Glossary

Alphabetical Listing of Terms:

• A:
• B:
• Baffle Box Construction:
  This type of comforter design and construction is not sewn through but has a vertical wall of fabric, baffle, joining the upper and lower portions of the shell (See Ticking). Baffles allow the down fill to reach its maximum loft and prevent the down from shifting and creating cold spots. Down comforters designed using a baffle box are typically much more expensive to manufacture than a sewn-thru box construction. Baffles allow our Hungarian White Goose Down to reach its maximum loft giving you the softest most comfortable night of quality rest.
• 
• Billow:
  As in 'to balloon'. The perceived amount of ballooning done by the down while contained in the baffle of a down comforter, held by the ticking of a down pillow or contained in a featherbed.
• C:
• Care Instructions:
  All of this information is attached to your down products but is replicated here for your convenience. Always use a duvet cover for your Down Comforter. It will stay cleaner and last longer. For your Down Pillows always use a pillow protector and a pillow case. For your Featherbed it is not uncommon to find a deep fitted sheet, approximately 21", to place over your Featherbed to prevent your body oils from discoloring the outer shell of the Featherbed while you sleep at night.
• Comforter Care:
  To protect against soiling always use a duvet cover. Spot clean when possible. Place in the dryer with a tennis ball on low heat to refresh the down or hang it outside on a clean line. For major cleaning use a professional launderer familiar with cleaning down products. For guaranteed cleaning result we recommend Blanc Plume French Laundry. They can be reached at 800-307-0229.
• Pillow Care:
  Spot clean when possible. Place in the dryer with a tennis ball on low heat to refresh the down or hang it on a clean line. If the pillow looses it's bounce, it probably needs to be cleaned. Use a professional launderer familiar with cleaning down products. For guaranteed cleaning result we recommend Blanc Plume French Laundry. They can be reached at 800-307-0229.
• Featherbed Care:
  Spot clean when possible. Hang it outside on a clean line. For major cleaning use a professional launderer familiar with cleaning down products. For guaranteed cleaning result we recommend Blanc Plume French Laundry. They can be reached at 800-307-0229. The less a Featherbed is cleaned the longer it will last.
• Goose Down Bed Care:
  Spot clean when possible. Hang it outside on a clean line. For major cleaning use a professional launderer familiar with cleaning down products. For guaranteed cleaning result we recommend Blanc Plume French Laundry. They can be reached at 800-307-0229. The less a Featherbed is cleaned the longer it will last.
• Corded Edges:
  Two rows of hand-guided stitches, typically 24-26 stitches per linear inch.
• D:
• Design:
  See; Baffle Box Construction or Sewn-Thru
• Down and Feather Blend:
  Is a blend of 75% goose feather and 25% Hungarian goose down and is used to make our Classic pillow, down and feather feather bed, decorative pillows (unless noted otherwise).
• Down Proof:
  This term is typically used to describe the fabric (or ticking) that holds the down inside the down comforter, pillow or featherbed.
• Duvet Cover:
  A duvet cover serves a dual purpose. It acts as a decorative fashion accessory and protects your comforter like a pillow protector protects your pillow.
• E:
• Egyptian Cotton:
  Egyptian cotton is a long-staple fine cotton grown chiefly in northern Africa. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.0.1) American Heritage Dictionary.
• F:
• Fabric(s):
  To maintain such a high standard of quality we have to limit ourselves to only the finest down proof fabrics available.
• 312 Thread Count, long staple Egyptian cotton unbleached and cleansed of all chemicals. Used for our NaturalNights™ down comforter and down pillows.
• 300 Thread Count, long staple Egyptian cotton. Used for our Classic, Lightweight, Summerweight, Winterweight and hotel collection down comforters; goose down 600, 700, 800 and hotel collection down pillows. Used for our handmade Hungarian white goose down featherbed.
• 230 Thread Count; Egyptian cotton for our classic down and feather pillow.
• 230 Thread Count; Egyptian Cotton Twill is used in our down and feather featherbed for quality and strength.
• Featherbed:
  Transform you bed into the softest comfort you've ever experienced. By sleeping on a featherbed you reduce pre ssure on your hips, shoulders and knees as the feathers contour to you body. The feathers natural loft allows air to circulate for year-round comfort.
