I have a friend who is an upholsterer, she made us a wonderful bed cover from heavy cotton fabrics used to cover chairs, the squares are about 18 inches in size, it has no batting or backing as it is heavy enough, it has been washed heaps of times and it comes up good every time! I noticed that she used her industrial sewing machine to piece it, and used a French seam which is very hard wearing.
Gal