i was reading a bit about washing my down quilts and came across this interesting tidbit about down and feathers poking through. thought i'd share it with you all as i have (in the past) just pulled the feather out...

taken from the experts at western mountaineering:

"By its very nature, the shell fabric of a sleeping bag is porous. This is what allows the fabric to be breathable and as a result, it is possible for the small spines of feathers and down clusters to work their way through the fabric. It is important to realize that the fabric is not torn, but that the spines are passing in between the threads. The best maintenance in this situation is to reach behind the fabric and pull the offending down cluster BACK INTO its down chamber. The small space between the threads will close and reposition themselves. You may also gently massage the area to promote this "self sealing". Do not attempt to pull the cluster OUT OF THE BAG! Two things will happen if you do, 1) that cluster will be tangled with another cluster and it too will follow out of the bag in an endless fountain of down, and 2) the space between the threads will become larger and take longer to reseal"