Category Archive, “How To Buy”

Sleep Diet Challenge

We were very impressed with the recent attention on the importance of sleep care. Many talkshows, newscasts and magazines have had articles discussing the topics that we feel are very important.

We always tell folks that you can eat right and workout - but are you getting the proper amount of sleep?

On that note we need to go to bed!

Posted in How To Buy on Thu, March 12th, 2009 at 2:39 am. No comments.

What bedding is ‘Made In The U.S.A.’?

Frequently, we will be asked this question from customers wanting to buy American bedding only. The answer is tricky, because most fabrics are woven in China, with some higher-end fabrics woven in Germany or Western Europe. Just like buying a car, your bedding contains elements from across the globe - whether it is the origination of the yarn material (Supima cotton vs. Egyptian cotton vs. just plain cotton), to the fabric finishing location, to the filling process. In this blog entry, we will try to cover each of the elements that result in a finished piece of filled down bedding.

It’s all about the Yarn

The predominant material used in bedding is cotton. Cotton is grown across the globe, with the majority of it grown in the U.S., India, China, etc. Superfine cottons - Supima, Egyptian - are grown in unique locations.  Notably, Supima is long-staple American-grown cotton, and Egyptian cotton is grown in Egypt. Please note that just because a cotton is Egyptian does not mean it is long-stapled.

Weaving

Most fabrics (90% or more) are woven in China due to the high labor cost involved in the milling process. Some fabrics are woven in other countries - Portugal, Italy, Germany, etc. When cotton is first woven, it has a rough texture like muslin.  This unfinished woven cloth is called “greige” cloth or “greige” goods. Most fabrics woven in China are greige cloth.  The appearance of this cloth is off color and speckled - more organic looking. While most greige goods are usually finished in China, a small percentage are finished abroad in Germany, Japan, etc.

Finishing

The finishing process involves mechanical and chemical treatments to improve the feel and/or performance of the cloth. The finest feeling fabric in the world tends to be German or Japanese goods (Korean too).

Assembling

Once woven and finished, it goes next to the assembly of the pieces. Most ‘cut and sew,’ as it is called, is handled in the finishing country (so if finished in China, it is cut and sewn there; if finished in Germany, it is finished there or a nearby country - Ukraine for example). This assembled material is now ready for filling - whether it is down or a down alternative.

Filling

Natural fillings (down, feathers, etc.) come from two locations - China or Eastern Europe. Usually, this is where the meat is consumed and the down or feathers are a byproduct of the poultry industry. The filling for most DOWNLITE products is processed in the United States - approximately 75% or so of all bedding we make.

In Summary

As you can see, filled bedding is an international effort, with materials from several countries. I often have a consumer seeking an all-American product, but the reality is that what I consider American still involves materials from around the globe. The underlying issue is that consumers are looking for products not made in China. In this case we recommend some of the European down comforters we make with fabric finished in Germany. The hand and feel of the fabric is quite amazing - our best comforter features a batiste cotton fabric filled with 800-fill-power Canadian white goose down.

Some of our retailers insist on only the finest fabrics for their bedding collections, such as the ‘Flair Down Pillow‘ series we make for Bloomingdales private label collection.

 

Posted in How To Buy on Sun, February 15th, 2009 at 4:26 am. No comments.

What Are Duvet Loops?

Some high end down comforters feature duvet ‘loops’ which are used with special duvets featuring ‘ties’. In essence, a comforter with duvet loops can be used with our without a duvet. They were designed to help ‘hold’ the comforter in place within the duvet. Most duvet comforter protectors you find in a store do not have internal ties. Really the only time we see this system used outside of the hospitality industry is in fine european style linens. An easy fix for those concerned about internal sliding is comforter clips which can hold on to the comforter and duvet inside to some degree.

Posted in How To Buy on Thu, January 22nd, 2009 at 10:13 pm. No comments.

Save My Feather Bed!

Probably about once a month I get a call or email question about a leaking or poking feather bed and what can be done.

