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              Glossary

              All seasons duvet system: Is a set of individual duvets of lower tog values that can be combined to make another duvet with a higher tog rating. e.g. you would have a 4.5 tog duvet for summer and a 9 tog duvet for spring/autumn that can be combined to make a 13.5 tog duvet for the depth of winter. The duvets are usually combined using press studs or poppers, and sometimes buttons that run along the edges of the duvets, this ensures the duvets stay together in the duvet cover.
              Baffle walls: The way a duvet is sewn together - called it’s construction is very important. Baffle walls are fabric sewn perpendicular to the top and bottom layers of the duvet, creating actual 3 dimensional boxes of space inside the duvet. The baffled walls allow the down to expand to its fullest potential for the highest loft. As the duvet is not sewn through top to bottom there are no parts without filling, so no cold spots. This design also ensures the fillings stay evenly distributed around the duvet, not collect in the corners or edges, which can also lead to cold spots.


              Bed size

              Size in imperial

              Size in metric

              Recommended duvet size

              Small single

              2’6” x 6’3”(30” x75”)

              75 x 190cm

              135 x 200

              Standard single

              3’ x 6’3”     (36”x75”)

              90 x 190cm

              135 x 200

              Small double or ¾ size

              4’x 6’3”      (48”x75”)

              120 x 190cm

              200 x 200

              Standard double

              4’6”x 6’3” (54”x75”)

              135 x 190cm

              200 x 200

              King size

              5’ x 6’6”    (60”x 78”)

              150 x 200cm

              230 x 220

              Super King

              6’x 6’6”      (72”x78”)

              180 x 200cm

              260 x 220












              Boudoir cushion: Is a decorative cushion used to dress a bed. Complimentary or accent colours are often chosen to tie in other bedding or soft furnishings in the bedroom.

              Brinkhaus:
              Are a world leading manufacturer of duvets and pillows. Brinkhaus products meet the most stringent requirements in terms of quality, design and comfort – from high quality fabric material to first class fillings. Since 1847 they have developed, produced and marketed professionally and innovatively, whilst taking their environmental responsibilities seriously. From pillows to duvets, from product development to customer service – 100% Brinkhaus quality makes you feel good!

              Cold spots:
              Cold spots occur when duvet fillings do not give complete coverage. This can be caused by poor construction allowing the fillings to move around and gather in the corner or along the edges. This can also be caused by duvet construction being formed by stitching through the duvet instead of the baffle wall system.

              Cotton Batiste:
               Is a fine cotton material similar to cambric. A sheer, fine, soft, light weight, plain weave fabric usually of combed cotton. It is made of tightly twisted, combed yarns with a slight mercerized lustrous finish.

              Cotton Cambric:
                Is a plain weave, traditionally light weight cotton fabric with a lustre on the surface. It is soft and closely woven. It is highly mercerized which gives a lustre and is lint free. Similar to batiste but it is stiffer and has fewer slubs (knobbly bits). Cambric launders very well and has good body.

              Combed cotton:
               
              Once raw cotton is blended and cleaned, it is carded to remove any short staples and dirt that can cause yarn breakage in weaving. Whilst carding will remove some 5 percent of the fibres, combing is much more thorough, removing a further 10 to 15 percent. This leaves the longest staples ready for spinning into yarn that is stronger and finer to the touch—yarn that will produce a high-quality fabric. The best-quality cotton results in a stronger fabric with a smooth, soft hand.

              Continental pillows/cases:
               Sometimes called Euro pillows, these are square and often used as decorative pillows to dress the bed or as an extra comfort when sat up in bed. The pillow cases also generally have the extra decorative edging as with the oxford pillow case. They are 65 x 65cm.

              Cotton:
                As a duvet filling has an excellent capacity for absorbing moisture, however it does not store this, it quickly releases it into the surrounding air. The result is a pleasant and dry sleep environment. Also it is very easy to care for, washable up to 95ºC – very helpful for people with allergies.
              As a casing for a duvet or for bed linen material cotton uses these same properties of wicking away the moisture to ensure a comfortable sleep environment.

