Quilt and Down Questions

**lmoseley7** · 11-07-2011, 16:11

I have two king size extra firm down pillows that I am planning to use to make an UQ and eventually a TQ, but I have a few questions that I haven't seen addressed on the forum (and I've been especially trying to keep up on any quilt conversations).

First, is there any reason why I can't use tulle for the baffles in my quilts? The only other netting I have is really stiff (Hancocks). It might be easier to sew but it is heavy.

The pillows I have have no tags because they were overruns at the manufacturer and were sold to a family member in the "employee store", so I don't know exactly what the ratio of down to feathers is. I do know that these pillows retailed for about $300 and have 36oz of down in each if I remember correctly. I haven't been able to find any pin feathers in the pillows as of yet, but I haven't removed much of the down yet. What I'm trying to determine is how to estimate what fill power my down is. I would assume if one were to weigh a given amount of down and put it in a vessel with a given size, the fill power could be calculated based on how much of the vessel was filled once the down lofts. Does anyone know of such a way to determine fill power of down?

Thanks in advance for any help!

**BrianWillan** · 11-07-2011, 18:43

The fill power measurement of down is a scientific measurement. I believe it is a measure of how much 1 oz of down in a cylinder of a certain size expands with a 1 ounce weight place on top of the down. Your method of determining fill power will work fine for the purpose of making quilts. I would think for $300 pillows it would have pretty high fill power.

Let us know how it turns out for you.

Cheers

Brian

**sr1355** · 11-07-2011, 18:49

Mesh size of tulle will possibly allow down to migrate from one chamber to the next over time. Possibly resulting in uneven thickness and cold spots...

**JohnSawyer** · 11-07-2011, 18:55

My biggest concern with tulle is that it's fragile...

**lmoseley7** · 11-07-2011, 19:14

Originally Posted by JohnSawyer

My biggest concern with tulle is that it's fragile...

I found out just how fragile it is on my last trip when a friend added a few rips to the bug net I made for him. Of course my bug net is fine but then again I had to make it so I took care of it. I don't have any nano noseeum to compare to the tulle I have, but the holes are pretty small. I don't want to have to order noseeum just for the baffles but I don't want to waste time putting a quilt together if it's going to fail. So should I just use the lightest weight rip stop that I have for the baffles?

**DemostiX** · 11-07-2011, 19:26

The fragiltiy of the baffles comes into play should you want or need to wash the quilt. You must be able to move the very heavy water-laden quilt without tearing the baffles.

Many here don't wash down quilts, sometimes after years of use.

**HappyHiker** · 11-08-2011, 02:46

I don't know of any way to accurate estimate the fill power. Best suggestion would be to estimate conservatively. At that price it should be around 800 FP ( but you also have to account for what type of fabric the pillow is made of in the price) So, if you estimate it at 700 FP, worst case scenario your item would be slightly heavier by an ounce or two (and very puffy

).

**lmoseley7** · 11-08-2011, 11:08

Thanks to all that have commented. I'm planning on trying to tackle this the week of Thanksgiving when I'll be able to enlist the help of my Mom for any sewing help I might need. Any other insights would be appreciated.