For starters - even the best feather beds will have leakage or poking due to the nature of them - i.e. they are filled primarily with feathers. Feathers unlike down have quills - quills which can poke through the fabric under the weight of your body. Aside from any skin poking they can also cause unsightly leaking feathers whcih can cling to a mattress and or your fitted sheets.

Relax we have a few suggestions on how to prevent and limit the poking and leaking that can occur. The first thing we would recommend is to use a feather bed protector - which basically completely envelops your feather bed kind of like a giant duvet. There are many styles available and range in price from $20 to $80 based on thread count, features and others bells and whistles. Of course we are partial to our own collection which feature an innovative three sided zipper - which opens up clam style for ease of placing on. I would generally recommend a twill style fabric as it tends to be think and durable regardless of the thread count. Do make sure the feather bed protector can fit your size - sometimes the thickness of the feather beds require some fancy math - in other words some protectors come in slightly larger sizes to accomodate the height of the feather beds. The DOWNLITE model is appx 2 inches larger in both dimesnions and is gussetted to allow for a proper fit.

The next step in feather bed heaven is to get an old white comforter that is largr then your mattress. You can simply place on top of the feather bed and tuck it underneath and then add your fitted sheet on top. Or you can buy a cheap mattress pad and cover the feather bed and then add the fitted sheet on top. The goal here is that both methods provide extra cushion to your feather bed.

Lastly, you have to understand that most feather beds on the market feature a 95 percent feather blend and only 5 percent down. Some luxury feather beds feature a 90 percent feather blend with 10 percent down for comfort. Some feather beds feature a pillow top made of polyester or down once again for added comfort.

Please note even the best feather bed with a down top still can use the tricks I mentioned.

Posted in How To Buy on Fri, January 2nd, 2009 at 4:59 am. 1 comment.

Buying A Comforter As A Gift?

With the holidays ever present I get asked all the time by folks online and in our stores - how to buy a comforter as a present for someone?

Well the simple recomendations - regardless of price point include:

Need help - call or email us!

Posted in How To Buy on Tue, December 9th, 2008 at 5:52 am. No comments.

Bedding As A Gift?

Everyone loves getting a gift - there is no doubt about that. But what if the person your buying for is the ‘has everything type’ - what else can you get them? Here are some tips on buying bedding as a gift - whether it is for a wedding, birthday, baby shower or just because.

The easiest item to get someone is a throw - everyone needs a throw for their couch/chair/bed/office, etc. Throws are usually pretty easy to buy because you don’t have to worry about the size - most are between 50 x 60 inches or 50 x 70 inches. A down throw makes a great choice because it can keep someone cozy in all settings. Most throws range in price from $20 to $100 for luxury throws.

Another great, but unique idea is to give a pillow. Doesn’t everyone have neck pain? Who brags about great sleep? The key here is to know how they sleep - side, back or stomach - so this might be a good one for the ’sleeping partner’ to buy. People are really funny about their pillow - so check out our pillow buying guide for advice. A pillow can range in price from $20 to $75 for most good quality, medium density down or feather pillows.

Some unique gift ideas can include gifts for dog lovers, or baby blankets for newborns.

If you need help call DOWNLITE for some additional advice.

Posted in How To Buy on Fri, September 12th, 2008 at 4:20 am. No comments.

Buying Online?

When talking to friends it is common for someone to say ‘Why buy bedding online?’. If taken literally you could make that argument but I would retort with these facts:

Even with those points in order it is pretty common that once a day I have someone ask me: ‘is the pillow “soft”‘? My soft is someone’s medium. So what we try to do is establish common feature set comparisions to help simplify the buying process. For pillows we ask how they sleep and recommend pillow densities based on their neck and head position, etc. For comforters we ask how warm they sleep - then recommend warm, warmer or warmest. Once again when simplified it can actually be real easy to buy bedding online  -you just have to know the system the retailer uses.

Posted in How To Buy on Thu, August 28th, 2008 at 5:29 am. No comments.