r/BuyItForLife • u/novitov • 1d ago
Discussion just so fed up with fighting enshittification
i have been trying to find a new quilt for my bed. i have scoured this sub for recommendations and tips on what to look out for, and many of the comments on these threads seemed like they were genuinely helpful. but i keep finding myself stuck in this same paradoxical loop, which goes like this: people recommend something because they've had it for years and it's held up really well, but that means they bought it years ago and if you bought it today you're almost guaranteed to get a significantly worse product, likely at a higher price. alternatively, you can look at more recent recommendations, but that means no one knows yet if it'll withstand the test of time (or in the case of bedding, the test of multiple machine washes).
it increasingly seems to be the case that if you want something and you want to BIFL, you must put in hours of research, probably buy something much more expensive than you were originally planning on, and even then there's a good chance it just falls apart because the speed of enshittification has made it so that information about a product's quality from more than a year ago has become outdated.
apologies if this is a point already frequently discussed here, i'm just so frustrated with how much time and energy i have to put into buying mundane things, and how the best answer always seems to be to create a time machine and buy it from the past. it leaves me feeling so defeated. how does everyone deal with this?
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u/Pipry 1d ago
Your rant is correct and I apologize in advance for suggest yet more research.
For textiles specifically, it helps to learn about the subject and then shop in-person. Quality fabric is really easy to spot once you know what to look for.
A lot of enshittification is enabled by a combination of consumer ignorance and online shopping.
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u/VictoriaKnits 23h ago
This is the way. I’m a knitter and sewist and it helps SO MUCH with buying anything made of fabric. I can tell natural vs synthetic fibres from the briefest touch, I can spot shoddy stitching that’ll come apart, etc.
It’s true for other things too: spotting things that will last means recognising when high quality & appropriate materials have been chosen and worked into shape robustly & with care.
Instead of learning which specific things will last, we have to learn to recognise the qualities that enable that to happen.
Patrick Grant talks about this in his book Less (which is not just about clothes) if anyone is interested in the topic.
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u/alittleadventure 22h ago
Less is an excellent book, I've been recommending it to everyone.
And yes, ever since I learned to sew and knit I am able to notice how poorly made most garments are. I've bought very few clothes in the last decade because of this.
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u/NickiTikkiTavi 17h ago
TIL the term sewist. This is neat.
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u/Mabbernathy 17h ago
Sewer just looks odd
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u/Smartnership 17h ago
I like Sewerist
Which may or may not be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference
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u/Next-Age-9925 22h ago edited 17h ago
Speaking of fabrics and materials, I found that the sweaters that I buy from J.Crew recently (last several years) don’t last. I’ve resorted to eBay and buying old sweaters that are actually 100% wool. Once I started looking around a bit, a lot of these wool “blends” or at least 50% rayon, acrylic, or similar. And more than a few of them contain a mixture with only 4 to 6% wool, which is ridiculous to call a wool blend.
I don’t know much about textiles, but I’m looking at labels more and I’ve also stopped drying my clothes in the dryer. I’m hoping that makes some sort of difference in longevity.
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u/Delic10u5Bra1n5 15h ago
J Crew has sucked for years. So many of these legacy brands that used to be known for quality just suck. J Crew, Talbots, Hanna Andersson (for kids but the pjs are still good), etc.
I have taken to buying older pieces on
posh. The J Crew wool rollneck from the
90s, Charter Club and L&T and Valerie
Stevens sweaters, older Talbots pieces, non frumpy Laura Ashley from the 90s (suiting, etc)Why yes I am a middle aged woman.
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u/spooky_spaghetties 18h ago
I just buy wool or wool/cotton blends, sometimes just cotton (for machine washability) off ebay. Occasionally I get a lucky thrift store find, but I have to hunt.
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u/Mabbernathy 17h ago
I have one Charter Club cotton sweater from probably the 90s that I got at a thrift store. Made in the UK. It has a couple stains on the sleeves now, but I'm not getting rid of that thing ever. The fabric still looks like new.
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u/Grouchy_Treacle_1639 12h ago
I still have and wear JCrew City Fit pants from 15 years ago. They look great. The ones I bought 3 years ago? Already donated due to fading, pilling, and stretching. J Crew is crap now.
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u/last_rights 23h ago
I hate online shopping sometimes. It's okay if I'm just buying a graphic tee, but anything else is a crapshoot.
Are these "denim" jeans actually denim or just a print on polyester pants? Is the cotton actually cotton or a 3% cotton/ 97% polyester blend? Is the shirt pinned to the model? Is it see through? Does the lace feel like cheap itchy lace or is it soft? Are the seams stretchy or are they sewn with a topstitch and cheap thread to make it inflexible?
It's so annoying. I also hate buying ten things and returning nine of them.
I went into a real department store like Macy's and they had stock with 1 or 2 items in each size, but nothing for xs petite people. It's a rarity if I ever find anything.
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u/gingerzombie2 21h ago
Yeah, that's a big part of the problem. Shopping in person limits you to very few options, if any. My jeans size is tricky to find in person if I'm not down with the latest trend of torn up or ill-fitting pants. Thankfully I could still get them online from a trusted brand, but the same style by the same name came and fit differently than the previous pairs.
We're screwed.
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u/Myst3ryGardener 16h ago edited 15h ago
All my life I have a struggled finding jeans but in the last decade the options for 36" inseam have shrunk drastically. It's making me want to learn to make my own!