• Fill Power:
  Technically speaking fill power is a measure of the amount of space one ounce of down clusters occupy. The higher the fill power the better the quality and the larger the down cluster. A larger down cluster is typically more resilient, larger in diameter and while last longer. One ounce of our 800 Fill Power Hungarian Goose Down measures 800 cubic inches. Any down carrying 600 or better fill power rating is of exceptional quality.
• 600 Fill Power: [Great Quality] The smallest sized plumule we use. Our least expensive fill, 600 fill power pure Hungarian goose down is of exceptional quality exceeding most goose down found at your local 'big box' retail stores. Still fluffy with a nice billow but the least fluffy and smallest billow of our down fills due to the smaller size of the plumule and down clusters. Will sleep cooler.
• 700 Fill Power: [Excellent Quality] A medium sized plumule. Softer and lighter than our 600 fill power Hungarian goose down with a slightly larger cluster for added warmth and strength. Fluffy and sleep warmer with a larger billow because of the larger plumule and down clusters.
• 800 Fill Power: [The Finest Quality] The largest sized plumule. Our finest and most expensive fill is very rare and exceptionally light and soft. Very fluffy with a large billow due to the size of the plumule and down clusters. Will sleep very warm. Highly recommended for featherbeds given the direct pressure environment they are subjected to and the strength of the larger plumule.
• G:
• 10 Year Guarantee:
  All Down & Feather Company down comforters, down and decorative pillows and featherbeds are guaranteed to be free from defects in workmanship and materials for 10 Years from the date of purchase.
• H:
• Hungarian White Goose Down:
  Hungarian Goose Down is widely regarded as the finest readily available goose down on the planet. Because we use the cleanest, fluffiest, whitest goose down in our down comforters, down pillows and featherbeds we are more expensive and represent no compromise in quality.
• Hypoallergenic:
  Typically people aren't allergic to down or down feathers but rather the dust and the dust mites that can live in down if it's not properly cleaned. Our Hungarian goose down goes through a VERY thorough cleaning. So clean that we can offer you a 10 Year Guarantee.
• I - O:
• P:
• Piping:
  The outer edge of the down comforter, down pillow or featherbed. Secures the top and bottom seam. Double-Edged for strength and durability with a elegant and shimmering satin shine.
• Pillow Personality:
  Yes pillows have personalities. Below is a guideline for choosing the pillow personality that's right for you. All of our pillows come in the three personalities listed below. How you sleep determines the type of pillow you need. The pillow you sleep on cradles and supports your head through the night. It holds your head in the same relation to your spine as if you were standing. If you aren't sleeping with the correct pillow it will place undue stress and strain on your neck muscles which could lead to morning headaches. So you se choosing the correct pillow is very important.
• Our Classic pillow is a down and feather blend that sleeps soft and typically remains flatter after use. Our Hungarian white goose down pillows will fluff themselves up after use because of down's natural tendency to return to it's normal shape.
• Soft: Soft pillows are typically used by people who sleep on their stomachs or people who don't need a lot of head support
• Medium: Medium pillows are typically used by who sleep on their backs but are firm enough to be used by people that sleep on their side.
• Firm: Firm pillows are typically used by people that sleep on their sides.
• Plumules: (ploom-yool) -noun
  Basically defined as a small down feather or the soft filaments that radiate from the center of a down cluster. Botanist have a much more elaborate definition; "the bud of the ascending axis of a plant while still in the embryo." - Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.0.1)
• Price:
  Why are we more expensive? Basically it's the materials we use. Down comforters, down pillows and featherbeds are a investment. You don't use them once or twice but at least, we hope, 365 times a year or more if you take naps which we highly recommend. We use only Hungarian goose down which is very rare in any size (600, 700 or 800) and is widely regarded as the finest readily available goose down on the planet. The use of the finest down proof fabrics and our attention to detail increases our costs but reduces our returns for replacement or adjustment. We believe we are offering you the finest down comforters, pillows and feather beds available anywhere. But don't take our word for it...buy one. When you hand it down to the next generation give them our number and have them call us to let us know what they think. The number is easy to remember (888-DOWNANDFEATHER).
