Down Comforters Construction Tips
Read these 20 Down Comforters Construction Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Bedding tips and hundreds of other topics.
Bedding Construction - Closed Baffles
Look for "true baffle box", "closed baffle box" or "end-to-end" baffle construction labeling when shopping for your goose down comforter. These terms indicate that the goose down comforter's baffle boxes are fully sealed. In a luxury down comforter, closed boxes prevent cold spots by preventing the goose down from moving. Partially open boxes may allow some goose down to shift from box to box.
Comforter Construction - Baffles
To keep goose down filling from shifting and settling, quality goose down comforters are sewn with baffles. Baffles are vertical walls of fabric sewn inside the goose down comforter. Baffles provide depth to the down comforter and keep the goose down in place. When goose down settles, cold spots occur. Baffles secure the goose down filling and help it stay evenly distributed.
Quality Comforter Construction
When shopping for a quality goose down comforter focus on four features: down fill power (loft), amount of goose down filling, fabric thread count, and true baffled box construction. For example, a goose down comforter with 600 fill power, 14-inch end-to-end baffle boxes and 300 thread count in 100% cotton is light, warm and soft to the touch. A luxury goose down comforter with 750 fill power, 15-inch end-to-end baffled box stitching, and 1,000 thread count in 50% silk and 50% cotton, would be even better luxury down comforter and guarantee a cozy night's sleep.
Bedding Construction - Sewn-Through Stitching
In sewn-through stitching, a stitch goes from the top of the goose down comforter directly through the comforter and emerges on the bottom of the goose down comforter. A down comforter with sewn-through stitching is less expensive than one with baffle box construction.
Down Fill Comforter
Down comes in various qualities. The least expensive is a mix of down (goose or duck down) and feathers, while the most expensive is pure white goose down. Down comforters are also rated for weight and down comforter fill power. The more ounces of down a comforter holds, the warmer the down comforter will be. Down comforters are known for a great deal of "poof." Goose down comforter sizes that might normally fit your bed may prove too small. Always measure your bed and compare its width and length to the goose down comforter's finished size. Goose down comforters don't lay as flat as other types of bedding, and you don't want yours to be too big or too small.
Comforters Buying Guide
Always look for a down comforter with a high thread count. Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric. The higher the thread count, the more durable and softer the down comforter cover will be. A goose down comforter with a high-thread-count cover protects the down from impurities and from poking outside the cover.
Weave In Bedding Construction
Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch in the shell enclosing a goose down comforter. Fabric with a higher thread count feels softer and silkier because the weave is tighter. Goose down comforters need slightly higher thread counts such as 240 and above to prevent leakage of the goose down from the inside to the outside of the shell.
Fill Weight of Down Fill Comforter
Fill weight is the weight of down or down and feathers included in a down comforter. Fill weight measures the quantity of down in your goose down comforter not the down's quality. In extra large down comforters where there is so much area to fill, feathers are sometimes added to the down. Adding feathers lowers the cost of the down comforter. If smaller, softer, duck feathers are used, the quills don't poke through to the outside.
Down Fill Comforter - 600 Rating
The finest quality down fill comforters will have a fill power of at least 600. The 100% cotton cover will have a high thread count and baffle wall construction. A fine quality down comforter will give you a good night's sleep and provide lightweight, year-round warmth.
Bedding Construction - Breathable Cotton
The finest quality down fill comforters have a 100% cotton shell with a thread count of at least 200. Luxury down comforters with high thread count, loft and a 100% cotton shell are breathable, fluffy and well insulated.
Down Fill Comforters
Down comforters can be made from different types of filling. Basically, they are filled either completely of white down or a mixture of down and feathers. The best quality and most expensive are white goose down comforters. Less down, cheaper grades of down, or down mixed with feathers are used in less expensive down comforters. Luxury down comforters containing pure white goose down can be found at discount prices from Alexandra Jordan.
Down Comforter Cover - Thread Count
Your down comforter should be covered in 100% cotton fabric with a thread count of 200 or more. The higher the thread count, the tighter the weave. A tight weave guarantees that down or feathers are less likely to escape or poke through the down comforter cover, causing discomfort to the sleeper. Luxury down comforters have soft, tightly woven shells.
Shifting Down Fill Comforter
Top quality down is resilient and survives amazingly well. The need to redistribute the fill in your goose down comforter is not a defect. Simply redistribute the goose down by shaking it toward the area where you want it. Or you can lay the down comforter on a flat surface and push the down to the less filled area.
Denim Comforter
You put a limit on your kids when it comes to wearing blue jeans, but your kids want a denim kid comforter. It's not a case of too much of a good thing. We've actually seen a sectional sofa in denim. If denim can go in your living room, it can go in your kids' bedrooms, or in your bedroom.
Your typical denim bed spread and comforter is durable, with a cotton denim front and polyester fill, as well as a polyester/cotton backing. A denim comforter typically doesn't contain goosedown, so if you want a down comforter with denim, try a denim duvet cover. Any chance that your teens will want to rip the knees out of this bed comforter? Not a chance. Denim looks too cool in your children's bedrooms--especially when you buy a NFL denim comforter for your yougn football fan. If your hubby wants the denim footbal bedding comforter, he'll have to sleep in the kids' rooms. In fact, you might want to sleep under the denim comforter. It feels just like your favorite pair of blue jeans.
Hand wash or machine wash your denim comforter with gentle detergent the way you would blue jeans, but wash it by itself and air dry. Your kids now wear khakis or corduroy to school. They've stopped wearing jeans 24/7. The only drawback: They're spending too much time in their rooms. But then again, you're crazy about your denim bedding comforter and sectional sofa!
Bedding Construction - Threads Per Inch
Down not enclosed in high thread count fabric might poke through, causing discomfort to the sleeper. This is especially true for lower quality down that might contain feathers. Goose down comforters particles are tiny and must be contained inside a down comforter cover made from high thread count cloth. If you use your goose down comforter inside a duvet cover, it will be heavier but the down comforter will remain cleaner and you won't feel the occasional feather.
Construction of Comforters
A baffle or baffle box is an interior wall of fabric sewn at right angles to the top and bottom layers of the goose down comforters outer shell. A baffle box is a mark of quality construction and help give luxury down comforters the appearance of depth. A down comforter's baffled walls permit the goose down to inflate to its fullest potential for the highest loft. High loft eliminates cold spots.
Baffled Box Bedding Construction
One style of bedding construction used in quality goose down comforters is called the baffled box. Each box is sewn from the inside out and then each box is filled individually with goose down. Baffled construction is one mark of a luxury down comforter. A down comforter with baffled walls has maximum lofting ability. In addition, the goose down is always in its own box and doesn't shift.
Quality Goose Down Comforters
Quality goose down comforters use only premium materials and construction in the makeup of their comforter shells. High thread count, 100% cotton, down-proof material is both durable and comfortable. Quality goose down comforters have double stitched seams that won't rip apart. Quality down comforters use a baffled box construction that eliminates cold spots by keeping the goose down evenly distributed within the down comforter.
Comforter Construction - Fabric Walls
Different stitching patterns regulate the shifting of down in your down fill comforter. Sewn-through designs help keep lighter weights of goose down stable for consistent warmth. Luxury down comforters have baffled fabric walls inside, encasing the down. These fabric walls keep the goose down from shifting, while still allowing it to loft fully.
Down Comforter Covers
Though down is soft, by law most down products are allowed to contain up to 20% feathers, so you will have some feather points in your down comforter. While down comforters usually have tightly woven casings, a down comforter cover can help prevent a feather from poking through from time to time.
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| Sheri Ann Richerson |
