Coverlets are ornamented pieces of bed covers. Commonly made of silks, cotton or other fabrics that can be made to have a richer surface, coverlets and quilts usually go together. Quilts coverlets have a layer of soft filler like wool, down or feathers between two sheets of fabric, The top layer fabric is the one to be put on display while the middle layer is called the batting and the bottom layer is called the backing. All three layers are held firmly together in place by quilting, which is stitching following a decorative design or tying by using ribbons, thread or yarn to go through all the layers.

A coverlets is generally lightweight and popular as a bed topper and easy to put on the bed. It is like a bed spread except that it is shorter, to show the bed skirt. It can serve as a blanket and can be made reversible.

Coverlets are made of washable materials but care must be taken in washing them to prevent the surface decorations that have been sewn in are not removed. Quilted coverlets are closely held together by the decorative stitches but care must still be taken so as not to cut the thread and deform its appearance or reduce the fluffiness of the filler or batting. To protect expensive quilts, quilts covers are now available in attractive colours and designs.