• Q:
• QualityRest™:
  Down & Feather Company™ brand of luxury down comforters made from the finest materials commercially available.
• R:
• S:
• Sateen: (sa-teen) -noun
  Sateen is a fabric formed with a satin weave using short staple yarns such as cotton. "A strong cotton fabric constructed in a satin weave and having a lustrous fact" - Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.0.1)
• Satin: (sat-n) -noun
  A Satin is a cloth that typically has a glossy face and a soft slippery texture. - Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.0.1)
• Sewn-Thru:
  This type of comforter design is sewn thru joining the upper and lower portions of the shell that hold the down clusters in place.
• SleepTemp:
  It's a term we made up as a guideline for the approximate temperature of your sleep environment. Use your SleepTemp as a guideline for choosing which comforter is right for you.
• SnuggleSoft™:
  A Down & Feather Company™ brand of luxury down pillows made from the finest materials available. All of our pillows are a double shell construction for additional quality. The outer shell that you place your head on is a 300TC a down proof Egyptian cotton fabric while the inner shell is 235TC. Most manufactures of down pillows don't add this extra shell because of the time and expense associated with the manufacturing process. When you purchase SnuggleSoft™ Down Pillow you know your getting the finest and most comfortable down pillow by design.
• Staple:
  It's the raw material, or it's length and quality, of fiber from which textiles are made. Typically the longer the staple the higher the quality.
• T:
• Thread Count (TC):
  Down proof fabric must be at least 200 threads per square inch
• Thread Count Myth:
  Thread Count determines the quality of a piece of fabric. Our down comforters start at 300 threads per square inch.
• Thread Count is the most misunderstood factor of quality in the bedding industry. Thread Count has been abused and manipulated because most consumers are looking for a way to determine quality aside from looking at the price. Consumers assume that the higher the thread count the better the fabric quality. But this isn't necessarily the case. Has anyone noticed that it's not uncommon to see 1000TC bed sheets priced lower than 300TC bed sheets? How can than be? Because some manufacturers use a 2-ply thread, or a 1-ply thread and twisting it together, so the manufacturer can claim a higher Thread Count by counting each ply rather than counting the actual threads. So a 300TC fabric instantly becomes a 600TC fabric that the typical consumer believes to be of higher quality. The other factor that influences Thread Count is the thickness of the actual yarn or thread. A thicker yarn, or higher yarn size, indicates a finer yarn and a fine yarn can only be made from high quality long-staple cotton like that used in our QualityRest™ Down Comforters and SnuggleSoft™ Down Pillow products. As you look for that perfect down comforter for your bedroom, guest bedroom or loved one going off to college notice that all our products are made with long-staple cotton fabric because we use only the finest materials.
• There are many factors that make up the quality of a piece of fabric but Thread Count, which is mistakenly used to determine quality, is merely a measure of the density of the woven fabric. Fine...so where is the quality if it's not in the Thread Count? Great question. The quality is in the fabric itself or the raw material as we like to say. More specifically the quality of the fabric is something that is determined by the fineness, length and strength of the actual fiber. The highest quality fabrics are spun from long-staple cotton fibers just like all our QualityRest™ and SnuggleSoft™ down products.
• Ticking:
  The shell or outer covering of a down comforter or down pillow that holds the down clusters and feathers.
• W:
• Warmth:
  Please view our levels of warmth as guidelines and not rules. We give you the guidelines so that you can make a informed decision. It is not uncommon for warmer sleepers to choose some of our warmest sleep combinations. For instance, you may sleep in a cooler room at night, 70 - 72 degrees and sleep on our down and feather featherbed, under our QualityRest™ Winterweight Hungarian white goose down comforter and snuggle up with our SnuggleSoft™ Classic down and feather pillow. (Like our owner for example).
• As a consumer you need to be more sensitive to the climate in your bedroom or the climate that you adjust your bedroom to while you sleep and less about the climate that you live in.
• Lightweight - Designed for year-around comfort if the typical sleep temperature of your room is above 66 - 71 degrees.
• Year Around - Designed for year-around comfort if the typical sleep temperature of your room is 65 - 60 degrees.
• Winterweight - Designed for year-around comfort if the your typical room temperature is below 60 degrees.