Why can’t anyone design a cover for a down pillow (the thing that you put the pillowcase over) where the feathers don’t pop through lize razor blades? How do the feathers always seem to find the little tiny holes in between the threads and poke through? I’ve tried good pillows and bad pillows over a wide variety of prices, but they are all the same? Even my most recent pillows with a “down-proof 500 thread count cover” isn’t working…what’s the deal?
I don’t know. I have a feather duvet that I got for my wedding and despite the fact that every now and then a feather or two will manage to escape and float away, I have never been poked by one. They don’t seem to stab out of the duvet–rather they are either inside or they are outside. I am not at home at the moment so I don’t know what brand/company the duvet is but I will look when I get home. I have pillows that came with the duvet and I’ve never had a problem with them either.
How do the feathers poke/get out in the first place?? I remember reading about how wonderful down was because every little feather was big and poofy, which let more air in, which was better insulation, etc. With 500-thread/sq. in. covering, the holes between the strands are so small, yet I could practically make a 3rd pillow out of the feathers that escape…
I believe, but could be wrong, that down doesn’t have the pokey thingees (quills?) that feathers do. Down is actually very soft and it is what lies underneath the feathers on geese and ducks. (no, Ike, you CANNOT eat my ducks).
I have found that the cheaper the ‘down’ pillow/comforter, the more actual feathers are in them. If you look when you purchase a down pillow/comforter, I believe it will tell you the ratio of down to feathers or some such thing.
SO, while I can’t help you design a cover to keep the feathers in (they have sharp little points, so they can poke through just like a needle - you don’t wonder why a needle can go through a 500 thread count piece of material), you could solve your problem by getting a better quality pillow, if possible.
trisha
I thought that down was goose feathers…what is below feathers? skin??
Down is just really small, soft feathers. The cheaper “down-filled” bedclothes normally contain a large percentage of plain old “feathers” as opposed to “down.” Has nothing to do with the animal they’re from.
From my dictionary:
Down - soft, fluffy feathers, as the outer covering on young birds or an inner layer of feathers on adult birds.
Down is feathers, but it’s a significantly different kind than the ones on the surface. The surface feathers are sleek and aerodynamic, while the underlying down feathers are soft and poofy. They do both have quills, though, and both can manage to poke out through cloth, espescially at the seams.
There is a vast structural difference between down and regular feathers. As Chronos pointed out, feathers are for flying. Down on the other hand is strictly for insulating purposes. While both types have a quill to them, down quills are so small (as compared to the overall size) that they are almost negligable.
The way to determine the quality of your down is by the “count”. This refers to the number of feathers per pound of weight. The finest down is refered to as “garment” grade down. Its count will be in the thousands of feathers per pound. Other, lower grades, will have decreasing counts and therefore have a more significant weight of quill material in them. As you approach the extreme cheap end of these grades, you are usually confronted with the addition of chopped feathers (quill and all) being added to “cut” the more expensive down.
I grew up with the finest of all down comforters. These were Danish eider down quilts. I never, ever, felt a single quill come through the ticking of these comforters. You need to check the type and origin of your down. If it is goose or duck “down”, you will probably have a lower quality. Similarly, if the country of origin is China or somewhere else famed for mass manufacturing, then you probably have a lower grade down.
The only solution that I can recommend is that which you have already pursued. Get the very highest thread count cases and slip covers for your pillows or comforter. Using a double layer of both liner and outer cover can help. This also serves as a cautionary lesson in the purchasing of down beddings.