European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Germany is 135 centimetres wide by 200 centimetres Long 53 inches by 79 inches single bed size. For those Over 5 feet 8 inches tall a length of 220 con meters. Or 86 inches. Is suggested even German and scandinavian married couples usually opt for single comforters says Volker. The French and italians As the americans prefer one comforter Tor  Inge summons manager of the scandinavian knitwear outlet at the Rhein main Airport hotel at Rhein main a in West Germany says that americans no Only expect King and Queen size comforters they want them to drape Over the sides of the bed. Tha store carries tour sizes twins Are 68 inches by 36 inches doubles Are 76 by 66 Queens Are 85 by 92 and Kings 92 by 104. Selecting b Feather bed Means More than sizing it. It also involves choosing Horn different combinations of fillings and styles of construction. What is the secret of finding one that will mean Sweet dreams it s a matter of How warm you want to be How much weight you want to sleep under and what you want to pay says Volker. You can buy a Feather bed for As Little As to Marks $30 or As much As 4.000 Marks $2.424 generally prices depend on the amount and Quality of leather or Down. A leather comforters Down refers Only to the soft under plumage of ducks and geese in the United slates standards for leather Beds Are set by the Federal Trade commission Etc. In Germany they must conform to standards and Quality agreed upon by manufacturers and Consumers these conditions Are Taid out in a regulation called ral. Ral rules spell out the amounts of Down by weight that must be contained in comforters. One of original Claunan genuine Down must contain 90 percent Goose or Duck Down Origina Mcgrigg Faunen genuine feathery Dow Nat least to percent Down original k Faunen genuine Dow Nat least 30 percent Down original is Latinen genuine i Dow Nat teas 15 percent Down and origins Faunen Hallie Codorn genuine Down containing leather sat least 9 percent Down. Because ii expands Down takes up More space than a heavier amount of leathers. For example the 15 percent weight of Down in a half Down comforter equals in mass the amount of feathers weighing 35 percent. Down is so Light says Bundgaard Mellor that Only 35 ounces is needed to lilt a comforter measuring around 10 Square  the percentage is Down in to however a real key to Quality for example a com Orler containing Only is percent Down and 85 percent Liny leathers would be of higher Quality than a comforter containing 20 percent Down and 60 percent Large leathers. I Down and part Down Feather Beds provide a climate for sleep that is neither too dry nor too moist says Volker adding that Goiman Feather bed experts advise keeping the bedroom at around 68 f. The individual Wispy Down Snow Lakos insulate by clustering together and retaining air. The higher the Down Quality the More insulation and the higher the Price of the comforter. I Ferde Vii is the lop Down. It is larger but lighter than any other and of lers extraordinary insulation. It also is rare. The cider Duck threatened by extinction has been placed under will Rio Protection and its Down can be collected Only from abandoned nests. Most european department stores and bedding shops carry ready made leather Beds. The tradition however is to have one made to of incr at a specially shop. The customer selects the tilling i Iron bins of raw leathers and Down. The covering and Feather bed Case Are chosen from bolts of Cotton ticking and Cambric. The basics Tor choosing a covering and Case Blue and Cream Are the Standard colors is i to use a coarse fabric Tor leathers and a line one Lor i Down the most popular Feather bed style in Germany the Karo slap Decoco is stitched in a Diamond pattern. Next in popularity comes the Rohre Betl or Kanat Btl with parallel Lengthwise stitching. Because of the drop in the Dollar Price has become a major Factor in american buying says Sammons. Americans Ollen have the idea thai Ihn higher the Price the bolter the Feather bed. That s not really True. Some people prefer a leather filled comforter that gives the feeling of More  prices vary. Cafes carries american comforters thai co Lorrn to the ral regulations. The prices Range from $90 Lor a twin size old percent Down to $250 for a King size with 40 percent Down comforters Are stocked by cafes stores to Kaiserslautern Ramstein Stuttgart Augsburg Baumhower Mannheim. Munich Span Dahlem Darmstadt and nou Ulm in West Germany Schinnen. Netherlands Athens Greece and Lakenheath in Britain scandinavian knitwear Sells i Down twins Lor $210, Queens for $263 and Kings Lor $323. Feather Beds with a fill of 80 percent Down and 20 percent feathers Are priced Al $408 for a Queen and $448 for a King. No sales tax is charged but prices Are subject to change upon fluctuation of the Exchange rate. Karstadt one of Germany s larger department store chains offers a single bed comforter filled Wilh 32 ounces of Down for 398 Marks $241. Under Normal usage according to Volker Feather Beds have a Lite expectancy o around eight to 10 years. Care of a comforter is simple. According to Sammons americans take their Feather Beds to the cleaners every three months or so. Volker says this is not at All necessary. Ail that is really needed is a daily airing of one or two hours to says. A soil Brush can to used to clean the Case. Ii it is foggy or Rainy the leather bed can be aired Over a chair in the bedroom. Feather Beds should not a beaten or vacuumed says Volker but a Good shaking is recommended. It gives now air room Between the leathers. " when it does come time id have a leather bed cleaned use a commercial cleaner or laundry that specializes in them. Washers and tumblers have been developed thai make it possible to remove dirt without leaving the leather bed s contents lumped or stuck together. After a few years of use feathers Are usually added. Placing Feather in Linen sacks and using them As blankets and pillows goes far Back in history. For example a leather filled Pillow is included in the exhibit of ancient egyptian artefacts at the British museum in London. By the 18th Century Feather Beds were in common use in Europe. They weren to however very wholesome. Since Beds were in Short Supply guests at inns were expected to share both bed and comforter Wilh Complete strangers. More often than not the leather bed was Lumpy and infested with fleas and bedbugs. Today s comforters filled with so Eric leathers and Down and stitched so the titling stays equally distributed Are a vast improvement America in t the enly land that is warming up to them. In the past Tew years according to voided lie French have begun to substitute hem for the blankets that were used in the past. Japan also i snapping them Upas a Western innovation. It now has some of the most modern Feather bed last Oriya in the world. It is China though the world s largest exporter of feathers that makes the Feather merchants rub their hands Wilh anticipation. Down clothing is still too expensive fur most chinese to afford says Viker bul. In the country continues to loosen its restrictions on business a huge Market could open Homo Healing is relatively poor and the Winters in the North Are very cold. A Friend of mine standing on a Street Corner in Shanghai envisioned Selling 2.000 Down jackets in 15 minutes he says according to Volker the chinese already arc dabbling in the business in the past three years they have Cut Back on their exports and begun manufacturing some of their own Feather Beds and Down clothing he says. Feather Beds Are blanketing the world. A hither seen Petose up put Tttus True Tun that la t Marvel to the world firt end i Fence. Rich 29, 1988 Page 15