diy winter and summer underquilts costing less than $60

**tspedw** · 04-13-2015, 22:48

I don't think I have seen anyone do this and it was really simple, materials are readily available, and both are tested overnight.

The winter underquilt got down to the low teens. It weighs 2lbs 11oz with the stuff sack.

The summer underquilt got down to 39 degrees. It weighs 2lbs 4oz with the stuff sack.

All materials are available at your local walmart, except the sol emergency blanket.

Be warned: I have never sewn anything before in my life. I have only ever used a sewing machine twice to make these underquilts. And, I did this tutorial via a video and I have never really done any videos before. Yes, three ingredians to catastrophy!

The video is below (sorry if this is not an acceptable method, just easier for me to explain .... basically (inside joke, you will see why).

https://youtu.be/q0Yw9ZWnqg4

**Snowball** · 04-14-2015, 02:48

Welcome to the DIY club. Be careful it can get addictive.

It was a ambitious project to start with when you “basically” haven’t done any sewing before.
Don’t scrap the zipper(s) you removed. You could use them for other projects later.
You used zigzag seams for most of your project as far as I could tell. Don’t! A straight seam is better. A zigzag seam can stretch and the tread is more exposed so it is not likely to last as long as a straight seam would. Every seam type has a purpose. 90% of the time a straight seam is the better choice for gear making.
One thing to remember is to lock the seam with 3-4 stitches when you start and stop a seam and cut the threads ends.
Making a UQ from a sleeping bag have been done before but never mind that you got started. This forum hides tons of good ideas so start reading. It is very hard to come up new ideas amongst this large group of DIY’s but it should not stop you. Learn from others mistakes, we all made some I for sure have and haven’t my last one yet. Think ahead and take your time, ripping is not as fun as sewing.
As for sewing skills none of us was borne with it but you will find a lot of tricks in this forum and on YouTube. Some members have made videos with the basics.