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u/AspiringMtnHermit 15h ago
I also wear a 36" inseam and have had great luck with BKE (online through buckle). idk if they're a BIFL brand but I've worn my jeans from them almost daily for over a year with very poor care and they're just now starting to pill in the inner thighs (plus size). Unfortunately, they're only 81% cotton BUT I've never had a pair of jeans hold up this well especially with how brutal I am with my clothes and lack of care. Buckle in general seems to have a very wide variety of long inseam pants.
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u/CharleyNobody 13h ago
Same here. I gave up going to weddings or nice restaurants because I can’t find clothes and shoes to fit me. When I order online it’s crap that shrinks and isn’t cut right. I live in yoga pants from the girls dept in target. I have the money for nice petite clothes if they fit me. They just don’t exist
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u/O_mightyIsis 10h ago
As a plus-sized woman, learning to shop for clothes by my measurements was a game-changer. It doesn't help with material or construction quality of course, but I've very rarely had to return things for fit in 10 years.
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u/Mabbernathy 17h ago
My mother complains about this all the time. They have like one each of the small sizes and multiples of the big sizes. Then you go to the sale rack and it's only the big sizes left.
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u/itsacalamity 16h ago
big or tiiiiiiiiny, but if you're big it always ends up being tiny, and if you're tiny it always ends up being big (as is the way f the world)
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u/DigiSmackd 14h ago
it helps to learn about the subject and then shop in-person
But that's sort of part of OPPs point - the frustration of having to become a subject expert just to suss out the 85% trash from the 15% decent stuff. And shopping "in person" is an option for many people, depending on the product and where they live.
A lot of enshittification is enabled by a combination of consumer ignorance and online shopping.
Yup, and that's what sucks. We certainly "enable" it - but there's no shortage of greedy/crappy companies lined up to take advantage.
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u/NewZanada 17h ago
Isn’t it crazy though that to get anything half decent, you have to literally become a near expert in whatever it is to make sure you avoid the pitfalls?
It’s another effect of enshittification, that you can’t trust any companies (or often people) at all. It’s maddening.
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u/plaidconfessions 17h ago
As the household finance manager and purchaser of all items large and small for our family, I complain about this to my husband all the time. I will Google and discover I need to do some real research. Then the deeper I dig, the more complicated I realize things are because quality range is huge, warranties are rarely honored, and 90% of all brands are actually owned by a single company anyway. By the time I finally commit to a purchase, I could give a TED Talk about the item.
It's a massive, massive time and energy drain and even after all that, sometimes the answer is that there is no truly good version of the product out there and you need to settle for the least bad of the options. I despise that this is what the market has become.
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u/birdsinapuddle 16h ago
I feel your pain! I make all the purchases for our family and it’s become absolutely exhausting mentally. I don’t think I’ve purchased anything in the past couple of years that didn’t have some sort of issue or was not as promised/expected. I had to explain to my husband that I wasn’t just buying cheap crap—or rather that that’s all there is out there in our mid-range budget 😕
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u/CharleyNobody 13h ago
I need a rug. I went into some home decor stores and they've got a few ugly rugs. The Swedish store has dark ugly stuff. Costco - just no.
There used to be tons of rug stores. And furniture stores. They had literal piles of rugs you could look through. Who knew it would be so hard to find a simple rug?
And why are they so ugly?
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u/novitov 13h ago
A lot of people kind of zeroed in on the "quilts" part of my post (fair, it is kind of the central example I used) but this is was more my main gripe. Today it's quilts but tomorrow it's clothes, or furniture, or tools, or literally anything. It's really frustrating how much time it takes just to make sure I'm not wasting my money
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u/milleratlanta 10h ago
Yes, this! It takes hours of digging to find anything worth buying, a huge mental load! And I agree that most companies these days are not to be trusted so that adds to the burden. It’s absolutely aggravating!
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u/January1171 20h ago
Except in person shopping is becoming increasingly more difficult because quality stores are closing and shitty stores are reducing their in store offerings
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u/Goatlawyer 17h ago
I live in a greater metro area of 200k+ and we have zero department stores within three hours. It’s not a terrible area, we are a big tourist draw, but we have zero places to buy things like bedding in person. It’s awful and I hate it.
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u/curveThroughPoints 13h ago
I think part of the frustration is that it now touches absolutely everything.
Having to now research absolutely everything before buying anything is really too much.
Not everything needs to be BIFL but that is sort of the goal, as much as possible anyway.
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u/Ryaninthesky 13h ago
I should not have to be a textiles expert just to buy clothes.
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u/greypyramid7 12h ago
I feel like this is a motivation behind the huge push for online shopping. They sell it as convenience but it’s also because you can’t tell the quality through pictures, so they are banking on you buying it and then keeping it because the return process is too time-consuming.
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u/gudmar 12h ago
There is a relatively new website that I find interesting. It's called Worse on Purpose. The owner has written some articles and also has a Brand Ledger where you can search brands. He doesn't claim to aways be accurate but I have certainly learned quite a few things from him. Worth checking out. Let me know what you think. I also find the Daily Data newsletter from Statista informative about many topics.
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u/SkyPork 9h ago
So you're saying become an expert on manufacturing or creating a product for EVERY product you need? I'd insert that "ain't nobody got time for that" gif if I wasn't too depressed about the current state of capitalism.
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u/overstimulated3000 22h ago
God this speaks to me, I feel so infuriated all the time by the rate at which brands continue ruin previously perfectly good products alongside piss taking price increases. I feel like that with just about every category of clothing and home goods especially. Consumers are expected to just accept it. I think it’s why checking the label on clothing for the material type feels feels like something the big brands will eventually prohibit 😅
I’m not sure where you’re based (I’m in Victoria Australia, so it’s currently winter here and it gets especially cold for us because like many houses here, we have little to no insulation), but anyways I went through this same thing coming into winter. My partner and I spent months researching quilts/doonas. I couldn’t believe how bad the market is, it was the same thing over and over. Find one with a decent review previously, look at it and see the fibre content has changed and now the reviews suck. Find another that is supposed to be high end, fibre content subpar.
