Your common questions regarding Quilts, Sofa-Throws, Dohars, and Chadars are answered here.

Quilts :

What is the meaning of quilt?

A quilt is the type of bed-covering that becomes essential during severe winters. To create a Quilt, we take two thin bedsheets and insert a layer of loose cotton (also called cotton-wool or 'Rui' in Hindi) between them. Quilt makers ensure that cotton wool is spread evenly between the two bedsheet layers and then hand-stitch or machine stitch all the three layers together. Stitching is done throughout the length and breadth of fabric with a gap of a few inches or centimeters. These stitches help to keep cotton wool in place and not coalesce in one corner, making it cumbersome to handle and unusable. Finally, the two bedsheets are sewn together on all four sides or edges.

The two bedsheets used in quilt creation are usually very thin and soft; polyester-based fabric or pure cotton mulmul fabric is usually used. Quilts made of mulmul-cotton fabric are slightly more expensive than their polyester counterparts. Still, cotton has several health benefits and is highly recommended for people with skin allergies. TOAIArt creates only pure cotton quilts, please click here. to see a sample.

Quilts are referred to as 'Razai' in Hindi or 'Lihaaf' in Urdu.

When or how should quilts be used?

Quilts provide more warmth than other bed coverings such as blankets, chadars, dohars, or comforters. This is because the layer of cotton wool placed between two bedsheet layers has air trapped in it which acts as an insulator and prevents outside cold air from touching the body hence keeping the body sufficiently warm even during cold seasons.

Quilts are more useful during severe winters.

What is the difference between a quilt and a bedcover?

Please find the following major differences between quilts and bedcovers, in brief:

1. Quilts are bed-covering most used during winters as they have a thick layer of cotton-wool filling between them. Bedcovers have a comparatively thinner layer of cotton-sheet filling between them; hence they serve best during slightly mild winters.

2. Quilts are bedcovering, spread over the usual bedsheet. They are usually folded during the day and placed on one side of the bed. However, bedcovers serve a dual purpose. During the day, they use bedsheets, as most of them come with complementing pillow covers. During the night, if the weather is sufficiently cold, it can be used as a covering over the body hence serving dual purpose.

3. As bedcovers are often used as bedsheets, they are much more attractively designed; on the other hand, Quilts have simpler designs, usually created in rustic or vintage patterns.

What is the difference between a quilt and a comforter?

Some primary differences between quilts and comforters:

1. Comforters are warmer than quilts; hence can be used in much cooler climates.

2. Both comforters and quilts have three layers with cotton or down-filling inserted between the top and bottom layers. Quilts have cotton-wool filling in, but comforters have down-feather or synthetic filling in between; this makes the comforters lighter, softer, and much fluffier than the quilt.

3. Quilt stitching is very intricate; stitches are close together; this helps in keeping the cotton wool in place; however, comforters have very little stitching on them. This is because comforter fillings are synthetic or made from down feathers, and they remain fluffy and spread -out.

4. Quilts usually add a specific style to your bedroom. They come in styles such as vintage, patched, rustic, etc. However, comforters are usually plain or pastel-colored. The outer fabric in quilts is usually thin mulmul cotton, but comforters are made of the polyester outer fabric.

5. Quilts can be folded into smaller boxes or bags; they occupy less storage space; however, comforters occupy much more space.

To understand more about comforters and quilts, please click this link.

What is hand quilting?

If you have ever noticed a quilt, it has hand stitches or machine stitches running all over it, from one side to the opposite side. These stitches are very close together because they need to prevent cotton wool from coalescing.

Traditionally, women from villages or grandmothers spent sufficient time and effort hand-stitching the quilts. This process was called 'hand quilting.'

However, in modern times this activity is often performed by machines, making quilts much cheaper and readily available in supermarkets.

How to wash a quilt?

The best way to wash a quilt is by getting it dry-cleaned, especially if it is made of pure and soft cotton with organic cotton-wool filling. This will increase the life of your quilt and will keep it good as new for a long time. You can also attempt hand washing at home in cold water and with mild detergent.

If necessary, single-bed quilts can be machine washed or hand washed also. Ensure that the washing machine settings are set to wash gentle clothes in the shortest and most delicate cycles, in cold water and with mild detergent. Please read product related instructions before deciding on the type of wash.

Some homemakers use the option of wrapping their quilts in quilt covers so they can be easily washed and dried in washing machines. However, you will still need to get your quilts washed or dry-cleaned once in a while. Some homemakers do not prefer this as the beauty of quilt and bed-décor gets subdued.

Dohars :

What is a Dohar? How is it different from Chadar?

A dohar can best be described as a light and soft 'chadar' in Hindi or a cover-sheet in English. To understand more about ‘Chadar’ please click here.

A Dohar is made by stitching two sheets of mulmul cotton , also known as muslin, together with a thin sheet of falalein , in between. Mulmul cotton is a thin fabric that makes it light , breathable and easy to wash. Layer of falalein , in between , provides the right amount of warmth.

A chadar, oodne wali chadar, is a thick one-piece fabric, usually woven from stocky threads and having dimensions equivalent to single-bed or double-bedsheets. 

Both dohar and Chadar provide the same warmth and can be used during mild winters or monsoons.

As dohar and Chadar have similar utility, their primary difference lies only in look and feel. Dohars come in several styles and colors. Traditionally they have been a craft of Rajasthan. Hence they have been decorated with block prints and screen prints with complementing border designs. Contrary to this, Chadar is woven with thick threads, and their design patterns are very limited.

Lastly, as dohars are made of soft, light fabrics, it is easy to maintain them and clean them by using washing machines or hand washes.

What is Rajasthani Dohar or Jaipuri Dohar?

Dohars are the most popular pieces of traditional home-décor items in Rajasthan; hence they are often referred to as Rajasthani or Jaipuri dohars. These are usually made from soft mulmul cotton with traditional block designs or screen designs printed on them. As they are hand block printed or hand screen printed, it takes a certain amount of time and effort to create them. They also reflect the art, patterns, and colors of Rajasthan.

Make a Dohar, step-by-step process:

View our YouTube video:

Or view our videos here:

Sofa Throw :

What is a sofa throw?

A sofa throw is an interesting piece of fabric. It can come in infinite combinations of colors, textures, materials, and prints. It can be best described as a small blanket or coverlet in English or 'shawl' in Hindi. It is warmer during light winters, monsoons, or windy days, whenever you want to relax on your sofa, watch television, or sip coffee.

Sofa throws provide utility and add style to your living room. As they are usually kept on sofas or recliners in the living room. They represent your style and overall room décor and should be carefully selected.

We at TOAI invite you to look into our collection of interesting sofa-throw patterns. From the heartlands of India, we have brought for Kantha stitched patched. throws. These throws are unique because they are created from unique fabric pieces collected from homemakers rather than printed by machines.

How to wash and maintain sofa throws?

Sofa throws come in various variations and materials, ranging from simple cotton to intricately embroidered fabrics. Hence you should carefully read the care and maintenance instructions for each product.

With this, we come to the end of our FAQ section. I hope you found it useful and all your important questions got answered. Please contact us directly if you have specific questions regarding our products. You can find our Contact details in the 'Contact Us' section or write to us at CustomerCare@toai.in. .