Hard edge after using feather effect

[Zach1234]

I want to feather an object, but I want the feather effect to be tighter, with a very small radius.  Unfortunately, that results in a hard edge, just beyond the feathered edge, filling out the original shape, which is obnoxious (please see attached image).  Is there a way to fix this (get rid of that hard edge) without having to resort to the "blur" effect?

[Zach1234]

P.S. attached are my current "Document Rasters Effects Settings":

[Zach1234 · Accepted solution]

Good News, Everyone!

I figured it out. lol
1. Forget the Feather Effect.
2. Add a stroke to the shape.
3. Give the stroke a linear gradient and also select "Apply gradient across stroke".
4. Play around with the colors a bit and eventually you'll get the same effect as what I was hoping to achieve with the feather effect (please see attached images).

[Barbara Ash · Accepted solution]

Great workaround. 

Another possibility is to apply the feather effect and then an outer glow..