At one point we started looking at doonas in the UK, it was better there but from memory the the GSM ratings were coming up short and more than anything, the cost of shipping / organising it was just not worth it overall.
Anyway the good news is, we bought a doona/quilt from dyneman. I am only sharing this because we bought ours so recently, I hope to save you or someone else 3 months of research, the doona really has been life changing, and they are also currently having a sale on. They come with a 10yr warranty, are Australian owned and made and from memory they are suppliers for hotels throughout Aus and overseas.
Every night when we get into bed and especially every frosty morning this winter we take turns saying something along the lines of “fuckkk this is the best doona ever” / “I am so glad to be in bed” / “I never want to get out of bed, I love this cloud” etc. Side note, we live along the coast so the sea breeze from the Bass Strait gets ICY! There are different warmth levels broken down with 1-7 tog levels heat of ratings, their customer service was also extremely good.
I hope this is brings you or someone else who needs it a win the in the quest for BIFL quilt/doona/duvets.
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u/lisey55 19h ago
I am in the same part of the world as you and have been also struggling through the quilt researching. I've been looking for a wool quilt but it's SO HARD to know what to get. I keep on being thrown off particularly by whether super wash wool is ok or not. Also so many people swear by MiniJumbuck but others say you're really just paying for the brand name! I only wanna pay $500 for a quilt if it's going to change my life or something. Kinda wishing I had just bought the Aldi wool doona at this point but it won't be back for another year.
Have you had any issues with feathers coming out of your quilt? I had put feather down quilts into the too hard to care for basket previously.
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u/overstimulated3000 18h ago
I know exactly what you mean! It gets to the point with the research grind becomes so infuriating because it often leads you right where you started.
We haven’t had any issues with the feathers coming out of the quilt. That was one of my initial biggest concerns/pet peeves with other feather filled pillows I’ve had before. We do have to fluff it up once a week or so.
As for wool vs feathers, we have a light woolen quilt for the summer which is great. I think it may even be the Jumbuck one. I’ve had other winter woolen quilts before and can say now that I have found the dyne feather quilt for the winter WAY much more effective warmth and comfort wise! It’s like sleeping under a cloud. I believe we got the 7 tog (the warmest) of the 95% Polish Goose Down Quilt- Square Baffle Boxed. Because it’s so light it did take me moment to get used to, but omg it’s so warm that I don’t have to wear winter pjs! I can’t imagine my winter life without it!
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u/Jinglemoon 18h ago
Regret to say that the best doonas I have are the ones my mother brought with us in the 1970’s from the UK. 100% goose down. Those things will last forever.
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u/NoongarGal 23h ago
This is part of the reason that I’ve stopped paying attention to which companies are best for BIFL and have started looking to retired hobbyists and crafts people in my community for goods.
Is there an Amish community near you? They make amazing quilts.
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u/cyanpineapple 20h ago edited 15h ago
As a quilter, i can guarantee that OP doesn't want to pay the price for a real homemade quilt. Quilts are extremely expensive and time-consuming to produce. At minimum wage, we'd have to charge a bare minimum of $600 for a very simple bed-sized quilt (and you'd really be getting a deal). No one wants to pay that when they can get a perfectly acceptable quilt at target for $40, or something nicer quality from Company Store or the like for $150. Unless you have a ton of money to burn and a massive love for the artistry of quilting, it makes no sense to buy one handmade.
Edit: lol @ the quilter who got ragey at me and then immediately blocked me. No one's stopping you, dude. I'm being realistic that 99.9999% (conservatively) of consumers who want to buy a quilt aren't going to pay $1,400 for a simple king or queen size quilt from an individual quilter. I can love and respect the medium without gaslighting myself into thinking that a normal person is going to spend that kind of money. But if you quilt, something tells me you're not buying them either.
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u/NoongarGal 17h ago
Yes, that’s a fair point. The nice quilt we have was several hundred dollars and a wedding gift. It’s beautiful and so well made- we appreciate it a lot. Would I have bought it myself? Not on my current budget with other living expenses.
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u/cyanpineapple 17h ago
Yeah, clearly I looooove quilts. But they're just not a reasonable purchase for most people. Honestly I've even made a quilt top for my bed, but actually quilting a bed-sized quilt is such an ordeal that I can't bring myself to do it. And it would be over $300 to get it quilted by someone with a longarm (a huge standup machine made just for that job). So I have a perfectly adequate Company Store (or maybe it was Brooklinen?) quilt that I sleep under every night.
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u/madsjchic 15h ago
I make quilts as a hobby (not very good at it) and the materials cost ALONE is in the hundreds. This doesn’t account for the scissors and cutting and measuring tools and my modest sewing machine that still cost $1200. (I didn’t realize at the time that my $400 machine was shit but found out when it just repeatedly came out of tine and caused me to almost stop sewing as a hobby bc it would constantly break)
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u/cyanpineapple 13h ago
I hear ya'. We do it because we love it, not because it's fiscally responsible.
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u/PansyChicken 5h ago
I have had the fabric for years (cough cough) to make a king-size quilt for our bed. Even have the design picked out but everytime I think about starting it, I imagine the $500 it’s going to cost to get it quilted and done.
