Joyce

The feather beds we had when I was a kid were covered in blue-striped ticking, which was kinda like canvas.
My mother took the last one apart to make pillows for each one in the family, including spouses.
Years later I took the two for my husband and myself, and made them into one big pillow for our only son when he was about ten years old.
He loved that pillow and it went with him into his marriage. His wife was very tolerant for a lot of years, but the time finally came...

martha jo

My grandfather had a mattress factory when I was young. He had a big machine he put the cotton or feathers in and it ran and I guess sterlized them. Then he sewed a ticking out of striped heavy ticking and then hand sewed with heavy yellow thread around the edge. People brought their old mattresses in to be refreshed. He added new to their old and made a new cover. He had an old Sewing commerical machine he sewed the ticking on. He did all this while totally blind. Amazing.

Marge L.

Have you ever heard of stripping feathers? My mom told us about doing that. The result would be much like down. Featherbeds and pillows were made. I slept between featherbeds many times. I didn't like them but you were definitely warm. Mom had several of DGM featherbeds,. We used them and as each of us married, they were used to make us pillows. Even each of the DGC received one when they were born.

Marge L.

Thought I was the only one who remembered that. LOL Don't remember that they were tied either. I'm certain that they were not, but I could be wrong. (senior moment?)

Marge L.

That's where the stripping comes in. Everything is stripped off the vein. Believe me, it takes a lot of feathers and it isn'e something you will make in a short time.

JoanneS

I made jackets and a sleeping bag with feathers from FrostLine kits many years ago. You have to have very tightly woven cloth to hold the feathers in - the kits used a very tightly woven nylon.

I have down comforters from Germany. They are made of VERY tightly woven cloth, too. The down is in compartments about 6 inches squares, so it doesn't bunch up at the end of the comforter. I made duvet covers for them from sheets, so that I have to wash them less often. I air them outside on the clothesline occasionally. They can be washed and dried in machines one at a time - using Orvus as you would for quilts. Put a couple old tennis shoes in the drier with it to help fluff it.

Thus, I wouldn't recommend making quilts using feathers unless you find fabric that is much more tightly woven that the cotton we use for quilts. Feathers have a way of poking their way OUT - even out of my 'fetterbetten'!

quilt3311

We had feather beds and feather quilts growing up. No heat in the upstairs of the farm house. The Feather beds were made with ticking and then stuffed with feathers. Feather quilts were done by using a tightly woven cotton fabric, tunnels were stitched and each tunnel was stuffed with feathers. Flannel sheets and a heavy wool quilt topped everything and we were kept warm and snug, even when it was below 0° and the wind was howling outside. During blizzards the snow would sift in around the windows as there were no storm windows in the upstairs.

GloBug

You can make feather ticks. It is a tubelur tipe quilt, after the caseing is made one end of the tubes are left open for stuffing.These are very warm,and perfect for a hunting lodge.covering a tick with a washable cover is a good idea as the feathers do not wash well.
Gloria :thumbup: :thumbup:

cjaye44

My daughter has a feather mattress, feather pillows and a down comforter on her bed. She likes to burrow. When I visit her I use her bed since she stays up much later than I do..I have to throw the pillows and the comforter to one side...I feel like I'm being smothered.

skydiver70

Are you talking about feather beds? I remember those when I was growing up. Mother made them from duck feathers/down. She used what they call pillow/feather ticking as the outside. The feathers have to be washed and air dried to sanitize them. She would make it similar to a pillow case except it would be the size of the bed you were making it for. She would sew all the way around, leaving an opening large enough to put in the feathers. Then when it was the firmness you desired, you would sew the opening closed. They still sell the ticking, but I don't know if they sell the really wide ticking anymore. I re-covered one of Mama's feather pillows and she used it at the nursing home. She never did like any other pillow. I bought the ticking at Wal-Mart.

We would have these on our beds in the winter time especially, underneath the bottom sheet (of course we didn't have fitted sheets back then). (Oh my am I that old.....Yeh!!!)

I found one for a twin bed at Mama's home when I was cleaning up recently. Of course it is no longer usable since it was made years ago and has been upstairs so long.

They were so soft and warm to sleep on in the winter.