RESTORING OLD DOWN QUILTS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28266, 2 May 1957, Page 12

RESTORING OLD DOWN QUILTS

MADE AS NEW BY SPECIAL PROCESS

CHRISTCHURCH FIRM KEPT BUSY

How long will a down quilt last? Judging by what is being done by a Christchurch firm in restoring quilts that are soiled and worn after many years’ use to their original condition, it would seem that their life is endless. Modern methods and plant now mean that the shabbiest old quilt has some value, if only for the down it contains; and they have made it possible, too, to recondition completely an old quilt at less than the cost of the old method of only recovering it.

Double quilts can be remade to their original size, or, with a little extra down added, they can be converted into two single bed quilts. In the same way, a single bed quilt, with a little extra down, can be transformed into a new double bed quilt. The first step in the process of making an old quilt new is to rip open the old case, which is discarded, and then the hygienically cleaned, sterilised, and fumigated. Next, it is thoroughly reteased and rejuvenated, and then pressure filled into a new cover. At this stage extra down is added if necessary. The new covers, of course, are made to order for each quilt, from an attractive array of downproof materials, in a host of different colours and patterns. In some cases, new covers are already prepared, as this cuts down the delay when quilts have to be returned to a customer in the shortest possible time. The firm which specialises in this work and has installed special equipment to handle it is the Regent Furnishing and Carpet Centre, at 161-165 Gloucester street, and at 96 Riccarton road. During the past three years it has remade 5000 quilts, using this new process, for customers all over Canterbury; and this year, with its work becoming more widely known, it is already busy remaking old quilts into new ones as housewives prepare for the colder nights ahead. Another feature of this firm’s activities is the making of new quilts of all descriptions. These are |©ld direct to the public at factory prices.—P.B.A.