Climashield underquilt design problem?

**Caminante** · 03-08-2016, 10:13

Originally Posted by stariondriver

Hey Caminante how did you mate the webbing to the boxed section on the inside of the UQ?

When you sandwich your fabrics for hemming, pin the grosgrain loops in the corners but *facing inwards*. When you turn the whole deal inside out, the loops will be stitched into the seam and pointing outwards. You do the same thing with the channels - pin them to the seam allowance facing inwards so that when you invert your layers they are also hemmed in and facing outwards. I stopped my channels 1/2" from the corners so that a) I would not sew them shut while hemming the perimeter 1/2" seam allowance, and b) so that I would have a gap in the corners for the loops. Here is the bottom view.

Originally Posted by Dave-O

Caminate,

Did you also dart or pleat your outer shell?

I did not - it's not necessary with boxing the corners. Cut the shell wider and longer by 2x the height of your boxing which will then bring the sewing lines along the seam allowance into direct alignment. Darts/pleats or boxing both work, but I see it as an either/or. I think it's just personal preference and one works as well as the other, but I'm speculating as I have never tried darting/pleating (seems like more measuring, snipping, and sewing than boxing corners to me).

**scuba1978** · 03-08-2016, 11:21

I made my UQ this weekend, using Caminate's directions (except I didn't add grosgrain loops). Boxing the ends was really easy. I took a scrap of material and boxed the end and added a small section of pre-made channel, and it really helped fix the process in my head before I started the UQ for real. Start to finish time was about 2 1/2 hours, from cutting to hanging.

**FLScouthanger** · 03-08-2016, 11:21

+1 on using the boxed corners that Caminante suggests.

Here is a link to some build plans that you might find useful--just omit the directions for darts and substitute with the boxed corners. Send pics of the final product so we know how it turns out!

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...UQ-Build-Plans

**sbilly** · 03-08-2016, 18:43

I'll get pictures loaded when I get it done but I don't expect it to look as good as Caminante's. I'm glad that this places exists to help people like me. Thanks for all the input

**Mando J** · 03-09-2016, 13:39

I am about to start my diy apex underquilt. I appreciate the plans and advice. I think I am going to go with the side channels for suspension made from ripstop. However, I am leaning toward using the grosgrain to make the end channels for cinching the ends. Or does the shock cord slide in the ripstop channels that much better?

Btw I think I am going to do pleats/darts in order to get my outside edge diminsion of my larger outer shell to match the inner shell as opposed to boxing the corners. I have having trouble envisioning how to sew the top to the bottom AND box the corner.

**johne** · 03-09-2016, 14:00

Originally Posted by Mando J

I am about to start my diy apex underquilt. I appreciate the plans and advice. I think I am going to go with the side channels for suspension made from ripstop. However, I am leaning toward using the grosgrain to make the end channels for cinching the ends. Or does the shock cord slide in the ripstop channels that much better?

i made some synthetic top quilts with grograin channel for forming the foot pocket. the grograin is way more stiff than the ripstop. when i gathered the foot pocket, i still had a big hole because the grograin didn't allow the thing to be cinched up all the way... this might not matter as much on a bottom quilt as you don't need it to cinch up like a stuff sack, but you will also find that ripstop is more compressible for packing down.

IMG_3674.jpg

**Mando J** · 03-09-2016, 14:31

Originally Posted by johne

i made some synthetic top quilts with grograin channel for forming the foot pocket. the grograin is way more stiff than the ripstop. when i gathered the foot pocket, i still had a big hole because the grograin didn't allow the thing to be cinched up all the way... this might not matter as much on a bottom quilt as you don't need it to cinch up like a stuff sack, but you will also find that ripstop is more compressible for packing down.

IMG_3674.jpg

Very good point about compressibility! Thanks!

**Outdoor Swanger** · 04-06-2016, 21:23

Originally Posted by Caminante

I boxed the corners on my shell, worked really well and wasn't difficult. I also used 5oz CS which lofts ~1.2", so I boxed my corners 1" just to keep some tension on the shell and it lofts fine. Just remember to add in your seam allowance - I use 1/2", so my outer shell was actually 3" longer in length and width (1" for the loft and 1/2" for the seam on all four sides).

Why did u add seam allowance for how much bigger to cut the outter shell? Both shells would use the same seam allowance right? So what you are saying is that if you didn't box it for loft and was just making it flat that you would have cut the outter shell .5 inches longer for seam allowance.... Makes no sense to me

**Caminante** · 04-07-2016, 07:22

Originally Posted by Outdoor Swanger

Why did u add seam allowance for how much bigger to cut the outter shell? Both shells would use the same seam allowance right? So what you are saying is that if you didn't box it for loft and was just making it flat that you would have cut the outter shell .5 inches longer for seam allowance.... Makes no sense to me

I see what you're saying, I probably stated it poorly. I generally work from the desired finished dimensions so I added in the S.A. If you're looking at the raw dimensions of the liner in that example, you would cut the shell 2" longer for both length and width. Sorry for the confusion.

**miyanc** · 04-07-2016, 08:03

When thinking about these things I am sometimes slow to grasp. Which is why I experiment on my own to see what works. So since seeing this I figured I would try it the next time I made an uq. But the thought occurred to me, If you are sewing all materials together then how does the corner get filled? I am guessing that to some extent it allows for the material to loft in a particular direction, but if all the apex materials (if you are using more then a single layer) are the same length and width, then why even make the box? it would be barely filled and in reality of use not needed. Maybe its the extra material pulled inside when you flip it? If so then that would warrant some thinking as to how much.

I understand that for the most part none of this is important. The benefit of apex and its success without quilting, baffles and such. And for the most part you are not trying to pull the best r value from the very edges anyway. I am pretty sure I will not be doing the darts on my next one. Not sure they added much. I am thinking more of a Parallelogram. not pronounced but a tilted rectangle.