The complete guide
How to Choose a Plain Quilt Cover Set That Actually Suits Your Bed
The small daily annoyance nobody talks about
Bedding is one of those things you only think about when it is irritating you. The quilt bunches up at the foot of the cover. The pillowcases came from a different set and the grey does not quite match. The buttons along the bottom gape open and you can see the quilt poking through. None of it is a disaster, but it is the difference between a bed that looks settled and a bed that looks like it lost an argument.
A plain quilt cover set fixes most of that in one go. You get a cover and matching pillowcases, cut to the same shade, made from the same fabric. The bed stops looking assembled from leftovers. This particular set is three pieces, one quilt cover and two pillowcases at 48 x 74 cm, in a plain grey brushed microfibre.
Worth saying straight away, the quilt insert is not included. You put your own quilt inside the cover. That catches people out occasionally, so it is better to be clear about it up front than to have a parcel arrive that is thinner than expected.
How a quilt cover actually works
Think of the cover as a giant pillowcase for your quilt. The quilt itself does the warming. The cover protects it, because quilts are awkward and expensive to wash, while a cover goes in the machine every week without complaint.
Two features make the difference between a cover that behaves and one that does not. The first is the closure. This one uses a hidden zip along the lower edge. You load the quilt in, run the zip shut, and the opening disappears behind a fabric flap. Buttons work too, but they pop open, and a half open button placket at the foot of the bed looks untidy no matter how carefully you have smoothed the top.
The second is the corner ties. There are four of them inside the cover, one per corner. Loop each one through the tab sewn onto the corner of your quilt and the quilt can no longer migrate. This is the single most useful feature on any quilt cover, and it is the reason some people never have to shake their bedding out while others do it every morning.
If your quilt has no tabs, it is a five minute fix. Stitch a short loop of ribbon or tape at each corner, or use a safety pin from the inside. Once it is done it is done.
Microfibre, and what that means in practice
This cover is brushed microfibre. That is a tightly woven synthetic fabric with the surface brushed to give it a soft finish. A few honest points about it.
It feels soft straight away. There is no breaking in period. Some cotton weaves need half a dozen washes before they stop feeling stiff, and microfibre skips that entirely.
It dries fast. Much faster than cotton. If you wash in the morning you will usually have it back on the bed by the evening, even in cooler weather. For a one set household that is a genuine advantage.
It holds a little more warmth than an open cotton weave. If you run hot at night, that is not a reason to avoid it, it is a reason to pair it with a lighter quilt insert. The cover is thin. The warmth comes from what is inside it.
It is not cotton, and thread count is not a meaningful way to compare it. Thread count counts threads per square inch in a woven cotton. Microfibre is measured differently, so judge it on how it feels and how it washes instead.
Picking the right size
Three sizes are sold on this page.
Double, with a cover of 180 x 210 cm. Suits a double bed and often works well for a teenager's room or a smaller spare room.
Queen, with a cover of 210 x 210 cm. This is the most common bed size in Australian homes and the safest choice if you are buying for someone else's queen bed.
King, with a cover of 245 x 210 cm. For a king mattress, or for a queen bed where you want a lot of drape down the sides.
All three come with the same two pillowcases at 48 x 74 cm, which is the standard Australian pillow size. If you use king pillows or European squares, you will need cases for those separately.
The rule is simple. Match the cover to your quilt, and match your quilt to your mattress. If your quilt sits between two sizes, choose the larger cover. A slightly roomy cover looks fine. A cover that is too small will not close properly and will strain at the zip.
Who this set suits
It suits people who want the bed to look neat without thinking about it. Plain grey is not a statement, and that is the point. It sits happily with white walls, timber furniture, a navy throw or a mustard cushion. If you change your mind about the rest of the room, the bedding does not have to change with it.
It suits guest rooms, because it washes quickly between visitors and nobody has strong feelings about grey. It suits share houses and rentals for the same reason, plus grey hides the ordinary marks of daily life better than white does. It suits anyone who has decided that the ten minutes a week spent wrestling with bedding could be better spent doing something else.
It is less suited to someone who wants a crisp hotel feel from a heavy percale cotton, or someone looking for a complete set with sheets included. This is a three piece set. There is no flat sheet and no fitted sheet in the box.
Looking after it
The care routine is short.
Wash cold on a gentle cycle with similar colours. Close the zip before it goes in so it cannot snag on anything else in the drum. Skip the bleach entirely, since it damages synthetic fibres and can shift the grey tone unevenly.
Tumble dry low, or line dry. Microfibre is quick either way. If you are using the dryer, pull the cover out while it is still slightly warm and put it straight on the bed. Most of the creases will settle out on their own.
Wash bedding separately from towels and heavy items. Rough fabrics rubbing against a brushed surface are what causes pilling over time, and a separate load avoids most of it.
Ironing is optional. A warm iron on the reverse gives a flatter finish if you want it, but smoothing the cover firmly over the quilt usually does enough.
A couple of practical tips
Turning the cover inside out before you put the quilt in makes the job much faster. Reach through the opening, grab the two far corners of the quilt through the fabric, then flip the whole cover right side out over the quilt and shake it down. It takes about thirty seconds once you have the knack.
Buying two sets is worth considering if laundry tends to pile up. One stays on the bed while the other is in the machine, and you never have to strip the bed and wait.
If you are buying as a gift, grey is one of the few colours that is genuinely safe. Pair it with a quilt insert if you want the gift to be complete, since the insert is not part of this set.
The short version
This is a plain grey three piece quilt cover set in brushed microfibre. One cover, two pillowcases at 48 x 74 cm, a hidden zip and four internal corner ties so your quilt stops sliding around. Double is 180 x 210 cm, queen is 210 x 210 cm and king is 245 x 210 cm.
Soft from the first night, quick to dry, easy to wash, and a colour that goes with almost anything. Bring your own quilt insert, match the size to your mattress, and the bed looks made in the time it takes to boil the kettle.