OT - sort of: Down comforters

If you are just going to give it up for dead, why not give the stitching a try anyway? My mother stitched a down comforter for me when I was young, before they did such baffling things (was that a pun?) and it worked very well!

So my vote is...give it a try!

Dannielle

I re-stitched mine.

oh Patti, its only just got cold enough here at night (we're going into winter downunder, folks, lol) to warrant me getting the duvet out and 'airing' it on the line in readiness for use. i've had our duvets for nearly 30 yrs, i cant imagine how a 400 thread count fabric has the stitching coming out. mine is always used inside a duvet cover that is removed and washed as required (about once a month), i also use a top sheet which gets washed weekly. all that said, i'd sure be fix'n it. those duvets cost a small fortune now and seems totally wasteful to me not to fix it. YOU CAN DO THIS. lay it flat, get the feathers evenly distributed and hand stitched it close enough to hold them in place while you properly stitch it on the machine. you're only stitching thru the cover, not the feathers themselves so i'd think it should be easy peasy, tho a bit awkward. yea, you got all summer to fix it so go for it. mine needs to have more feathers added, they seem to lose the odd bits here and there over the yrs. mine was a 70/30 mix of down/feathers iirc, hey, it was nearly 30yrs ago i bought it. wish i'd had the wherewithall to get one home from usa on one of my previous trips, oh well. maybe if i get back there again i'll get one and wear it home, lol. yes i could see it folded just so, tacked into submission and covered with some nice fabrics as a BIG fluffly jacket, lol. :)) yes, Patti, you must fix it. take your time and i'm sure you can manage this. if you're feeling apprehensive, get a couple of girlfriends round for a brain storm session or to help get it started. i'm sure they'd be happy to give it a go, learn'n in the process for their own use one day. good luck and keep us informed, jeanne

I would "moosh" the down out of the way of the stitching lines a bit, stitch, moosh it back, stitch another line, etc. There is nothing to lose! Or, you could give it a really good shake to even out the down and then use some lovely thread -- DMC? -- and tie it fairly closely all over.

That's what I'm thinking. After pondering this problem further, I think trying to wrestle that thing into my machine would be a nightmare. I'm thinking that "fluffing" it in my dryer, on the no heat cycle, would maybe help with redistributing the down too..... worth a shot!

Patti in Seattle

snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (Mary) wrote: I would "moosh" the down out of the way of the stitching lines a bit, stitch, moosh it back, stitch another line, etc. There is nothing to lose! Or, you could give it a really good shake to even out the down and then use some lovely thread -- DMC? -- and tie it fairly closely all over.

lay it flat to redistribute it the best. then pinch up the top layer, and whack that down into the space you want it. sorry, best way i could think off just now to splain it. it is moveable. how many sections are unstitched? what size? channels or squares? i'm sure i'd hand sew it first, close basting, then take it to the machine to do it properly. if you just tie it, they'll never stay where they ought to. has to be stitched back but it will be worth the effort. i know everything in usa is cheaper than here but still.... its the joy of knowing you fixed it yourself, well would be for me. give it a go, Patti. you CAN do this. good luck, jeanne

Hey Jeanne! It's a queen size comforter, and the "baffling" is in squares - though they are good sized ones, probably about 12 to 14 inches square. When in use, I keep it in a flannel duvet cover too..... can't have the mutts laying on the white stuff! Yikes! Anyway, it's probably about 15 years old - a Ralph Lauren. I've never seen one, little, downy feather come out of it - probably because of the thread count, but it HAS been tugged on and tossed about a lot. I've never been too terribly "careful" with it. So - you're saying to hand baste it first, THEN machine stitch it? Yep.... it's gonna be a rascal to maneuver in and out of the machine, but I do think it's possible. Would you use a good, heavy, cotton thread, or something like silk thread? Thanks.....

Patti in Seattle

Patti-

If you go with the air fluff in your dryer, throw in some old canvas tennis shoes or several tennis balls- who would have thought the sport of tennis could be such a major factor in fluffing??? They'll help beat those feathers into submission! Good luck.... as I drool at the thought of sleeping under down. VBG

Remember my Mom doing this on one of the old Singers we had. Complained a lot about it but she did it. Us kids would help hold it 'in place' on both sides of the machine so the weight wouldn't be more than she could handle. She used feather ticking when she made them from scratch. Grandma would do the 'feather plucking' and Mom and us'ns would do the sewing. Still remember when one row of stitching went out on one of us girls. All the feathers were at the feet. After school that night we had quite a session of 'fluffin' and holdin and fluffin' again between Mom's stitching the rows.

If we could do it you can--just get a few friends over to help hold the weight and clumsiness of it. It is soooooooo worth it.

Butterfly

A 3 person quilting project..... I love it!!!

Will take Leslie's advice and throw some tennis balls in the dryer and "fluff" it first.

I can't imagine making one of those bad boys from scratch.... YIKES! They certainly are lovely to get under in the winter though, aren't they???