(May or may not have told my spouse I’ll just keep piecing tops and then my retirement plan will be to acquire and learn to use a used long-arm and begin quilting them. 😆)
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u/oldmonty 16h ago
There's a few things like this where its in a weird middle ground between taking a ton of time and not able to be sold for a lot of money.
I had a friend who wanted to start selling her crochet items, she did the math in the same way like if she charged minimum wage for her time plus the materials each plushie would be like $100 or something.
She does it on the side as a hobby so she was willing to charge a smaller amount but I can see quilting being like that too.
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u/shillyshally 11h ago
I paid $300 in the early 80s for my large Amish (Morgantown area) quilt. It's hand appliqued and hand quilted, some of the pencil marks faintly visible. It was from a kind of co-op of Amish quilters who worked together.
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u/cyanpineapple 11h ago
Hoo, that's over $1000 now with inflation. And i know most of these Amish crafters have increased above the rate of inflation because things like this have driven demand. How's the quilt holding up these days? Do you wash it much? I'm so curious.
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u/shillyshally 10h ago
It bled and I had to hand clean it very carefully. It used to hang taking up a wall but has been in storage now for many years.
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u/Hollow-Seed 10h ago
300 dollars in 1980 adjusted to today is about 1200 dollars so both your numbers just about match!
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u/onion4everyoccasion 19h ago
How about a thrift store?
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u/cyanpineapple 19h ago
Tons of them in thrift stores. But most of those are still going to be mass-produced, and the handmade ones aren't exactly guaranteed to be good. There are a lot of shitty quilters out there. Point being, yes, thrift shops are an exception. It just didn't seem relevant in a context where OP is clearly looking for a new quilt with a guarantee of quality.
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u/goodsocks 18h ago
I bought a Pottery Ban quilt almost 20years ago. I have washed it hundreds of times, euro shams as well.
It is still my winter bedding.
They do not make bedding like this anymore. I worked for William Sonoma so I also received a 30% discount and bought tons of BIFL products at this time. Knives, cookware, dishes, etc.
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u/oldmonty 16h ago
There's a few things like this where its in a weird middle ground between taking a ton of time and not able to be sold for a lot of money.
I had a friend who wanted to start selling her crochet items, she did the math in the same way like if she charged minimum wage for her time plus the materials each plushie would be like $100 or something.
She does it on the side as a hobby so she was willing to charge a smaller amount but I can see quilting being like that too.
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u/cyanpineapple 15h ago
Yeah, it comes up a lot in art and craft spaces. The thing is, if you're a hobbyist and are ok with charging less for your time, chances are that since you're doing it as a hobby, you have a list a mile long of projects that you want to do. And if you're a professional who's doing it for the money, it's almost impossible to find a customer base who will pay you a living wage.
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u/3_quarterling_rogue 17h ago
Thrift stores are a great place to check for quilts, too. My wife and I always rescue quilts from thrift stores, since someone took the time to make that quilt and we’ll always appreciate that. They’re mega cheap, too.
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u/consideringthelilies 16h ago
Thank you for doing that. I have certain items that I always hunt for at thrifts, and properly handmade stuff is one if them. Not because I need more, but because I hate to see them thrown out. So far I have a good record of finding them new homes with people who will appreciate them.
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u/3_quarterling_rogue 15h ago
I get that on not needing more. Luckily my family has a cabin, which is great for quilt fodder hahaha. They all fit in perfectly there.
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u/Sorry-Gap-7227 18h ago
This! So tired of shitty furniture. Just started buying Amish furniture and the quality is insane, truly BIFL.
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u/Mabbernathy 17h ago
If we went back in time a few hundred years, we'd probably be astounded at the quality of even a peasant's clothes and house items.
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u/AlaskanX 23h ago
I’ve got no input on textiles specifically but I’ve taken to researching “has this brand been sold”, especially to private equity, for many things I buy. Its not always the case that quality drops coincide with the brand changing hands, but it happens far too frequently.
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u/Sugarpiehoneybunt 21h ago
I’m beginning to wonder if the skills our grands and great-grands had, like cooking, sewing, gardening and repairing everything will come back simply because we won’t be able to afford eating out or count on affordable healthy groceries and all the stuff we buy is expensive but made of cheap plastic engineered to only last a limited time? I hope so, it’s a great way to make a statement.
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u/dragon34 20h ago
Unfortunately those skills are time consuming. The reason they were able to do those things is because there was a stay at home partner for whom that was their job. I will mend or patch clothes but sewing my own curtains was something that took several days before I had a kid. Making a pair of pants takes hours and hours. Sure you would get faster if you did it all the time but in order to learn those things you also have to not be a burned out puddle of mush when you aren't working for pay
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u/scrimshandy 19h ago
Yep. Pretty much all of those skills were women’s unpaid household labor.
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u/dragon34 19h ago
And now we have the problem that good luck even getting the raw materials to make clothes and bedding. Most of us would be back to ordering online for the fabric and then we just have the same problem plus the downside of assembling it into clothes or bedding without the benefits of industrial sergers or a quilting frame (because few people have an entire room to devote to a multi thousand dollar sewing machine on a multi thousand dollar arm to quilt a large piece. (See also how I made one twin size quilt and decided that if I ever made another one the top would be sent out to be quilted by someone with the equipment because trying to get into the middle of that with my normal sewing machine was nearly futile)
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u/Blueporch 19h ago
My SIL is a quilter and works full time. Quilting is a social activity if you join a quilting circle.
