Warm Covering for a Bed

Warm covering for a bed crossword clue. 7 letters. Daily Mail UK crossword clue on 11 Aug 2017

Answer: BLANKET

Pioneer women lovingly made each individual quilt block and sewed them together. They packed as many quilts as they could take on their journey west because quilts had many uses. Besides being used as warm bedding, quilts padded a wagon seat, provided shade from the sun, kept valuables from breaking, and kept a newborn baby snug. When the winds blew across the dusty plains, quilts covered the cracks and openings in the wagons and protected the pioneer family from blowing dust and sand. When a family member became sick, the quilts provided a comfortable place to rest. The most solemn use for a quilt was to wrap one around a beloved family member before they were laid in a lonely grave along the trail.

Overall, quilts were mostly used as a warm covering for a bed. Made of three layers, a quilt consists of the top, the filling, and the back. These three layers are stitched together or tied with thread. The exact origin of quilts is in question. The name quilt originates from Latin meaning “stuffed sack,” which was translated into English as quille and means “wrap around the body.” The oldest known patchwork example dates back to a canopy for an Egyptian queen in 960 B.C. In the earliest quilts, grass, leaves, feathers, fleece from sheep, old rags, and sometimes straw were used for filling. The top was made from wool and linen fibers spun into thread and the thread woven into cloth. The bottom was generally muslin.