Doing up an Eiderdown.
In the days of our grandmothers, eiderdowns were considered a luxury, things to be taken care of and kept well covered. At the present time, however, they are found on nearly every bed, varying from those made of sateen and chintz to those made of satin and silk.
A NARROW INSERTION FOR A NURSERY CASEMENT CURTAIN.
See the article on [page 67].
I suppose it is because “familiarity breeds contempt” that we do not take the care of ours that our grandmothers did of theirs, and that therefore they became so much sooner soiled and worn out. If your eiderdown is getting shabby, why not clean it and re-cover it yourself?
If anybody is not willing to give up a little time and trouble to the success of this venture, let them not so much as contemplate cleaning and re-covering an eiderdown at home, for though quite easy it is a little tiresome, and the only two things really needed outside a few yards of chintz are patience and common sense. To explain: patience will be needed, for an eiderdown takes some time to dry when once wet, and common sense to choose the right day on which to do it.
The first thing to do is to choose a hot day, as the eiderdown must be dried out-of-doors, and the brighter the day the quicker it will dry, added to which the sunshine fluffs up the down better than any fire does.
After well brushing and shaking the quilt, whip it well with a little cane to loosen the feathers and to get out whatever dust you can. Have ready a bath half full of warm—not hot—water, into which dissolve a small packet of Lux. Be sure before putting the quilt in that the soap is well melted, as otherwise it is apt to stick in lumps to the covering, whatever it may be.
Dip half of the quilt in first and souse it up and down before dipping in the rest. You will be surprised at the amount of dirt that “pours” out. It seems incredible that an eiderdown could be so dirty without showing it plainly.
When the whole quilt is wet, continue to dip it up and down in the water for some time, gently squeezing it between your hands. It does not matter if the colour runs, as the dye will not affect the down, and as you are re-covering it, why, the streaky case will not be seen.
Let it soak in the water for about an hour, occasionally stirring it in the bath, kneading and squeezing it so as to loosen the dirt. When you think it is clean, empty the bath and refill with hotter water, but no soap. Rinse well and continue in fresh waters until the soap is completely rinsed out.
Wring out thoroughly and hang over the edge of the bath to drain. At the end of twenty minutes wring out again, and it is much better if you can get another person to help with it, as it is much too big to do alone. Next, take it out into the garden and hang it on a line, the higher the better, but anywhere where the wind can blow through it.
And here is needed the patience; for it will take two days—probably three days, and possibly a week—to dry in the open, for an eiderdown is very thick, and the down being close it is difficult for the air to penetrate. Never let it stay out after the sun is off it, as it quickly absorbs the damp and only delays the process of drying. Frequently turn it while hanging on the line, and shake it well to loosen the feathers.
I generally find that three days is enough to dry my quilts thoroughly, but I always leave them spread out on the grass on a clean sheet for one whole day in the sunshine after the drying to fluff up the feathers. It is wonderful how the heat makes them swell and become light and fluffy.
A DIAGRAM FOR THE CASEMENT CURTAIN SHOWN ON [PAGE 95].
When all this is finished, take your little cane and whip it all over hard, as though you were beating a carpet. Turn it often as this helps to loosen the down inside.
This completes the cleaning process, which is simple but complete, and then you are ready for the re-covering.
The new cover, needless to say, depends entirely upon individual choice whether it is to be satin, silk, sateen or chintz.
I always use a pretty chintz corresponding to the curtains and hangings of the bedroom the quilt belongs to. One side I cover with this, and the other side I use a self-coloured sateen or casement cloth to tone.
It is impossible for me to give the amount of material necessary, as eiderdowns vary tremendously in size. There are many different widths in what is called a double-bedded quilt, as also in the single-bedded ones. For large-sized ones you will have to have a seam down the centre, as no material is wide enough to cover it completely; but, for a single-width quilt, a forty-inch goods will be wide enough.
Re-covering the Quilt.
The last quilt I covered was for a brown room with a china-blue carpet patterned in white, and so I chose a willow-pattern chintz with a reverse side of brown sateen, and it was really one of the most successful I have done.
First of all, machine-stitch the two widths of material together, being careful to match the design on the right side, and carefully press the seam flat. Then spread out on the floor the sateen—also seamed—and, laying the eiderdown upon it, run a tacking thread all round the edge, being careful to stretch the quilt to its fullest, so as not to make the cover too tight. After this run a line of stitching around each and every little eyelet, of which there are many; these hold the cover in position for the next step.
Taking a long thread of a bright-coloured cotton, carefully follow out the design of the quilting, which, in my particular case, was a very elaborate scroll, tacking the stitches right through the quilt to the new piece of material. If the design is very complicated this needs patience; but nowadays eiderdowns are more often quilted in straight lines, with perhaps a diamond centre.
Always tack your pattern on the plain side of the material, as it is so much easier to stitch on the machine later on if there is no pattern to dazzle your eyes.
I would impress on whoever tries this re-covering to be very careful about keeping exactly to the quilting pattern, as on this altogether depends the success of the whole undertaking. It would be most disappointing if, after having finished, you should find that owing to careless tacking the covering was crooked or cramped or drawn. It takes patience and care, but is quite easy and most satisfying.
When you have completed the outlining, lay the quilt on the floor again and tack on the chintz, doing exactly as you did with the sateen, only omitting to outline the quilting, as it is not necessary to have it on both sides.
Next, where the threads outline the eyelets take a stiletto and punch the holes through both sides and button-hole them all round through the double materials. In doing this use silk the colour of the plain-coloured side, as it looks so much nicer than the reverse way.
And now all is ready for the machine. If your quilt is in two colours, thread the machine with the silk matching the sateen and use a bobbin threaded with a shade to match the reverse. Carefully follow out the design which you have outlined, spreading the quilt as wide as possible so as not to get it puckered.
When all the stitching is finished you will be delighted to see that both sides of the quilt are stitched in their own respective colourings.
Take out the tacking threads around the edge, and turning down the edge of the “right side” of the quilt insert a narrow piping cord and sew in by machine. Next turn in the edges of the other side, and hem by hand down to the edge of the cord. This gives a very nice finish as well as a very neat one.
To anybody who desires a frill, though these are not always the prevailing fashion—there being fashions in eiderdowns as in other things—after taking out the tacking thread around the edge of the quilt, insert the frill instead of the cord and stitch firmly by machine. In using a frill be sure to have it made of the two materials the same as the cover, putting the plain to the plain and the fancy to the fancy. Then hem down as with the cord.
A very handsome edge can be made if a thick cord be used similar to those used in upholstery work, but covered tightly with material before sewing to the cover. The pulling tightly of the material covering the cord gives a sort of “cable” effect, and is really very pretty.
When completed I feel sure you will be pleased with the look of your new eiderdown. It costs so little—not more than a few shillings at the outside.
SUGGESTIONS FOR CURTAIN BORDERS.
See the article on p[age 61].