Originally Posted by amma
Don't they just use the smaller feathers for "down"?
Maybe someone would be interested in purchasing the larger feathers? I bet you could sell them on ebay to someone :D:D:D
My husband and I have had down blankets for years. Down is the soft feathers under the coarser feathers. You don't want to use the coarser outer feathers for a down quilt. The nice thing about a down quilt is that they keep you warm in the winter and cool (don't ask, I don't know why either) in the summer. You can check at garage/rummage sales and find some old ones, and have them redone in new ticking. I make duvets out of two twin sheets for the case on the blanket, sew on three large snaps and VOILA! just saved about $75.00! I get four twin flat sheets and I have enough duvets for one on and one in the wash! We each have our own feather blanket (in a double bed) and cocoon ourselves! If it were me, I would make channels, stuff the channels and close up the blanket. I would then turn the quilt and make "boxes'. I have learned over the years that the boxed blanket keeps the down in place and they don't wander either to the top or to the bottom. Channeling, alone, would cause that problem. You can wash the blankets, dry them in the dryer. It takes quite a while. You can't really hang them out, because they are settled and will take a million years to dry. You can wash down pillows the same way. We generally get our federbetten from Germany.
They have the best! We think! Edie