As a child, I would gather milkweed down and make little pillows for the fairies with it. Little did I know that women of the past used milkweed down as regular pillow stuffing.
Below are two articles that cover the use of natural materials for stuffing pillows, including the milkweed and rose petal pillows.
Pillow Stuffing From 1917
The ripe pod of the milkweed makes an excellent filler for pillows. Open the pod, remove the seeds and dry the down. This material will not lump with age and does not crumble and sift out. [1]
Fragrant Pillows From 1896
Almost everyone is familiar with the fragrant pillows of balsam spruce which came into use a few years ago. They were so agreeable and possessed of such soothing powers that fashion’s whims cannot drive them out of use. Lavender linen has always been credited with the gift of inducing sweet dreams. Now lounge pillows are perfumed in this way. There is also a pillow stuffed with rose petals and one of milkweed down, more fairylike in its softness than the down of the famed eider duck. One of the most delightful fragrant pillows is one filled with the dried leaves of the sweet fern. The leaves should be thoroughly dried and arranged as a sachet at the back of a down pillow or between two layers of down. No pillow brings to mind more gratefully the balmy fragrance of woodland.
A useful pillow, valuable in the sick room, is a small pillow of sea sand. Gather as much clean white sand as you will need for the purpose. Fill a soft flannel bag about 12 inches square with this sand. It is a good plan to have a second cover over the bag so it can be removed and washed occasionally. In case of earaches and various ills requiring a hot bag, heat this bag of sand. It clings to the curves of the face or form and is more flexible and agreeable than the familiar bag of hot water. It also retains the heat much longer. [2]