              Cotton Jacquard:
               A cotton fabric that has a regular pattern woven into the fabric rather than printed on it. Because it is not a printed pattern, it does not fade with time and use.

              Cotton staples:
               Refers to the length of the fibres used to make the thread. The quality of the cotton depends on the lengths of the individual fibres, or staples—the longer the staple, the better the cotton. Longer staples can be combed finer to remove more small fibres, allowing the cotton to be spun into a finer-textured thread with more tensile strength, then woven into a softer, more lustrous fabric. Egyptian cotton is considered to be the most superior as it has the longest staples.

              Dacron:
               
              The DACRON® brand name is a guarantee of quality and traceability. Each bedding product filled with DACRON® branded fibres meets the requirements listed in the brand’s specifications, which apply both to the fibrefill and to the finished product. Thus, each item filled with DACRON® fibres carries a numbered label. This exclusive number certifies that the product has been manufactured under licence and meets strict DACRON® quality standards.

              Dacron Allerban:
              This is a treatment applied to a polyester fibre filling made by Dacron. This ingredient protects the fibre against the build up of dust-mites, fungi and bacteria. It is hygienic and hypoallergenic. The effectiveness of Allerban® and the safety of the active ingredient have been tested by independent laboratories IFTH (France) and ISEGA Germany) and the Environmental Protection Agency in USA (EPA).

              Dacron Comforel:
              Tiny cluster fibres that act like down. Made from polyester hollow fibre the comforel fibre balls have been designed to resist crushing and matting, so your duvet or pillow can be fluffed again and again.

              Dacron Suprelle micro:
              Was designed to match the unique properties of real down. This easy to clean and anallergically treated fibre is six times finer and eight times shorter than other polyester fibres, this means it has unparalleled volume, elasticity and density. These properties mean that Suprelle micro is comfier, bouncier and fluffier than current similar fibres. This fibre makes wonderful pillows that achieve maximum volume, and are re-fluffable, just like down and returns gradually to the original shape. The fibre also has great insulation properties making wonderful duvets.

              Down:
              Down has been used for centuries for it’s naturally perfect insulation properties. Down is a spherical plumule of thousands of soft fibres radiating in all directions from a central quill point, which has many tiny little air pockets between it’s individual hairs.  This is usually obtained from geese or ducks. Down is used by the bird to hold air at high altitudes and low temperatures with a minimum weight cost to itself. This is what gives down it’s perfect thermal insulating properties, ideal as a filling for duvets. Down naturally occurs in a three dimensional shape that clusters together to trap the air to insulate your body at night, so the larger the better. Goose down is larger, yet lighter than duck down so is considered superior as it traps more air for less material. The best goose down comes from Mazuria and Hungary as it has such large clusters, however  very close seconds are Siberian and Pyrenean down. Down also absorbs moisture, immediately transporting it out to the surrounding air, keeping you warm and dry.

              Dupion:
               
              A fabric made of irregular, raw, rough silk reeled from double cocoons. In spinning, the double strand is not separated so the yarn is uneven and irregular with a large diameter in places, giving an attractive slubbed effect.

              Euroquilt:
              Are a Scottish based company who produce all their high quality duvets and pillows in the UK. They specialise in meeting the demands of high quality hotels and retailers, so there are no fancy boxes, brochures and so on. Your duvet, pillow or topper is simply derived from outstanding materials and workmanship, offering you terrific value for money.

              Feathers:
              Are used by the birds for flying and swimming, and have a flatter more two dimensional shape than down. Feathers work very similarly to down, by trapping the air, and forming an insulating layer of air around you. When combined feather and down are used to create different fillings from the delicate soft loftiness of pure down to firmer pillows and reassuringly weightier feeling quilts with increasing feather content.

