SHABBY EIDERDOWNS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 886, 1 February 1930, Page 25

SHABBY EIDERDOWNS

MAKING NEW COVERS MATERIALS TO USE Down quilts generally become so faded and dingy-looking after many years of wear that washing avails little as a renovation, and the only practical course is to give the down a new cover. The business of recovering is not difficult to accomplish at home, and it is a satisfaction to know that a good quilt bought 12 years ago contains down of a far better quality than a coverlet bought for the same price today, and it is therefore worth rejacketing as often as may be necessary. To cover a single quilt with downproof sateen will cost about 20 sliil lings, and for an average size will take six yards of 30-inch material. Figured cotton will cost a trifle less, while to use Japanese silk, shantung taffeta, or satin, which are the usual alternatives, will make recovering rather more expensive, for these materials are not down-proof and therefore require an inner lining of fine cotton. Very pretty down-proof sateens may be had, plain and patterned, and a covering can be chosen to suit the room. Eiderdowns are made less full today, so it is not really necessary to reinforce the filling even if the quilt is not quite so plump-looking as it was once. It must be remembered that the new cover will not spread to its full size when filled, so the material required for it should be judged from the width of the bed rather than that of the coverlet. Quilt covers are usually made from a combination of plain and patterned fabric, or from two patterned materials, varied for each side. The latter plan is preferable, for figured stuffs look fresh far longer than plain ones. Black is considered economical in wear, but it has the disadvantage of showing up every bit of fluff that escapes to the surface. In cutting out the quilt cover a little material must be left to make a casing for the six to eight yards of piping cord that give the professional finish, and this casing must be cut bias. Before the cover is made up the outline of an outer panel about four inches wide should be marked with chalk, and either additional panels be outlined or a fancy quilting de§jfeu, to be followed with stitching when the quilt is filled so as to keep the down from shifting. The piping should be tacked to one side before the two are joined to form a bag, and when, after more careful tacking, the stitching is done, a foot should be left open for tile admission of the down. The merest puff of air is enough to scatter free feathers all over the room, so their safe passage from the old cover to the new should be ensured by opening the discarded cover only just 12 inches and tacking the edge of the two openings together, then coaxing the down from one bag to the other and stitching up the mouth of the new cover before cutting loose the old.

The final process consists in distributing the gown equally throughout the quilt by gently shaking, and following quilting lines first with tacking and then with careful stitching.