PILLOWS PART 2 Continued from part1
11 Construction ofpillow Internally, a pillow consists ofa filler, often made from foam, synthetic plastic fibres, feathers, or down andviscoelastic foam and latex. Traditionally straw was filler,but this is uncomfortable and rarely used today. Feathers and down are the mostexpensive and usually the most comfortable; they offer the advantage ofsoftness and their ability to conform to shapes desired by the user, more sothan foam or fibre pillows. One of the disadvantages of a down-filled pillow is allergic reactionof the user. There are currentlyhypoallergenic varieties of down pillows to allow people sensitive to down toenjoy the comfort of feather or down pillows. In Asia, buckwheat is a commonfiller, as are plastic imitations. Such pillows tend to be smaller than astandard pillow. InIndia, cotton is also a common filler and is considered to be healthier thansynthetic fills. The fill is surrounded with acover or shell made of cloth, such as silk, known as the pillow case or pillow slip.Some pillows have a fancier cover called a sham which is closed on all sidesand usually has a slit in the back through which the pillow is placed.Rectangular standard bed pillow cases usually do not have zippers, but insteadhave one side open all the time, however, a zippered pillow protector is oftenplaced around standard pillows with the case in turn covering theprotector. It is recommended that all types of pillow covers be laundered periodicallysince they are the part that is in contact with a person's body. But even with regular washing,pillows tend to accumulate dust and microbes among the fill and it is recommended that they bereplaced every few years, especially for those with allergies. My note- Many place a towel above the pillow cover sothat head sweat will not enter pillow. Those who use hair dye must make it apoint to use wash well and use a thick towel so that black/brown dye will nottouch the pillow cover. 12 Types A pillow is designed to providesupport and comfort to the body and head. There are three main types of pillows; bed pillows, orthopaedicpillows and decorative pillows, with some overlapping of use between these. The appropriate size of a bedpillow depends on the size of the bed. In general a twin bed goes best with astandard pillow while for queen and king sized beds larger pillows arerecommended. 13 Size The classic bed pillow shape isusually a square or rectangle. In the US, they are common in these three sizes(in inches): Standard (20×26 inches), Queen (20×30 inches), and King (20×36inches). In the US, a less common size is Jumbo (20×28 inches), which is largerthan the Standard Size but smaller than the Queen Size. Pillows are generally coveredwith a removable pillow case, which facilitates laundering. 14 Classification Apart from the colour and fromthe material of which they are made, pillowcases are described by threecharacteristics: 1 Size 2 Features 3 Opening/closing Size conforms to the pillow thecase is to contain. They are typically described as: Standard, Square, Queenand King. The main distinguishing featureis whether the pillow case is plain or with a valance around the edge. In theformer case this is described as 'plain style' and in the latter as 'Oxford style’."Oxford ... has a 5cm-10cm valance round all four sides. With ahemstitched or corded decoration around the inner edge of the valance." The opening/closure of pillowcases ranges from the straightforward "bag style" common in theUnited States to the "housewife style" more common in Europe, with apocket inside the open end to fully contain the pillow. "Housewife is ...essentially a bag, with a flap in the open end to tuck the pillowcase behind tokeep it in..."Other methods of closure are ties or buttons/buttonholes. Body pillows are as long as afull adult body, providing support to the head and neck at the top and to theknees and legs lower down. This type of pillow can be especially useful in providingsupport for those who sleep on their sides and for pregnant women. Size is40×140 cm. (See also: Dutch wife) Orthopaedic-Neck pillows support the neck byproviding a deep area for the head to rest and a supportive area to keep theneck in alignment with the spine while sleeping. These can also be known ascervical pillows. Travel pillows provide support for the neck in a sittingposition. Their "U" shape fits around the back of the neck and keepsthe head from slipping into an uncomfortable and possibly harmful positionduring sleep. However, U-shaped pillows can sometimes force the head forward,creating neck stiffness. Donut pillows are firm pillows shaped like a torus, with aspace in the middle to alleviate pressure on the tailbone area while sitting. These pillows are used primarilyby individuals who have suffered an injury to the tailbone area, or whosuffer pain from haemorrhoids or another ailment of the colon. Lumbar pillows are designed to support the inward curve of the lowerback, filling the space created between the lower back and theback of the chair when in a sitting position. These pillows are generally usedto support the lower back while driving or sitting, such as in an office chair.Orthopaedic pillows are similar to memory foam pillows. 