Mattress stuffing

[JacobReichwein]

I am redoing my room soon entirely 1800's style. Trying to keep it as authentic as possible. However, I was curious about what would be good for stuffing the mattress. I know straw was common, but I'm allergic!:(:( Any other things I could use, or any other ideas for the room general? All opinions welcome!
Thank you

[ShaunR]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Corn husks, and goose feathers come to mind, but they also can trigger allergies. Good luck with your project!




Shaun Riedell

[amity]

Re: Mattress stuffing

duplicate posting

[ryanbmm]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Mr.Rooney
what type of home is it that the room will be in with? a town home, a farmers home, out east or west? As for bedding- if you are a rich man as of 1800s time frame, you could use cotton...

[Citizen_Soldier]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Greetings,
I have a number of sources that I can share with you, but it'll take a few days for me to get everything gathered up due to my current schedule. Do you already have a great deal of antique furniture or are you starting from scratch?

Considering your allergies, I would recommend using a modern mattress on an antique bed if you can get one to fit.

Please don't hesitate to drop me a message if you have any questions.

Darrek Orwig

[Doug Harding]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Down comforters make good matress stuffing. I made a matress from ticking and stuffed a king size comforter into it. One king size comforter makes a real nice single matress. I use it on an 19th century "Franklin Spring Cot" It really works well in the cold weather. I'm getting ready to make one for my double rope bed and I'll probably use two kings to fill it. I put ties on one end so I can wash the ticking matress once and a while by taking the comforters out. You can get them at Walmart for a reasonable price. They might even go on sale in the spring.

Doug

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Don't forget firm stuffing of wool or cotton or kapok... feather ticks go *over* a stuffed mattress, and the "classic" handmade mattress has not changed appreciably in some time. You can still get them, but they cost a good bit.

Consider economic level and location, too. A slum-dweller in the city has different access to materials and second-hand items than does a person living on the Kansas prairie.

And, since you're presumably still at home, consider what your parents are going to be okay with in home dec.

Now, since this whole discussion has great potential to veer into modern conversation, let's do try to keep it to sharing information on what was available, and how it was used, in the period. :) (And thanks to those who are doing so, thus far!)

[Spinster]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Depending on your region of the country, retted and coiled Spanish moss, or for the more prosperous, coiled and tied horsehair.

Next up for discussion: Ridding a room of bedbugs

[VMurphy]

Re: Mattress stuffing

This sounds like a great undertaking! I agree with Elizabeth, that you must consider what your parents approve of. And remember that using moss, straw, corn husks, etc. also bring with them bugs, and mites :( as well as need much more care and replacement...high maintanace:(
You might want to consider a very basic, inexpensive modern mattress as a base, then as, was suggeested, get a nice feather mattress. They are very popular at the moment so are very available.(OVERSTOCK has great prices on high quality bedding/merchandise)
They were indeed a popular mattress for hundreds of years. My ggggrandmother used them, according to my father, and I grew up sleeping on one .
As for allergies, I believe the "modern" down matteress are treated in some manner to reduce allergies.
Good luck in your decorating scheme. We'd like to hear more about your plans. Do you have antique furniture, dresser, desk???
Regards
Vivian Murphy

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Mattress stuffing

My dad is really up for anything. He's actually the one o.k.ing the whole plan. I really hadn't thought about region or economic status, but I don't want my bedroom to be filthy and slum-like. So I'd say middle class :-P

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Then you're looking at investments. :) Getting good repros of antique styles is going to be a process with a price.

You'll want a traditional stuffed mattress, such as the horsehair Mrs Lawson mentions, with a feather tick over it, and then the sheets and blankets. Good feather pillows are not hard to find, but allergies might be an issue.

[jstich]

Re: Mattress stuffing

With all due respect to all, and I don't want to offend anyone by pointing this out, but as a profesional chief fire officer I just want to caution you to consider the potential fire hazard you are considering. Even if you don't smoke and take precautions in your home / room, you can not eliminate ignition sources and you are talking about being in a state of semi-consciousness while laying on what we call a huge fire load. Just consider it.
Thanks
John Stich, 5th KY Co. B
(Battlion Chief, Lyndon Fire)

[VMurphy]

Re: Mattress stuffing

YES< indeed~ that is a very good point. And finding a mattress of "fiber source" that is truly period, means either very old, used, and musty, or reproduction which could be very expensive. If you are creative the decor wouldn't have to be real expensive. A simple four legged wooden table, ladder back chair painted a good color, perhaps a mirror framed in simple walnut or oak. It's not difficult to find a antique bed(which by the way might be yourmost expensive item). A simple wooden bench for extra seating. A braided rug on the floor, if you have a wooden floor, you could first paint it, then put down some braided rugs There are several suggestions on how to make rugs in period sources, or there are some available that are very good repoductions. If you want to get very industrious depending on your location and station, you could make a full room floor cloth and fasten it down under the quarterround.

Good luck and have fun :)
Vivian Murphy

[Spinster]

Re: Mattress stuffing

In looking at the various alternatives, it would be worth your while to contact Steve Abolt through this website http://www.cottonbalers.lynchburg.net/whoarewe.htm

While their primary impression predates the US Civil War by some 50 years, Mr. Abolt is a wealth of information on basic furnishings. He also fields a full late 18th century bedroom, complete with cherry rope bed, horsehair mattress, feather mattress, various woolen, linen, and linsey bed coverings, chests, trunks, tables, candlestands, and carpetings by both Pat Klien and Rabbit Goody.

He was helpful in the acquisition of my first 18th century rope bed. Since a second such bed has now come into the house, I'll make one commentary concerning the 'straw mattress' dilemma.

Quite properly, the bottom mattress on such bed should be straw, with the upper mattress of feathers. Or, if one is well off, the bottom mattress is of coiled horsehair. If one attempts to make up the bed solely with layers of feather mattresses, they tend to sink through the ropes and make for a lumpy uncomfortable bed.

This problem can be solved somewhat by using a period bed of a slightly different design--a so called 'sack bottom bed'--one with a drill or canvas bottom to the bed, laced into the pegged sides with rope. Properly tightened, this provides a firm foundation for a feather bed, without the downside of having straw in the house. If you have trouble with allergy, there are a number of modern mattress covers designed to alleviate this problem.

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Mattress stuffing

Thank you so much to all of you! This has been a great help!

Mr. Stich, I have considered the fire hazards, however, is a modern room not, too, a fire hazard?