Searching for advice on what can be used to enclose a down pillow to prevent the down pinfeathers from working through it. I’ve made a cushion cover from heavy weight upholstery type fabric, and after only two days of having the down cushion inside the case, a down feather has worked through the upholstery! Would the ticking from JoAnn’s work as a preventative? (only one type available here). I also thought about making a pillow cover from quilted fabric and putting the down pillow in it, and then putting it into the upholstery cover. This is for a housewarming gift so it needs to be in good working order!
Thanks for any ideas!
Replies
Ticking is what is traditionally used on down pillows. Most "down" today has some coarser feathers in it too, and they will still manage to work their way through the ticking sometimes, but it's still far and away the best choice for something like this.
In the not so long ago past, I bought a brand of ticking called Featherproof at either JoAnn's or Hancocks. Seeing as how they are the only fabric stores in our area, it had to be at one of the two. It does have a nice tight weave. I do not know if they still stock it but it was there in the last 3 or 4 years.
Thanks, I'll see if anyone is carrying it now. Hope so!
That's what I thought. My closest Joanns had two striped tickings. One was really stiff, which I thought defeated the purpose of a soft down pillow. The other was softer, and made me wonder if the weave was tight enough. At $9 a yard I didn't want to experiment too much!
I wonder where the manufacturers of good down pillows get their densely woven yet thin and soft pillow fabric.
Thanks for your reply!
I covered my feather pillows with the stiff, blue and white striped ticking from JoAnn's. They were stiff at first, but after a short time using them, the fabric softened up. They are now very comfortable, and only rarely do I get a feather making it's way through the fabric. I included a zipper at the end of each cover so it could be taken off and washed.Sherry
I'm glad to hear that the ticking fabric has softened up. I went ahead a bought a couple of yards of the very same today, and plan to throw it in the wash with every load I do for the next couple of weeks to see how it does before sewing it up. Since I'm putting it inside the upholstery cushion cover, I don't anticipate that it will need to be washed much. I just want it not to be crunchy while inside the cushion cover! Thanks for your reply.
Sometimes binder clips also called alligator clips work better than pins for heavier projects. This is what you would find in a stationary or office supply store. They come in many sizes.
Thanks for this tip, .... was it meant for someone else by chance?
opps.
yes I am not sure how that happened
No prob!
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