydrangea print Martha Stewart coverlet. It is absolutely a wonderful weight and I use it all year round. I also have an all white with a tone on tone design, that is also a MS. Macy's usually has fairly nice bedding., decent quality and inexpensive. I will be hopefully redoing my bedroom in the next year and would love to use matelassé again but I just can't tolerate the heaviness of it.

I don't use a blanket at all, even in the winter. The only thing I change is wearing heavier nightwear in the winter.

Here is a pic. It is really better suited to a spring or summer décor but I use it all year because of it's perfect weight..

Oh, the dreaded bedding question! I have given up on duvets inserted into duvet covers. We have a silk duvet & on top an ivory textured coverlet I got at TJ's. Since it's a light color & our kitty sleeps with us, it gets laundered at home fairly frequently, but has held up wonderfully. I don't wash the silk duvet (comforter) nearly as often.

This keeps us comfortable most the year...we have A/C & if it gets too cold in the winter, I have a quilt I put on my side at night.

At the head of the bed, I have two K shams in ivory & a large European pillow I got on a great sale at PB that is yellow, green & pinkish/coral floral, which I love. It's simple & easy.

My idea of going to bed is to pull the covers back and climb in - I detest dealing with decorative pillows or covers that have to be removed at night and then replaced in the morning. My bedroom isn't on display so I'm not concerned with decorative touches that add more work for me.

I think that's the reason I like my matelasse bedspread. When the bed is made it covers the pillows and looks finished - decorative shams aren't needed to cover the pillows. Even our down comforter is oversize and when the bed is made it covers our pillows and the drop is long enough to cover the mattress.

I use my coverlet as a blanket and I enjoy seeing my nicely made bed. It takes all of half a minute to put the pillows back on the bed so I don't find that extra work to be much to deal with. I am so in the habit of doing it that I don't even think about it.

My matelassé was not a bedspread, it was also a coverlet and I had matching shams for it as well. I just prefer the look of dressed pillows on my bed.

I have a Columbine Cody matelasse bedspread and I don't think it's that heavy. It's a study cotton weave with a basket of flowers design. Something similar to this:

Columbine Cody Matelasse

IMO, it's a nice weight to use on cool spring and fall evenings, but a bit warm for summer and not warm enough for winter.

That is a pretty one. Mine had scalloped edges also. I guess my internal thermostat is really messed up because I used mine as my covering in the winter and often had to kick it off or lay on top of it.

I'm glad to see this discussion. I'm moving in with my fiance this month and looking to freshen up a very dull master bedroom. Like @maire_cate above, I need it to be pretty, comfortable, and super practical bc I'm not going to sleep under one set of covers and make the bed with something else -- though I will do some decorative shammed pillows because we need the height with our headboard. I'm looking at Matelasse coverlets at The Company Store and LL Bean for a lightweight, natural-feeling solution. I would probably just use the coverlet with a top sheet most of the time (mostly temperate climate here in NC), and add a very light cotton blanket underneath in Winter. I sleep hot, and he sleeps cold, so we'll have another blanket to fold and layer across the end of the bed that he will use on his side most nights. I'm abandoning comforters and duvets altogether this go-round. My only concern is that even a Matelasse coverlet will be too heavy/hot for me, or that it would be too stiff and not move with us a night. Anyone have any thoughts on how stiff these fabrics generally are?

Interesting that this popped up. Since I posted 8 years ago I've moved and we bought all new beds and bedding for 3 bedrooms and they all have matelasse - 2 are comforters and one is a bedspread. I purchased one from Ethan Allen and two from The Company Store just before Home Depot bought them out. I haven't looked recently but when I bought mine The Company Store had a nice selection in different colors. I did include matching pillow shams for our bed because our headboard is rather high and it looked better.

I don't find ours to be particularly heavy or stiff. And they will soften when you launder them, just be aware to check the description for shrinkage since most of these are 100% cotton.

I have matelasse bedspreads on both beds in my house -- one is probably 20 years old and still looks great despite living with pets. I think they're both beautiful and practical. During the winter I add blankets underneath, and during the summer it's just the coverlet and a sheet (I live in the PNW). Year round I keep a quilt or throw folded up at the bottom of the bed for extra warmth for unusually cool nights. If you live near a Tuesday Morning, keep your eyes open for high quality matelasse bedding at very affordable prices.

Lol! I didn't even notice the dates on the discussion! I'll have to remember to check next time. Thanks for the info about your experience!