What is a Hawaiian comforter?

What is a Hawaiian comforter?

A comforter is a type of "super sized" blanket. Beach comforters are intended to keep the user warm, especially during sleep, although they can also be used as mattress pads. Tropical comforters are generally large and rectangular in shape, filled with natural or synthetic insulative material and encased in a shell/covering. Dean Miller's comforters have a 100% cotton shell or covering over the fill to ensure the user a nice soft feel.
Comforter sizes usually correspond with mattress or bed sizes, typically mattresses are sold as twin, full, queen, and king. Comforter sizes run slightly larger than actual bed sizes to allow for draping over the sides of the bed. Typical sizes in the United States for comforters are (and Dean Miller Hawaiian bedding uses these same sizes)
Twin = 64" Width x 87" Length
Queen / Full = 87" Width x 87" Length
King = 101" Width x 90" Length.
A comforter is sometimes covered with a duvet (comforter) cover for protection and prolonged use. Duvet is French for "Down". Comforter covers are like a big pillowcase for your comforter, usually closed with zippers or buttons. Dean Miller has etched their logo into it's own wood buttons to firmly hold your comforter in place. Some customers prefer duvets over comforters or bedspreads because they are easier to wash, and can be easily changed out to give your bedroom a completely new look. So when you are feeling a little tropical be sure to pull your Dean Miller duvet cover out of the closet and make your room do the hula.
Tropical Comforter Construction
Filling- Comforters are filled with layers of material such as polyester batting, down feathers, wool, or silk. The loft of the filling determines the weight as well as the level of insulation. The comforter is stitched or quilted to secure the filling and keep it evenly distributed. Dean Miller Surf Bedding uses a 12oz polyester batting fill, with a channel or diamond stitching to keep your comforter looking like it just came off the store rack.

Tropical Shell/Covering- The outer shells of comforters are typically constructed using cotton, silk, or polyester fabrics or blends, of varying thread counts. Comforter shells vary in design and color, often designed to coordinate with other bedding. Dean Miller's beach bedding uses 100% cotton outer shell or covering to give the user a super soft night's sleep. Dean Miller's Hawaiian print fabrics are usually 200 thread count, but we have been known to use even higher thread count in some of our surfboard sheet sets.

What is Thread Count?
Thread count is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of Hawaiian print fabric. It is measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) threads. It is used especially in regard to cotton linens such as surfer bed sheets.
Thread count is a simple measure of fabric quality, so that "standard" cotton thread counts are around 150 while good-quality sheets start at 180 and a count of 200 or higher is considered percale. Extremely high thread counts (typically over 500) tend to be misleading as they usually use 'plied' yarns. i.e. one yarn that is made by twisting together multiple finer threads. For marketing purposes, a fabric with 250 yarns in both the vertical and horizontal direction could have the component threads counted to a 1000 thread count although "according to the National Textile Association, accepted industry practice is to count each thread as one, even threads spun as two- or three-ply yarn. The Federal Trade Commission agrees and recently issued a warning that consumers 'could be deceived or misled' by inflated thread counts." Dean Miller's beach bedding has never miss-lead or tried to deceive any of its consumers, and has always clearly stated that our cotton percale surf sheets are 200 thread count.

Tropical Bedding Definitions:

Surf Fabric Bed Skirt (aka Bed Ruffle, Dust Ruffle): A decorative piece of surf designed fabric used to cover the box spring and legs of the bed. It fits between the mattress and box spring and hangs to the floor. Dean Miller's raffia / grass bed skirt are an excellent way to cover up your box spring and will give a long and full look to store your surfboard under your bed.

Surfer Bed Spread: A bed cover with sides that go to the floor. This does not require a bed skirt. These are the kind you find in hotels and motels, usually have a lower poly fill. Dean Miller does not currently make any tropical bed spreads.

Boudoir Pillows (or Breakfast Pillows): Small rectangular decorative throw pillows.

Tropical Comforter: A filled bed cover that is quilted and usually reversible. They require a raffia / grass bed skirt to complete the look, as the sides only go about halfway to the floor.

Drop: The length of a bed skirt. Dean Miller's raffia / grass bed skirt have a 24" drop.

Duvet Cover: A decorative and protective covering for a duvet. Most duvet covers have a button or tie closure at one end.

European Sham (or Euro Sham): A decorative pillow covering which fits a large 26” x 26” pillow. These are often placed behind the standard size pillow shams as a backdrop for all of the other pillows.

Flanged: Including a decorative band of Hawaiian fabric that is straight or tailored; often used to describe pillows or pillow shams

Neck roll: Small cylindrical decorative throw pillows

Beach Pillow Shams: Decorative coverings for surf pillows, often designed with trims, ruffles, flanges, or cording. Shams are normally placed behind the pillows used to sleep on, which would be covered with regular pillowcases.

Pleated: Sewn in folds like a fan

Tailored: Fitted closely or made to fit the bed exactly