              Fill power:
               
              Technically fill power is expressed as cubic inches per ounce (in³/oz)—a lofting power of 400–450 is considered medium quality, 500-550 is considered good, 550–750 is considered very good, and 750+ is considered excellent. 750+ fill is quite different from 400 fills. The higher the fill power, the more insulating air pockets the material has, and therefore the better insulator it will be. Higher fill powers are associated with larger and fluffier clusters of down. So you get better insulation for less insulator, achieving a lighter product.  Almost all down commercially available is a secondary product of geese raised for consumption. It would be prohibitively expensive to raise geese for down alone. The geese that are the source for lower fill down are about four months old when they are "harvested" for food. Down from these geese can be carefully sorted, washed, and blended, but will never loft like really mature down as it is smaller. The 700+ fill power down comes from a small number of birds kept for breeding purposes throughout the year. These geese moult naturally in the spring. While their down is loose it is collected by hand. It is very rare and, of course, expensive. The larger individual plumules are what gives the greater loft. The only way to get down of this quality is by careful hand selection which is the major factor in its scarcity.

              Latex
              : Is made from natural rubber, and treated to form Talalay latex which has longer durability and support. It has an open-cell structure, which ensures conformity with your body, elasticity, so instantly comes back to shape, and free air circulation through and around it. Latex can be drilled making ventilation holes all over the mattress to aid this air flow. This is especially useful for those who find themselves very hot in bed.

              Loft:
              Is related to the fill power, it refers to the volume of the fillings in the duvet, the lighter and fluffier the fillings the better insulation you will achieve as more air is trapped. With a higher loft a more voluminous, plush appearance is achieved for a lighter weight duvet.

              King size pillow/case:
              These are longer length pillows, usually used as the bottom pillow for sleeping. Used together these are best suited for super king beds, but can be used on their own on a single or with a standard size pillow on a king size bed. All our pillow cases have housewife style closures, which is the extra internal flap to fully contain the pillow inside. A King size pillow/case is 50 x 90cm, except for the Sibona Venice pillow case which is 50 x 95cm.

              Manmade fibres:

              Hollow fibre / microfibre / polyester fillings:
              Are a wonderful option of those who choose not to have animal fillings or can’t due to allergies. They work on the same principles as down and other fillings – by trapping air. As the name suggests the ‘hollow’ fibre traps the air inside itself, just like a polar bear’s fur to provide the insulation. They are made from polyester.

              Memory foam:
               
              Is a man made foam, made with block polyurethane. Originally developed by NASA during the space shuttle program, it gives enhanced pressure relief support to the body’s natural shape alleviating pressure points and helping relieve symptoms of back ache, painful joints and circulatory problems.  Returning to its original shape once the pressure- you, is removed. Memory foam mattresses have the advantage of not needing to be turned over, but do benefit from being swivelled head to toe. 

              Oxford pillow case:
              An oxford pillowcase has the same internal encasing flap as a standard housewife, with extra material sewn around the pillow case proper to form an added decorative edging. These pillow cases are usually used only decoratively on top of the standard pillow cases. A standard oxford pillowcase is 50 x 75cm.

              Partner / His and Hers duvets:
              Are duvets with different tog rating on either side of the duvet allowing different preferences to be catered for whilst still only using one whole duvet. 

              Percale: Nowadays this is taken to mean a fabric woven with a thread count of a minimum of 180-200. A percale weave is noticeably tighter than cheaper types of weave used for bed-sheets. It has medium weight, is firm and smooth with no gloss, and warps and washes very well. It can be made from both carded and combed yarns.

              Pocket springs:
              Are individual springs each contained in their own little pocket, which work independently from each other. This means that your body is supported differently in different areas as a response to your weight to minimise pressure points.  This spring system also reduces Weight motion transfer - when the bed moves when you or your partner moves, so no more disturbed night’s sleep due to your partner.

              Rayon:
               
              Is a manmade fibre, with silk like properties. Rayon fabric is made from wood pulp and cotton linters to get cellulose, which is then regenerated. It is a comfortable fabric against the skin and absorbs moisture, it has a lovely feel and drape.

              Sewn through duvets
              : Are sewn through the top and bottom layers to keep the fillings in place. This type of construction sometimes allows tiny bits of down to escape through the needle holes and can allow for cold spots if you allow your duvet to settle.