Patti Remember my Mom doing this on one of the old Singers we had. Complained a lot about it but she did it. Us kids would help hold it 'in place' on both sides of the machine so the weight wouldn't be more than she could handle. She used feather ticking when she made them from scratch. Grandma would do the 'feather plucking' and Mom and us'ns would do the sewing. Still remember when one row of stitching went out on one of us girls. All the feathers were at the feet. After school that night we had quite a session of 'fluffin' and holdin and fluffin' again between Mom's stitching the rows. If we could do it you can--just get a few friends over to help hold the weight and clumsiness of it. It is soooooooo worth it. Butterfly

oh my, Patti, what thread? i'd call someplace that makes or sells'em and pick their brains. i'd baste it just to keep the down where it belongs til you can run it thru the machine. otherwise down wont be evenly distributed once you pick it up. we've got a few duvets but all are combo feather/down. i think its the feathers that come out so over all these 25+yrs its lost some of its warmth. i should see if i can get them remade and added to at a decent price. washing it is fun, argh. mine are all in channels so they can be shaken down to one end for use in summer too. tho we dont use'em then. now they just get used on top of other bedding for the extra warmth. i shake the stuff down to one end and wash the other half by hand, then dry on the line and repeat at the other end. works fine that way for me. i do have to do it in summer tho, lol. like i said, i'd give it a go with as much info as i could find out online and by a few phone calls first. shame to waste all that good down, eh. i'll go look online and if i find anything will let ya know. cheers, jeanne

oh my, Patti, what thread? i'd call someplace that makes or sells'em and pick their brains. i'd baste it just to keep the down where it belongs til you can run it thru the machine. otherwise down wont be evenly distributed once you pick it up. we've got a few duvets but all are combo feather/down. i think its the feathers that come out so over all these 25+yrs its lost some of its warmth. i should see if i can get them remade and added to at a decent price. washing it is fun, argh. mine are all in channels so they can be shaken down to one end for use in summer too. tho we dont use'em then. now they just get used on top of other bedding for the extra warmth. i shake the stuff down to one end and wash the other half by hand, then dry on the line and repeat at the other end. works fine that way for me. i do have to do it in summer tho, lol. like i said, i'd give it a go with as much info as i could find out online and by a few phone calls first. shame to waste all that good down, eh. i'll go look online and if i find anything will let ya know. cheers, jeanne

yes they can be remade and have more down added to it. dont know the cost tho. would pay to do some call'n round and see who does it and the time/cost. tho there is all summer in the north to figure it out, eh. glad its not me, lol. cheers, jeanne

this place is in seattle, Patti. see all the info on their site and then maybe a call to get more info to do it yourself or maybe get them to remake it for you, if its cost effective that is. i'm sure there are more places, i google'd 'remake down comforters'. tho other wording would likely find more and more places up there. seattle gets cold enough to have heaps of them i'm sure. keep us informed how it all works out for ya, eh. cheers, jeanne

When you say baffling, do you mean the kind where the comforter is actually

3 layers of fabric, with staggered pockets and stitching lines, so that every stitching line has a pocket of feathers covering it on one side or the other? If so, repairing the stitching will help some, but won't restore it to its former self. But if it's simply quilted, then by all means re-stitch! I'm not sure if it's better to wash it before or after stitching. You might also want to check the prices of having it professionally re-covered, if possible. I had that done to a down comforter when I lived in Denmark. They steam-cleaned the feathers (removing all the broken feathers and dust, adding some new feathers) and put them into a new cotton bag with stitched channels. Cost about half the price of buying a new one. Roberta in D

"Patti S" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3156.bay.webtv.net...

DONT WASH or DRYCLEAN it til you've read up on all that. all i read yesterday said never to dryclean it. the chemicals used dry out the down and feathers. washing with the wrong stuff will eliminate the natural coat of the down/feathers so they dont keep ya properly warm as they should. i dont know how they clean'em but seems, from what i read, that its not something the customer should attempt. like i said, i only washed the cloth on mine by shaking all the feathers down to the bottom of the channels and washed/dried only one end at a time to get that clean. i didnt get the down/feathers wet at all. Roberta has a good point on how the actual construction will determine how sewing vs remake with all new covers and cleaned down/feathers compare. with a remake you can add more down too if you need it warmer than its been for you in the past. i found a site with some prices, hang on i'll find it in my history.... it'll give you a better idea what it might cost if you go that way.

for new and for remaking.more info there about cleaning too.there was more cleaning info on the seattle site i gave yesterday.time for breakfast, SQ is on tv in about 15 mins or so, gotta be ready this time. good morning, world. jeanne

I feel sure those feathers come off of birds that get wet. I have washed 3 comforters that are here and they are all still pretty happy. It has been awhile but I probably used Orvus. I probably air dried and just fluffed with the dryer. I have a great clothes line and the humidity here is really low so things dry pretty quick. Here is a link for washing suggestions:

The recommended frequency to wash is 3-5 years so as not to break down the feathers. Makes sense. What I wonder is the manufacturers recommend not sitting on the comforters because it breaks the feathers down. How about feather beds that are meant to be underneath a whole body? Do they just last a shorter length of time? Taria

nzlstar* wrote: