Way out in the Middle of Nowhere

For future reference: the guide to down comforter making in pdf form is available for free on Google Docs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzee85NJjrtbMXI5UGZCTGxBc0k/edit?usp=sharing

The gathering of the feathers was done over the course of 3 months. Every Saturday, my husband killed 2 more ducks and I plucked the feathers and down, separating the two. The cleaning, sorting and filling of the comforter was done in one day. just a bit of clingy down As I mixed the down with the feathers in the big plastic tub. I tipped the big brown grocery bag with the down over the tub and shook until most of them were in the tub.  Now...hold your breath, or breathe to the side. DON'T breathe into the tub or you'll look like a tar&feather victim. Using the two bread bags was helpful. After mixing the down and feathers together like folding eggs into an Angel Food Cake batter, I stuffed the bread bags about 3/4 full. And I do mean STUFF.  Then, twisting the top of the bag, I stuffed it into the channel I had sewn into the comforter. bag of down + feathers  For the comforter itself, I am using 120" muslin purchased from the Fabric Store. Normally, th...

For those of you who have no compulsion to read about how to create your own down comforters, I suggest reading something else for a week. I'm starting off from the butchering of ducks to the sewing of these comforters. This does go into some issues that some people might find offensive. For others; I've not read a single blog on how to do this. I've read 1/2 page 'How To' that doesn't even get into how much feathers to use. This will be the guide on how to turn duck feathers into a warm and comfortable blanket that will give you years of use. I prefer to utilize as much as I can from our flock. They give their lives so we can eat and be warm. I figure it is the best way to honor their sacrifice. How to Create a Feather Comforter from Your Own Feathers Over the course of 3 months, Dave and I have processed 26 ducks that were hatched specifically for meat + feathers. All of them were Pekins, like the two shown here. They were hatched in April, brooded i...

Yep, sometimes I can get pretty serious. Admittedly, I usually keep that kind of thought to myself. Sometimes it's good for others to know that actually think of more serious things than poultry and knitting and spinning. Oddly enough, some of my more deep thoughts come when I am knitting. Friends of ours welcomed a new daughter into their family on All Hallow's Eve. She's a beautiful gal; born at home with Mom, Dad and Midwife in attendance. It's with a bit of wistfulness that I have to admit, that if Dave and I were able to have kids 1) there would be many of them, 2) they would be born at home and 3) they would be beautiful, sassy AND smart. Instead, we shamelessly spoil all the kids we come in contact with. This little lassie was being held by her Godfather as we spoke about her adjusting to the outside world.  As you see on Mom's lap in the background, I knitted her a Lady Eleanor Stole to use as a nursing shawl.  It's out of Lion Brand amazing, so I...