My Dh has an old feather pillow. Looks too flat for me but when I think it needs washing, I throw it in the washer and then throw it in the dryer and it does fine and fluffs right back up in that dryer. If there was any mites or anything, that dryer would surely kill them from the heat. I don't even know where he got it. Probably from his momma's estate.

I inherited an old "feather ticking" made with downy feathers as the lining from my mother-in-law when my DH and I were first married. I have stored it in a cedar chest all these years. It is in dire need of repair and I did not have the heart to throw it out.

I think that if the feathers are the real downy feathers (the softer ones) and dry, they would work in a quilt.

I 'repaired' a down pillow by simply buying ticking and making a cover and putting the OLD pillow in it and sewing up the end. Then I washed and dried the whole thing by machine. that way, I didn't have to take a chance on having feathers fly everywhere.

I actually saw a quilt made of duck feathers, etc. in a museum in Juneau, Alaska. They produced a book and that quilt is on the cover. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the book, etc. but know that feather quilts exist so it can be done. Perhaps if you contact the museum in Juneau, AK they could help you out if the internet doesn't. Go for it!!!

Oh, I do remember how I loved my down pillows and covers! Now, however due to illness I've had to switch to the alternatives which are nice, but just not the same soft lofty fluffy thing!

Roxanne

Just read through some of the replies and was happy to see that you got a lot of good responses.

To make a real down feather quilt, you need to strip the fluffy part of the feather from the spine. It takes lots of work. Then you need to get feather proof fabric which is very tightly woven so that the feathers won't come through the fabric. It takes quite a while to gather enough for a quilt, but once you do it's like sleeping under a cloud and so warm and toasty, there's nothing like it. To make you quilt you can either sew channels and put the down in each one or make sort of like double channels so that there are no cold spots on your quilt. I used to sit in our small half bathroom to fill the quilts. That helps to eliminate feathers flying all over the house.

Trust a Canadian to think of something like that. Just kidding! I know the Hutterites make their own feather pillows.

Judy

I have someone wanting me to make them a down duvet. They have bags full of cleaned down. Thanks for all the good ideas, I think I can do this for her now.

Yes you can. use the softer feathers as they are the best and will hold the warmth in better. My MIL and SIL all made the feather downs for all their family members. Was the feathers in pillow cases and warm soapy water, rinse then hang out in the sun for a few days until the feathers are properly dry. You lastly lock yourself in the smallest room you have and proceed to exchange them from the pillow cases to the bed size casing made from ticking ,sew up the end then you will have one of those expensive covers for next nothing.