Feather Eiderdown - Any ideas on how it is done?
 

Hello All,
I am brand new to the forum, what a great site you have, I am so excited I discovered it!
I love feather eiderdowns - with all the decorative shaping - and while I have a vintage one, I would love to make my own! I have done so many searches on the internet and can't find the information anywhere on how to make them. Can anyone share their knowledge? Or is there a book that I can source?
All I have gathered so far is that feathers are messy to work with ;) !
The bits I was not sure about is how to ensure evenness of feathers, whether specific fabric needed to be used, I don't have a clue! If anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it! I don't want to have to take my vintage eiderdown apart just to learn from it...
I would appreciate any of your help.
Thank you!

Hi from Germany!Okay - this is what I know about eiderdown featherbeds: the feathers come from eiderdown ducks (Norway), and are the feathers that the ducks use in their nests. The feathers are harvested - about half stay in the nest to keep the eggs warm. That makes the feathers very expensive. You would also need a special, very densly woven cotton fabric to keep the feathers from poking through. I have never heard of anyone who attempted to make her own eiderdown featherbed! If I were you I would look for a specialty shop that makes featherbeds - and look in Europe, we still have featherbeds on our beds! And we quilters use quilts too.
Let me know if I can help you with more information!
Greetings from sunny Tyrol!

Hello Tirolgirl!
Thank you so much for coming back to me ! I didn't know that an eiderdown was also called a 'featherbed'! That could help me with my searches! I thought this was a good site to start a discussion on, as the top (and reverse) has quilting patterns on it.
I live in the UK, but it is interesting to know that people in Germany also have eiderdowns!
I think that some eiderdowns have a mix of other down to help keep the cost a little lower... Do you know any companies that manufacture eiderdowns? I saw one - englisheiderdowns.co.uk but they don't provide any detail on how to make one for yourself ! I might have to take my eiderdown apart :( but there is nothing like experimentation.. !

Hi and welcome to the board from Iowa.

Are you talking about a "quilt" or blanket that is stuffed with Eiderdown feathers? Or are you talking about a whole bed of feathers (Featherbed)? I got the impression you are talking about a quilt, or a blanket.

A long time ago my mother introduced my brother to sewing by buying him a kit from a company named Frostline, the kit he got was to make a feather stuffed sleeping bag (not Eider, but other "down" feathers (the "down" feathers being the "inside" feathers which are shorter, lighter, fluffier and have a smaller quill)). For that, and down parka's as well, the first step was to sew "tubes" of fabric - then stuff the tubes with feathers. He had bags of feathers that he would insert the whole bag, then use a ruler to flip the opening the of the bag - empty the feathers and pull the bag out of the tube.

If I were you, I would start this way, by making the horizontal tubes and stuffing them, then if you wanted to keep the down from moving within the horizontal tube - quilt vertical stitches over it after it's stuffed.

Hello All - what a friendly welcome! Hello Iowa !
DogHouseMom - yes - I mean a quilt/blanket stuffed with feathers! The tube idea does make sense. And I see what you mean about trying to push the bag in, rather than trying to stuff the feathers by hand. Have you ever heard of a book on this topic? I think I might be finding it hard to locate because it is mostly a vintage concept. Would you have any idea of the fabric I would use to keep the down in, to prevent the feathers from escaping through the fabric? Do you think I might need some kind of interliner?
Thank you again for all your help and advice!

Welcome from Connecticut

If you go on this site http://www.cuddledown.com/category/featherbeds.do
They have cut aways showing how they are constructed. Maybe that will help?
We lived in Germany and Denmark for a long time. We own several down comforters and also feather beds. I've recently purchased from this site and am very happy with the quality.

We have a store that carries featherbeds and comforters made from eider down. The Company Store. They do have catalogs. I do know that they use downproof fabric to make these products. they also use some sort of machine to blow the down into the channels etc. I went thru ther factoy years ago.

Good Luck

suzy

Hello Connecticut!
CarrieC - Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Having checked the website link, it is not a featherbed that I would like to make (Phew, that keeps the search list down!) but something that is decorative, in a cute fabric, that I have stitched in interesting shapes. I think there must be another name for Eiderdown in the States? I use one at the foot of my bed, over my normal quilt. Kind of like a quilted blanket, but inbetween the quilting that you would do, there is feathers. I am beginning to think it is more niche than I originally believed!

Suzy, Thanks for the info ! I will go and have a look at that site now !

Welcome to the Board from Florida! In the US, I think we would call what you want to make a "down comforter" (comforters are usually thicker than quilts).

I googled "how to make a down comforter" and this is one of the resulting links:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4829672_down-comforter.html

Good luck!

My mother made feather pillows for our family and she used cotton ticking to put the feathers in. Sometimes she would double the fabric so the feather quills would not poke out. You can still find that fabric. I did a search on it and came up with this link and a few others. http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/specialty-stores/cushion-stuffing-store/decorative-pillows/pillow-fabric/pillow-ticking-fabric.htm?gclid=CMvbppyFt6wCFeZeTAodtHT6Hg Good luck.

Here, and in Europe I assume, eiderdown refers to the feathers themselves, not what they go into. That may be affecting your search results. What you are describing, if I understand you correctly, is called a comforter or a duvet by most folks here.

Try searching "goose down comforter" - that may help

Hi from DE. You sound like you are from Britain or Europe? I loved eiderdowns growing up in Britain, they are just not the same here, it would be great if you could find out how to make them. Good Luck.

Are you talking about a Stuff 'N' Puff Quilt?

http://www.quilterscache.com/P/PuffQuiltingBlock.html

http://patchwork-quilt-patterns.com/...ff_quilt_.html

http://www.squidoo.com/biscuit_quilt

Hello Florida, Hi DE ! Yes, I am from Europe - I live in London ! We do call them "Eiderdowns" here, I am so glad you remember them twixbar! And interesting that perhaps they just don't exist in America? It is true that they are a traditional thing to have on a bed. It would be great if I could figure out how...
I have some links here from eBay, to show you the kind of thing!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-SA...item3a6c7f2dd5

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-ei...item1c20e92625

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Pa...item2c60b4b3fa

Although, none of these are the same as the one I have, as the one I have also has patches of fabric in a decorative design. You woudn't use it as a quilt directly, as it is more like a decorative blanket. I use mine at the bottom of my bed to keep my toes warm ! Interesting that this might just be a European phenomenon! Let me know if anyone knows differently though!

I bought a German feather "bed" at a garage sale once and it was a very heavy, thick fabric. I wanted it to make pillows out of the feathers. So, bought the feather "ticks" through the Sears, or Montgomery Wards catalog and proceeded to make about 6 feather pillows out of it - OMG - what a job that was - probably "lost" half of the feathers (in the yard) - NO good way to do it - but be sure to do it outdoors and on a very calm (not windy day). My mother-in-law had told me how they did it when she was a girl and plucked their own chickens, or geese. She said to sew one end of the pillowcase to one end of the comforter and pull the feathers out inside out or something like that. Very complicated but had to be done in order not to lose so many feathers.