One of the reasons why quilts are not THAT popular in Germany could be the notion, that quilts are for decoration only, but not for daily use.
That is because here in Germany beds are made in a different way than in the US for example. Here (and in some other European countries as well) mostly a pillow and a duvet (filled with down) is used, all put into matching bedlinen, plus a fittet sheet for the mattress.
Hardly anyone uses plain sheets anymore, and these are needed when you actually USE a quilt on your bed on a daily basis. I am happy to have inherited some plain sheets! But it's not difficult to sew some with simple pieces of cotton.
Sleeping with a quilt means, you put a plain sheet under it which is changed regularly. The quilt itself is only aired, but not washed so often. The pillow is put into a pillowcase which is often unicolored, the quilt is the piece on the bed that provides all the color and the patterns you wish for.
On cooler days there is a simple woolen blanket put underneath the quilt also.
Sleeping underneath a quilt - and not under a duvet - is an entirely different feeling: it doesn't feel so fluffy, so soft, it is more ..."covering", and to me much more comfy. And then there is of course also the sense of being covered by something that is made by a person you know, maybe yourself!:-), sometimes even handmade, it just has a special history and bears all kinds of memories and tells stories over stories ...Good to sleep with those!!
There are very beautiful quilts offered in some stores, some are fabulous and well done, some even LOOK handmade (but a great many are imported, very often from factories in India and the Far East countries, and produced under circumstances you probably would not like to know more about).
But there is nothing like creating and using an individual quilt, even if it is a very simple piece: there is nothing like it. Nothing is such a good nightly storyteller, soothing body and soul.
