Upping the Down Down

Emptier near the top (right) and puffy full near the bottom (left)

It's been slipping out at night.  Caught it just a couple of weeks ago for the first time as part of the routine Things I get to do today. The top row of our down comforter has twice gone nearly "empty." But gone where? A whole blog sometime back was dedicated to the puzzling situation and the efforts required to fill the top pockets with more down (from an old vest) to plump them up again.

The escape vent is slightly visible on the bottom right
of this square.

The downs traveling down have been discovered.  What appeared to be square totally stitched pockets turned out to have little escape hatches.  All the activity at the top of the comforter required to make the bed, pull the covers up under the chin at night, and a few arms flailing have chased the down down.  That would explain the very thick pockets toward the foot of the bed.

Twenty minutes of patting the bottom pockets next to their "escape vents" upped the down down.  Though some of the hens are scanty feathered around the neck, we in the house are now finally cozy.

Down Side of Down*

Sometimes there's no turning back.   This is one of them.  I'm not fond of making a mess, and I have to admit, right here at the beginning, that had I been able to undo what I had started on this project, I may have done just that.

The down comforter that covers our bed, and us at night, makes me swoon.  It's light and warm and fosters a feeling of cuddled bliss even if the bed is cold on the first edge of the nightly plunge.  I love it.  Except of one little (big) thing.  The pockets of down across the top, that part that is over our neck and shoulders, seem to be really skimpy on fluff stuff.  They are totally stitched around so nothing has migrated with the geese when they went south last fall.  However, regardless of the thin covering, we've certainly survived the winter.  Spring is nearly here.  It could easily be set aside until next winter.  But wait!

A 25-year-old down vest hangs--unused for the last  20 years--in a distant closet.  So many reasons this garment is no longer in active service--too short and too fat are the main ones.  "Too fat" makes it the precise antidote for the "skimpy" comforter.

Vacuum container emptied into plastic bag.
Vacuum filter still totally clogged with down.

My Handy Andy head has been circling the situation and the Things I get to do today looking to find the best way to funnel the down from the vest-flown-south to the top pockets of the comforter.  This blog will spare you the painful, long version of all that happened next.  Short version: slit open down pouches in the vest. Vacuumed out the down.  Plugged up vacuum with down.  Transferred down to large plastic bag.  Down is expanding more and more.  Down must be condensed to be stuffed into small seam opened in the comforter.  Stop to "think" this through again.  Cleaned up vacuum and put it away.

Inside of eviscerated vest.
Down escaping.

Begin again.  Gather vest, comforter and myself to my sewing machine. Open a comforter pocket seam to receive the down.  Slit a pouch in the vest.  Thrust my hand in, forcing down to the end of its pouch.  "Grab" as much as possible.  Slowly extract my hand.  Hold my breath so as not to cause more movement of the down "cloud" surrounding my hand.  Insert hand into comforter.  Release.  Very sl-o-w-ly extract hand.  Repeat.  Sew up the seam pocket.  Turn head away. Breathe.

Finished, puffy-pocketted comforter

I now understand how geese and other birds fly so easily.  Their downy covering is so light it floats up and away.  The birds just flap their wings and use their tails to direct their flight.  Their feet/toes hold on to the branch to keep them from drifting up and away when they are intending to stay put.

*"Down" should really be called "up."  I couldn't get any of it to come down.