              Sibona:
              Value excellence - of style, of quality and of service. They produce a range of luxury furnishings which have been designed to be unusual, beautiful and timeless.  Sibona specialise in highly decorative fine quality quilts and bedspreads with co-ordinating cushions and throws. To complement the bedcovers there is a collection of traditional white cotton bed linen with hand drawn thread work edgings. As much of the hand done embroidery and ladder work is done in developing countries Sibona are very committed to a strong ethical policy, which can be read here.https://www.sibona.com/ethical.asp

              Siliconised Microfibre
              :
               Ultra fine, man-made fibres, usually less than a micron in diameter. The fibres are soft, light and very smooth to the touch. They are also naturally hypo-allergenic. The siliconisation process allows the fibres to slide past one another easily, creating a soft texture similar to goose down. Microfibre can be washed at higher temperatures than inferior hollow fibre found in poor quality duvets. It's also more durable and will keep it's heat retentive qualities for longer. 

              Slubs / Slubbed:
               
              Slubs are lumps or thick places in the thread of the fabric, when the fabric is then woven it produces a knobbly effect -slubbed. This adds an attractive random texture to the fabric

              Standard pillow case:
               
              All our pillow cases have housewife style closures, which is the extra internal flap to fully contain the pillow inside. They are usually used on the pillow used for sleeping.  A standard pillowcase is 50 x 75cm

              Tencel:
               
              A fabric made from the cellulose found in wood pulp, which is processed into a silk-like, delicate fabric. This has a wonderful feel on the skin. The Tencel fibres used for Protect a bed’s Tender Touch range is made from Eucalyptus wood. Kinder on the environment, Tencel Eco contributes 30% less to global warming and requires 20 times less water than cotton.

              Thread count:
              Is calculated by the addition of the number of threads in both directions of the weave, in a one inch square. Thus a higher thread count means finer, tighter weaves. This is important in duvets as it means the fillings are well contained. In bed linen it gives a smooth luxurious feel.

              Tog:
              The tog rating expressed as a number is a guide to the insulating property of the duvet. More accurately it is a measure of the thermal resistance of a duvet’s construction. The higher the number the more heat the duvet holds. Tog rates are a guide, there are other factors for you to consider when choosing your ideal duvet tog, such as is your bed room/house hot or cold? Do you sleep with the window open? Are you a hot or cold person in bed? Etc. Below is a rough guide to what tog rating is suitable to what season:

              2.5                   4.5                   9                      10.5                 13.5                 15       
                          Summer           spring/autumn                        autumn/winter                        winter

              Other togs are available in between these, and we can supply them on request.

              Traditional spring/ bonnell coil:
              This is an open coil system where you have a series of springs joined together. These springs can be made to different gauges to give different feelings, soft, medium and firm. Traditional spring units tend to come with traditional fillings such as wool or cotton for the padding on the top, in cheaper mattresses this is ‘white fibre’ which is usually cheap polyester fibres. You can feel the movement of the other person in a shared bed much more in a traditionally sprung mattress as the springs are linked.

              Sateen:
              Not to be confused with satin, is a type of fabric often found in bed sheets. Sateen is a term usually applied to cotton fabrics. This mercerized lustre is one of the hallmarks of good sateen. Sateen should be very soft to the touch, with a high thread count, and should drape well. Sateen fabric uses the satin stitch in construction, which means the threads are mostly on one side of the fabric, giving that smooth look. This makes a very luxurious feeling bed linen.

              Satin:
               Is traditional fabric utilising a satin weave construction to achieve a lustrous fabric surface.

              Velvet:
               A medium weight cut-pile constructed fabric in which the cut pile stands up very straight. It is woven using two sets of vertical yarns; the extra set creates the pile. A luxurious fabric, the pile weave is created when loops are formed during the weaving process and then cut to form the pile. The pile weave is on one side of the velvet fabric, while the other side is plain. Silk velvet is the most elegant and expensive type, with a soft drape and shimmering surface. Cotton velvet, often referred to as velveteen, is the sturdiest and most durable type of velvet. The surface of cotton velvet has more of a soft sheen and less of the shimmer of silk velvet.

              Wool: As a duvet or pillow filling can absorb up to 30% of it’s own weight in moisture without feeling damp, at the same time releasing it in to the air so you stay warm and dry. It washes well as long as it is not tumble dried and is naturally an inhospitable enviroment for dust mites, helping relieve the symptoms of allergies and asthma. 


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