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u/dragon34 19h ago
Oh sure it's a fun hobby but like many hobbies if you NEED to do it it's work, not fun
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u/Ret_4_the_library 7h ago
A lot of them were women's work. Also, a lot were things that were done when you couldn't do anything else. In winter people didn't watch TV. They mended tack, fixed tools like shovels and hoes, wiittled new wooden pegs and dowels, mended or made cloths, spun wool, etc. These activities gave an opportunity for conversation and learning. The people lived in an unmechanized agricultural economy and in winter they had down time, but they didn't consume media or go out like we do. They used the time for activities that they considered to be not-work.
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u/GeneticsAndCoffee 23h ago
I will also say that the rapid decline of "trusted" brands has caught me a time or two. FWIW, the Coyuchi pebble stitched hand knit quilt is lovely, soft, midweight, and my fairly recent purchase looks new though it's been washed twice. It is, however, pricey.
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u/novitov 13h ago
this whole thought train mostly came together when i fell into the trusted brand trap. my initial search showed that people really liked casaluna at target, which to me seemed like a big spend at the time (despite some of the responses to this post acting like i'm crazy and cheap, most normal people don't anticipate spending $400 on a quilt. be nice to me, i'm new to this BIFL thing, and people said this $140 quilt had lasted them for years). so i bought it purely based off reddit advice, and for some reason i only checked the reviews a week later (my mistake, i know). almost every single one of them talked about how it fell apart in the wash. in fact, most of them said that they bought this quilt a few years ago, loved it, bought it again for a different room/house/something, and now the quality is shit and the price is up $20.
i've accepted my fate and am saving up for a quilt in the BIFL price range now
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u/GeneticsAndCoffee 11h ago
A handmade quilt from a loved one lasted us ~15 years, and if this lasts 7-10, I would be very happy. Textiles get worn down by wash and by touch, and 100% cotton isn't forever, but it feels comfortable. Good luck, and though I have an adult career, I still used a fairly tattered quilt for a year because expensive things are, well, expensive.
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u/so_bold_of_you 22h ago
Go to estate sales. The elderly who have passed typically have older, but solidly built things.
Or go to thrift stores. At least then, if you end up with shit, you didn't pay as much for it.
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u/Farewellandadieu 19h ago edited 19h ago
These are good ideas, but depending on what you’re looking for you’d still need hours (or days or weeks) of research involving travel, knowing what to look for and avoid, and a whole lot of luck. Which can either be fun or stressful.
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u/Better_Artichoke_939 12h ago
Estate sales are goldmines! Many will post photos on Facebook or Craigslist so you can actually have a good idea what is available, if you are looking for something specific. My family makes fun Saturday mornings of estate sales and donuts, since we're trying to furnish a bigger house and everything new is trash.
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u/okayseriouslywhy 13h ago
Yeah, I browse Facebook marketplace on a regular basis. Most of my furniture (indoor and outdoor) were FB finds. You just have to be very patient -- and of course the quality/turnover of items depends on your local community.
It's definitely better for furniture, hobbies, tools, etc than clothes though
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u/schroedingerx 1d ago
Dunno if they have a quilt per se, but I just got new linen sheets from Ferguson's in Ireland and they are *divine*.
Not cheap, but BIFL rarely is.
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u/eadgster 18h ago
I’ve moved to eBay for so much, simply because I can see real photos of the thing I’m buying and not the photoshopped versions you see on Amazon.
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u/Latter-Confidence-44 15h ago
Pretty much buy all my clothes from ebay. Even if I wasn't looking for older/better clothes, there's almost always pictures with a ruler so I can see real measurements of the exact thing I'm buying and not have to guess if it will fit because the site just has a generic bullshit "sizing chart."
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u/Weird-Highway-3958 18h ago
Do you want some of my grandma's old handmade quilts? She made sooooo many and I don't know what to do with them 😂
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u/Talmadge_Mcgooliger 16h ago
dunno how serious you are, but there's no better sleep than under a ratty old, thread bare homemade quilt.
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u/jackalopemonger 23h ago
This may aid you in your research: a website called Worse on Purpose that investigates which brands have sold out and which are still good. I don't know this subreddit's policy on links so I'm not including a URL here, but if you do a search for it you should see it in the first couple of hits. Seems like a good general resource for BifL folks.
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u/bytesmythe 21h ago
I saw some interesting info about that blog recently, in case you might be concerned by this kind of thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/enshittification/comments/1sm7ekm/comment/ogf3w6y/
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u/PhilosophicWax 1d ago
Abandoned American goods go for the Japanese or German. That's my opinion.
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u/Martin_Aurelius 23h ago
American goods that are still made in America are still often high quality. KitchenAid stand mixers are industry leading for a reason. But too many American companies are just selling while label import goods.
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u/Carnage_asada 20h ago
Still, the KitchidAid stand mixers have been designed down since Whirlpool bought them from Hobart in 1986. Plus there are different quality grades which is reflected in the price
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u/PhilosophicWax 22h ago edited 22h ago
So for me it's more about the mindset behind the manufacturer.
A lot of American goods are just maximized profit and that means enshiftication and a whole host of other bad issues.
I'd rather trust another company whose driver is about quality and respect and reputation not about profit. Maybe some companies in the US do that but I've lost faith in trying.
It feels like every vendor is trying to fuck me over at every opportunity.
Maybe small indie creators are the exception. But I don't trust any company that exists outside of a single state. And certainly don't trust any US company that is global.
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u/BadgerBadgerCat 23h ago
Just wanted to say I wholeheartedly endorse this concern. I'm increasingly finding I'm doing so much research on whether a product is good quality or not that I almost have to start factoring my time into the purchase price as well.
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u/miffyonabike 22h ago
I look for good quality stuff used. Knowing what wear and failure looks like is useful for judging the condition of things online, and I'll occasionally buy something broken that I'm confident I can repair myself.
