Hi,<BR>I am off to Thailand and Cambodia in three weeks for the same amount of time there. I am doing a tour and will have a few free days in Bangkok. Can anyone recommend the best place to buy "ready made" thai silk bedspreads or duvet covers of very good quality, or is it best to buy the fabric only (I cannot sew, so I must hire someone here in NYC)? I've been reading a lot about JIM Thompson, but do not know if they sell bedding.

Yes, Jim Thompson sells such things. Another purveyor of beautiful silk fabrics is Shinewatra (I'm sure that isn' spelled right) which sell yard goods and may sell bedding as well. You'll get wonderful quality at either place.

I had a couple custom made at a bedding shop which was in the shopping center behind the Grand Hyatt Erawan. They are excellent

A word of advice...take the actual measurements - in metric -for your bedding. Queen, King, etc aren't as well known, and the you may want yours to hangs down to the floor, or not. Pillow size can also vary.

j. thompson is your first stop---make sure you go to the main store on suriwong at the corner of rama iv...it is the biggest and has a building in back of the main store which caters to home needs...price things and then look elsewhere...you will not match their quality anyplace but the price will be 50% higher probably...a store called patches makes quilts--don't know the address oh yes it is on 591/16 sukomvit soi??<BR><BR>have exact mesurements!!

I will be in Bangkok this January. I've read about Jim Thompson silks and am wondering what I can expect pay per metre some silk.

We just returned from Bangkok and had a bedspread made from a piece of antique silk tapestry we bought at the Chatuchak market (which is not to missed) and had it converted to a bedspread at a tailor shop in Bangkok (Silk Rose on Sukhumvit Road). We picked out the complementing fabric from their selection and they had the spread made and delivered to our hotel that night. Materials and labor came to less than $90 US for a custom silk bedspread.<BR><BR>Any tailor can do this for you quickly and cheaply. Just look for one with fabrics you like.

Thanks, traveler, for that info. Do you recall what the price per metre is for the Thai silks. I have a small dress making business and am interested in purchasing fabric.