barbbrad

thats a good idea!!! my mom has a feather duvet and always getting poked but if I can make a quilt cover for it, it would be better.

misseva

we had feather pillows and feather beds when i was a child. to the best of my remembrance they were not tied just stuffed with 'down' not the hard outside feathers and you just 'fluffed' it when you made the bed. AND you never sat on the bed after it was made cause it would smash the feathers.

ckcowl

you use high quality muslin, if you buy the wide stuff (90" or 108") you can just get 2 separate pieces. (or of course what ever size you want to work with. lay a piece out, and draw 'channeles' across it...9"-12" apart is a good size, then turn and cross them again making squares of your chosen size. (you may want to make a little one to get the hang of this) put the two pieces of fabric together with your marked side facing in. stitch around 3 sides with 1/2" seam; turn right side out (markings now outside) press edges and stitch again around it with the first seam enclosed in the new seam (this helps keep the feathers from working out of the seam) now, this depends on how big you are working with....if it's big you only want to stitch your channels a little way at a time. if it's not too long, start at the seamed bottom of your (big pillowcase) at the center line, stitch up that channel. then working from one side stitch the channels so you have tubes. pour into each channel your clean feathers, so they are even across and as full as you want them, stitch the cross line, enclosing them... add more, stitch across...when you get to the top double fold the top and double stitch...this then can be used as your (batting) in a quilt :)

Candace

I would think you'd have to heat sterilize the down feathers. Otherwise...eeeewwww. Mites, critters and whatever else lives in feathers.

msariano

I once bought 2 feather pillows. They were very nice but once in a while, a feather would poke out and stab you in the cheek. I guess you have to cut the hard part of the "vein" of the feather up high, else it will poke through the fabric.
What an interesting idea. I'd like to know if you do follow-up making feather quilts--I bet your process is a good story.!

cjk

My memory is the same... remember you could hardly move but so warm and comfy!

quilter68

mseva,

I love your Avatar quilt!

B. Louise

I can't resist posting these dimensions for a feather bed: "It was nine feet high and six feet wide, soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese, took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids 'n' four hound dogs and a piggy we stole from the shed
Didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun on Grandma's feather bed."
Thank you, John Denver.

NikkiLu

I do know for a fact that you HAVE to get a special fabric that doesn't let the tips of the feathers poke through - it is very tightly woven - for pillows it is called "pillow ticking". As with another poster - you would surely have to sanitize the feathers first - not sure how you would do that - maybe search the internet for that. I think that it was be a very big job to get enough "good, clean" feathers gathered up to stuff a quilt with them.

nativetexan

hmmm, wouldn't they have to be cleaned some how first?