ncredbird

[oh, don't cut it. Buy or make yourself a bolster for your bed.]

Can I stuff it with fabric scraps? I have plenty of those!

Jan in VA

LOL!!! :D
I, too, hate disrupting antiquey things by altering them, but so many of the things we worry about -- yes, even some quilts -- actually have little monetary value, mostly just intrinsic value (what it's worth to you personally, memories, etc.). Theredore, since you are unlikely to think of selling it, or turning it in to a museum somewhere, I'd actually say, do remake it for a modern purpose. Sometimes that's more "loving" than neglecting it in a box in storage in the name of "saving" it.

Jan in VA

Steady Stiching

yep my first guess....maybe you tied those open ends with ribbon

quiltingranny

I agree.

butterflywing

my grandmother used these also and they were exactly as described. no ribbon. she draped the ends over the side of the bed and stuffed them with down pillows which really plumped them up. we called them bolsters in english. she called them traversin (she had lived many years in montreal). they're like duvets (covers) for pillows.

pinot

What I've seen here in this region is that they use it as a long pillow at the head end of the bed. The ends are tight with a ribbon and it looks like wrapped candy. I guess you could put the ribbon matched to the size of your bed and let the rest hang down on the sides of the bed.
They put the other pillows on top of it.
Please don't cut it! Bon courage, Pinot

Bibliogirl

Sounds like a cover for what my grandmother called a bolster. She made the bolster for her bed out of regular pillow ticking and stuffed it with goose feathers. It was the width of a double bed. Then she made what looks like a really long pillow case for it. It wasn't fancy like yours sounds. I have both the bolster and the cover and keep it on the bed in my guest bedroom. I found 2 really pretty pillow coverlets in a vintage fabric shop and lay them over the bolster. My guests always remove the bolster and covers before sleeping, so I have 2 regular pillows on the bed as well. My daughter likes to use it as a body pillow when she is here overnight.

damaquilts

What a neat idea. I haven't seen one but it sounds pretty. I may make one for my bed only use some of the small embroidered pieces I have. crazy quilt style. That is so far down the list though. LOL

PolarBear

The one I have was used with a baby pillow inserted and satin ribbon laced thru the ends. The ribbon matched the babies room. It was for decorative purposes.

RAChhap

Thinking back to days before everyone had electricity-could it be a cover for a hot water bottle?