You've hit on one of my pet peeves and it's one of the reasons I generally don't like duvets. But I broke down and bought one I really liked because it's reversible. I have a king bed and use a king down blanket (comforters are too hot for me) inside it. The width is ok - maybe the blanket is an inch or two smaller but there's a good 8 or 9" in the length of unfilled duvet! I sewed ribbon ties inside and also on the blanket to keep it snugged up to the top and the empty part of the duvet hangs behind our foot board. If I didn't have a foot board I'd either take the stupid thing apart and re-sew it smaller (WAY more work that it's worth) or I'd have returned it when I bought it. The people who make the fillers and the people who make the covers don't seem to communicate well with each other! If there's anything truly standardized, I'd be amazed - it's a trial and error thing.

thanks dlm, I never thought of putting the open end at the foot of the bed. DA! This is my first time too. I mainly got it because I couldn't find a comforter in a twin that I liked. I have very tall beds so this size would work.

That is my pet peeve, too! I should sew in the ties as well, but I've been too lazy. I am thinking of buying a full size for the duvet rather than a queen to see if that helps, but then I think that maybe the space is needed for the down to loft properly. Also, they are so darn expensive, I don't want to invest any more in these two comforters! I let the unfilled space fall down behind the foot of the bed, too.

datura my duvet is really odd because the opening is on the side. Since it came from Cost Plus World Market, it was probably made in a country where a king bed is an unknown so the sizing is way off.

cyn427 I spent an hour or so sewing in the ribbon ties - well worth the effort and I may even add a few more. I turned the duvet inside out, spread the quilt on top and marked each at the intervals I decided on - corners then 3 evenly spaced between. Sewed them with my machine - easy peasy.

Yes, I've had problems with sizing also. The term 'duvet' refers to the comforter itself, and the 'duvet cover' is just that, the decorative protective cover.

We've been using duvets inside a cover for about thirty years, so easy to wash the cover and keep the actual duvet clean.

I've had great success with the quality of duvets and covers from a catalog called Company Store. They have many weights/fills of the duvets and price ranges to choose from. We use a lightweight cotton duvet cover for summer and an all-cotton brushed flannel duvet cover for winter. The flannel duvet cover came from another great catalog called Garnet Hill.

Sadly though, even buying from the same source cannot guarantee the sizes will be the same. It's really ok to put a larger duvet inside a smaller cover as long as the difference is only a matter of a few inches. It just makes the duvet puffier and cozier on the bed. Just shake it around after you stuff it to make it even out as much as possible.

If I was in the market today for a new duvet or cover, I would still purchase from those same two catalogs, Company Store or Garnet Hill.

Sweet dreams....

We have a tall queen bed so I bought a king duvet cover and a king comforter that was just slightly bigger than the duvet. It has the ties in it, but we've not had to use them. You just need to try to mix and match your sizes but I've found it's ideal if you can get a comforter that's slightly larger.

I am thinking of buying a full size for the duvet rather than a queen

I think that you are better off putting larger comforter inside, then it will make it puffier as begoniagirl mentioned, and it won't move around as much as a smaller one would.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I guess I'll get a larger one but first run over to the Company Store. I looked there last summer. I'll also sew in some ties.

Thanks begoniagirl, I learn something new everyday. And I just started getting catalogs for Garnet Hill - they have some nice things.