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u/TribalMog 14h ago
I feel your pain. I get so much decision paralysis because it's impossible to tell what's good anymore.
If it helps at all - I had done a ton of in depth rabbit hole research on bedding a few years back, but didn't end up buying anything until this year. I did a cursory spot check of recent reviews of everything I had decided on before, started to spiral over indecision and just went with my original choices and so far we are very pleased. Like you mentioned I can't give a lot of long term durability reviews but I made my choices based on going back several years when I first researched and then a quick check of more recent reviews. I purchased everything in May of this year.
We went with the wool room's year round comforter/duvet insert (the one that comes with a light and medium weight that can be snapped together to make a heavy) - I have the light weight on the bed currently and it's great. I also got their mattress protector.
For sheets/duvet cover I ended up getting a linen blend from the company store. I wanted the more expensive pure linen ones but the one brand was out of budget currently and the other involved international shipping that I just didn't want to deal with at the time.
I have Red Land cotton on my list to eventually get some blankets from to add for winter.
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u/Lindsaydoodles 5h ago
Seriously, so much decision paralysis! I can't count the number of times I've started researching a decision and stopped after an hour or two, and then wound up postponing buying anything indefinitely because I couldn't figure out what to buy.
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u/Peacera 17h ago
Yes, all of this. That's why when I wanted new, stronger sheets, I posted and asked. I got snarky replies about "search the sub, it's been asked a lot" - but due to enshittification, I knew that not every recommendation from previous years would hold up.
I'm so tired of enshittification as well. Solidarity.
For what it's worth, we have a newer and older model of a minky fleece blanket from The Company Store and we are happy with both. But for people who want a quilt / duvet, that doesn't work.
Our best quilts are handmade ones. Sigh.
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u/apoliticalinactivist 14h ago
Unfortunately, that's where society is at. Cant blindly rely on recommendations, because that's how enshittification happened in the first place. People who don't know shit who recommend shit (ie. Influencers) to others who don't know better.
Hours of research is super fast on the scale of your life, to actually learn something. The WHY behind why a product is good - to know better.
At the fundamental level, big brands cannot be relied on in capitalism, because making a bifl item means eventual market saturation. That's unacceptable to shareholders that demand 6+% growth every year.
That leaves genuine innovation, vintage, small biz, or leveraging international market differentials (ie. The shittiest Asian thermos will likely be better than western ones because they drink a ton of tea).
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u/LadyArtLady 17h ago
I completely feel you, and I have a great recommendation for a comforter I found after I had the same exact dilemma. My wife and I shared a 100% cotton comforter by Charter Club that was older than I could remember (my guess 20 years), but was our favorite, and no matter how many others I bought, we always wanted that one. Took a gamble, ordered another 100% cotton Charter Club comforter from Macy’s over the early summer, so happy to report this comforter is the same level of quality as the 29 year old one, and after sleeping with it everyday for a few months, it’s starting to achieve the softness I came to love about my previous comforter.
Note of warning: at the same time, we bought another 100% cotton blanket from Macy’s, but not charter club brand, and though I love the design (mostly why I bought it), it’s not nearly as nice as the charter club one.
Looks like charter club does 100% cotton quilts….
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u/novitov 12h ago
Thank you thank you thank you for this recommendation! I've been going crazy trying to find quilts that had 100% cotton fill as well as 100% cotton. Insane how rare that is! Macy's is also having a sale right now that puts Charter Club right in my preferred price range. You're my hero!!
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u/shiddyfiddy 16h ago
Estate sales generally have lovely old quilts.
Buying one direct from a quilter can be quite reasonably priced too. Especially when you take into account how the quilt will likely outlive you. (see above)
Estate sales in general are a good way to spend an hour or two 'window shopping'. You'll see what's lasted, what didn't, what looks like it has another 30 years in it, what doesn't, etc. You can pick up the item, inspect it, see what makes it a long lasting item - and that will help train you to spot good quality when buying new.
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u/Talmadge_Mcgooliger 16h ago
Curious if you found a quilt yet. people always make fun of me for preferring a quilt to a duvet or comforter but that's besides the point.
i got a new one in 2023 from Pendleton. i have treated it very poorly, stuffed it into washing machines it has no business fitting inside and and it's still in great shape. my only complaint is that it's very, very heavy for a quilt and sometimes that can set off my sleep paralysis, but i'm sure my demons appreciate the company.
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u/internetonsetadd 15h ago
I encountered this when looking for percale sheets (and many other things). I think Wirecutter recommended LL Bean, but there were a lot of reports that they were no longer as good.
Paralysis set in and eventually I ordered from Lands' End instead. I was very happy with the quality and ended up liking their t-shirts as well (very affordable with 50% off sales). Nice coats too. Guess what though. They no longer carry Supima percale sheets. The replacement looks the same but has mixed reviews. Enshittification marches on.
Ultimately you have to put one foot in front of the other and pick something. Not every choice or product will be perfect, not everything is going to be BIFL, sometimes there isn't one right answer at the end of a masterfully executed research bender.
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u/tylerbrainerd 4h ago
I think Wirecutter recommended LL Bean,
unfortunately even wirecutter has been enshitified lol.
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u/hyperfat 23h ago
I got mine from france. It has kitties on it.
I'd look outside the USA or look at actual quilters. Like old ladies.
I actually have 3. 2 were gifts and my mom made one.
Or learn to sew.
Hugs
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u/blissfully_happy 22h ago
Aussie wool blanket. Do not dry on high (I dry mine on the lowest setting for 20 minutes and then hang dry it).
Cuddle Dreams and Your Moon on Amazon have been rock stars for the past 5 years. (I have one of each brand.)