15 Decorative Decorative pillows serve a dualpurpose. They often have fancy cover material which serves to decorate the room where they are found.Since decorative textiles are commonly 54 inches in width, many decorativepillows finish about 17x17 inches. (54/3 = 18 less seam allowance) When used todecorate a fully made up bed, decorative pillows are likely thrown aside at bedtime, since they are notcovered with a washable pillow case, thus, while found on the bed, they areprimarily there for decoration, hence they fall under this category.These pillows may be custom made, as well as made by freelancers. 15a Decorative pillows Decorative pillows are also foundon furnishings in more public parts of the home, such as sofas, chairs andwindow seats. Here, their common use may overlap both orthopaedic and bedpillows. For example, unless a person has some particular medical condition,they will likely use a handy decorative pillow for lumbar support, as needed,while seated on a sofa. Likewise, for the occasional nap, decorative pillowsare handy for supporting the head or neck, even though they may not be coveredwith a pillow case, as are bed pillows. There are five common synonymsfor decorative pillows which are descriptive of their use in the home."Accent" pillows emphasize or accent some other part of the homedecor. The terms "sofa pillow" and "couch pillow" refer tothe place these decorative pillows are likely found. The terms "tosspillow" and "throw pillow" may refer to the way they generallyarrive in their places. 16 Novelty pillows- Novelty pillows are shaped likehumorous objects (a banana, tweety bird, a human leg, a chainsaw, a dillpickle, a former president) and are meant to brighten up and add humour to a room or loungearea. Tent-flap pillows are placed at the front of a stack of pillowsdecorating a bed. "Tent flap" is the term used todescribe a separate flap of fabric that is attached at the top of the pillowand folds down over the face. The tent flap can be loose or tacked down; if theflap is loose a decorative tassel or bead is usually used to weigh the flapdown so it hangs properly. Floor pillows are another subsetof decorative pillows. These pillows often finish 26×26 inches (one half of thewidth of the textile, less seam allowance) 17 fire stop pillows Fire stop pillows are technical fire stop products, used inpassive fire protection. 18 Husband Pillow A husband pillow is a large, high-backed pillow with two"arms." It is used to prop the user upright while in bed oron the floor, as for reading or watching television. Because of this commonuse, a husband pillow is also called a reading pillow. 19 Chinese rock pillows They played an important role inancient China. Made from jade, they were believed to translate the energy from the stone to the humanbrain. Originating in the Ming dynasty,this piece of material was trusted to cure headaches or depression, or simplyto better the intelligence of those who use it. It was more common among royalty because it wasexpensive and rare. Families often married off children based on thequality and intricacy of these pillows. Today, rock pillows are still commonly used during the hot summer monthsin China. 20- Thalayana manthram (Pillow talk) It is a common usage when husbandagrees to wife’s points. Sometimes a husband may tell something in the day,after talks with wife may change and tell new version- next day morning. 21- Thalayana ati This was a game when I wasstudying in middle school. Two boys would sit on lower tree branches andblow each other with small pillows. One hand in pillow and another in treebranch. The one who dropped the pillow while blowing lost thegame. I am not sure such games are there now in schools. We iyers could not getto tree branches and it was generally others used to play the game. Onlyskilled and tested for ability to climb tree branches students were onlyselected for the game. It is 2nd part of a posting earlier posted on 26-9-2016 fullyedited and posted on 27-8-21 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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