Haven't you ever fallen asleep with a newspaper over you? It's surprising how much warmth it can provide really. When I was a kid, the quilt on my bed was not the top layer. It was covered with a bedspread so it didn't get very soiled with use. The quilt was more of a blanket. Quilts were more utility than for beauty, I guess.
I remember my mother hauling the quilt box outside at least once a year to air the contents on the line and leave the lid up to air it in the sun. As a child I was playing with the box and climbed inside. The lid came down and the hasp closure came shut. Here was one scared kid until luckily a neighbor came to visit and rescued me!
Too, I remember my grandmother telling of using straw for padding under the rag carpets. Can you imagine the dust? And we wonder how we have accumulated so many allergies over the years.