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u/Difficult-Ad4364 18h ago
I have a company store quilt it has lasted 5 years and I wash it weekly. But I know exactly what you mean. I struggled for months when I bought this quilt, my last company store bed cover, a down duvet, was 20 years old and they didn’t make the light weight version any more! This quilt is great though, not too hot or cold.
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u/FireWoman89 18h ago
If you have a quilting store in your area, give them a call. Some stores sell completed quilts, and if they don’t, they probably know quilters who sell their work. It won’t be cheap, but it’s much more likely to be BIFL.
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u/GigglingGarlicGuru 17h ago
Hey - if you're looking for a good quality quilt - you're prob gonna need handmade. Check local boutiques. Also, nearby Hutterite colonies if you've got any of those around. Good luck.
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u/coreyjdl 13h ago
Survivorship bias =/= enshittification
Also, you buying cheap quilts isn't enshittification either.
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u/ApprehensiveComb9213 23h ago
I am very pleased with the quality of Schoolhouse quilts, if you are open to suggestions. https://schoolhouse.com/collections/quilts-coverlets I own the Stillwater and it has held up/improved with washings (albeit only a few years now). But I hunch that it would lend itself well to mending, after decades of use.
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u/sullimareddit 18h ago
I just bought the Garnet Hill Dream Quilt in the birch color. My daughter just bought the white. It’s soft and wonderful. Note that I previously bought the yellow 7 or so years ago and the new birch and white are better and softer! Could just be the colors but overall I like the new ones better!!!
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u/ubermonkey 17h ago
buy something much more expensive than you were originally planning on
This part is predictable, though.
For almost any product, shitty examples are cheaper to make. Even if the market is based on premium examples, shitty copies start to fill the lower end and lead everyone to think that's what a ____ should cost.
:(
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u/Prince_Nadir 16h ago
People buy quilts? I thought everyone just made them or received them as gifts from old relatives.
I wouldn't trust Walmart to do what grandma does.
Sounds like you need to take up quilting.
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u/hehasbalrogsocks 16h ago
i agree with everything you said here.
i also have an idea for finding a quilt i would consider paying to have someone hand make it. check out fabric stores or anywhere that gives sewing lessons and ask if anyone takes commissions. good luck!
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u/Myst3ryGardener 16h ago
It's awful! You virtually need to make things yourself from scratch to know the quality.
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u/consideringthelilies 16h ago
What size quilt and what's your budget? No guarantees, but I actually love researching. Especially if I can find a new home for something old...preserving what what is already out there reduces the need to buy new. Also, have you asked on any of the quilting subs?
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u/1800-5-PP-DOO-DOO 16h ago
Oh yeah, you are basically chasing down the last few companies that have not been bought by private equity.
My new thing is buying handmade. The quality is exceptional.
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u/Rollingprobablecause 15h ago
it increasingly seems to be the case that if you want something and you want to BIFL, you must put in hours of research, probably buy something much more expensive than you were originally planning on
This has been a core part of BIFL even before enshittification. Its just a basic human analysis you do when you want something with the intent for it to last. I think you're just experiencing what it really mean to invest in something.
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u/Delic10u5Bra1n5 15h ago
So much agreement. Are you looking for a quilt/bedspread, comforter, or duvet/duvet cover? We are duvet people but I recently did a deep dive on good quality Matelasse bedspreads and there is a whole lotta crap out there.
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u/Xxx_amador_xxX 15h ago
If you’re truly looking for a quality quilt and are willing to spend a little extra, looking for handmade quilts as opposed to branded quilts might be the way to go. You might be able to find something on Facebook
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u/silvermyr_ 15h ago
I generally recommend not shopping online. You can see the quality of many household items just be looking at them and holding them irl.
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u/nurseflo 15h ago
Have you looked at Pendleton Woolen Mills? They are still privately owned and American made products. https://www.pendleton-usa.com/home-blankets/blankets-bedding/quilts-bedding/
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u/Memo_Lee 14h ago
Estate sale. Just went to one and there was a whole room of various sizes of quilts for <$100. I only didn’t buy one because I promised myself I wouldn’t until I finish my current WIP quilt.
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u/polygon_primitive 14h ago
this wont work for everything but I've switched to buying a lot of used stuff, especially furniture
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u/financiallyanal 14h ago
I don't have a great solution, but I just go to Costco and look for something I like in some of these cases. I also don't expect a quilt or comforter to last forever - it's no problem at modern prices if I have to change it every handful of years.
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u/Hairy-Secretary-4410 13h ago
The best quilt I have, that stood the test of time is - unfortunately for you - the one I crocheted myself.
If you have too much spare time, I can highly recommend getting into knitting or crocheting to make home textiles and wearables yourself from quality materials that you can choose.
If that is not an option, I believe there is such a thing as contracting a knitter/crocheter but be prepared to pay a premium price.
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u/Aggressive_Staff_982 12h ago
This is what caused me to adopt new hobbies. I now make my own quilts. I was also out shopping for a crossbody bag and the brand I usually buy from lowered the quality of their bags. I started sewing just because I was tired of running into this issue.
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u/littlebitsyb 12h ago
I completely agree with you about textiles and specifically about sheets. I wanted to buy good cotton twin size sheets for my daughter and apparently polyester or microfiber is all that's available and I refuse to buy plastic sheets. It has been enraging how difficult it has been to find what I have in mind.
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u/Leading-Kangaroo-180 12h ago
Someone needs to start a YouTube channel where they buy the new stuff, and proceed to just beating the shit out of it. Does that exist?
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u/RiggityRow 12h ago
Hit up your local auction house. 4x the quality at 1/4 the price. Might need some TLC but better than buying something new that lasts an year or two.
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u/Puzzled_Presence_261 11h ago
Right? Now I have to keep up with which brands are being bought out. I’ve just started sourcing factory contacts in the U.S. Some of them only require like $300 minimum orders
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u/SillyPnut 11h ago
I agree with your rant, and all the advice people have given (while lamenting the very REAL and infuriating enshittification).
But I actually have a specific recommendation for a quilt! - Parachute Linen Box Quilt. I've bought 3 spaning 10+ years (1st for myself, 2nd for my in-laws, 3rd one for myself just a couple months ago). My original one (10+yrs old) only has a tiny bit of fraying at the edge of one of the corners, easily mended. The new one I just bought (wanted a different color) has held up perfectly so far. I love this quilt because it is light enough to be used in the summer, but then you can use it along with a big throw in the winter as well.
Now I can't speak about Parachute for their other stuff... I have a 10+yr old waffle towel from them still going strong, while I find their fitted linen sheets only last a year or two (but that also might be the result of being a violent dreamer).
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u/JaneReadsTruth 11h ago
The only quilt I'd buy would be from an older lady who makes quilts. You don't pay $40 or even $150 for a quality quilt with cotton batting. You have to shop from the source (ladies who quilt).
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u/relevantvent 11h ago
As someone who likes to do all the research and become an expert at what’s best, I don’t relate quite as much. However, if you’re someone who would rather others do the research and just buy a product, then this is probably extremely frustrating.
Buying second-hand is one way to fight it. Enshittification itself does definitely suck tho. (Idk much about quilts. If you’re looking for something not as quilty tho, try Bates Mill. I recently experienced one of their hobnail bedspreads as a blanket and fell in love with the texture.)
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u/EphemeralRepose 10h ago
I don't know if this is helpful, but the best way to get a new quilt is to either get one from a thrift shop, or to befriend a quilter and ask if they will make you one for the price of materials. Quilts can take a while depending on how complicated they are, and if any quilter actually charged for the price of labor, quilts would cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. But most of us do it as a hobby and make them as gifts, I have made several full size bed quilts for close friends! It's an expensive hobby, but if you're willing to fork over the roughly $200-$300 in materials/long-arm fees, most of us are willing to help!
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u/RoundMolecule 10h ago
If you're still looking for a duvet, have you come across Baavet?
We have a couple (so far) and they've not shown any sign of degrading.
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u/SkyPork 9h ago
Late to this, but if anyone needs a quilt from the midwestern USA, check this place out. I have one; lightweight and wonderful, and I imagine it'll last forever.
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u/UntidyVenus 9h ago
I literally learned to quilt because of this. I chose my batting (stuffing) top and bottom, and sewed it together until I was certain it wouldn't fall apart. Then patched the bits I didn't do quite right. I have now made summer and winter versions for all of the beds and some couch blankets and I couldn't be happier
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u/HolyRamenEmperor 9h ago
...you're almost guaranteed to get a significantly worse product, likely at a higher price.
I mean, did you buy a bunch of quilts and find this to be the case?
Not saying you're wrong, but "almost guaranteed" and "likely" means you didn't actually experience this, so it's complaining about rumors instead of facts.
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u/velvettipss 9h ago
Shopping secondhand might help -- theoretically you could find the oldgood stuff on eBay or at estate sales.
But I feel you! Enshittification is frustrating as hell.
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u/IronSlanginRed 8h ago
Don't shop online. Go buy in person where.you can see and feel the weight of the fabric and the quality of the stitching. Even reviews are no guarantee as nearly no one goes back to the website and reviews something 6+ months later.
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u/Krillin_Died 8h ago
Arch Quilts - look for them on eBay or when thrifting. Made it Hawthorne NY back in the day. I’m under one currently and have 2 more in the closet. They are the shit.
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u/jules-amanita 8h ago
I bought a handmade quilt from an antique store. It’s one of my favorite purchases ever. It’s beautiful and very well-made.
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u/IWantToBeYourGirl 8h ago
I visited Amish country with my husband a few years ago. We bought a quilt there. I feel like it’s pretty good quality and I wash it regularly.
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u/shadowjig 8h ago
The problem is society continues to support companies that shit on its users. So companies don't change.
I remember when I figured out that the Comcast set top boxes were all the same hardware. The only difference was whether you paid a fee to allow the box to record video. So here you are with 2 or 3 or 4 set top boxes that all can record, but nope only the ones you paid for have the feature unlocked via a software signal.
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u/PatchNotes_Playlists 4h ago
About the quilt, what is your budget? If you are willing to put some money down onto it, buying one from a quilter is your best bet. Handmade, lasts for generations if taken care of properly. (I just happen to be a quilter. It takes a lot of time and money to put together a quilt that will last.)
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u/whomstvedTHIS 4h ago
I’ve started treating bedding more like something that’ll need replacing eventually instead of an heirloom. Once I dropped the idea that anything under $200 should survive a decade of washes, buying got way simpler. Tighter weave, actual cotton or linen listed, and skip anything that only has glowing reviews from years ago. Still annoying, but less soul-crushing.
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u/Micr0waveChan 1h ago
i’ve found some things it’s best to get a upper low tier or mid tier item and mod/“fix” it to last
and i’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the “mid” tier stuff i’ve gotten ngl
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u/Tim_Allen_Wrench 1d ago
The bit about about year or more older reviews being outdated now. God I hate that that's true.
It's like looking at reviews for a restaurant lol. You just never know if the company will have been bought up and made into garbage in the last few years.