IX - fitted vs gathered

[MacEntyre]

Have any of you who have made rectangular underquilts with Insultex noticed that it does not do well when gathered?

In my short experience, a flimsy, raw piece of Insultex does better at the hammock ends than one that is faced, hemmed, channeled and gathered. Once it has that additional structure added, if the IX falls away just a bit from what it is insulating, it does not insulate it.

So, I am going to modify my IX UQs by trimming the ends so they are already the width they were gathered to... which is about 18 inches for a 52 inch UQ. Then, I will cut a fair curve from the midpoint of each side to the new corners. I'll hem them again, and reinstall the suspension, and they should be shaped just right, without any folds or kinks, and needing no gather.

What got me thinking about this was two things. First, my IX UQ had to be gathered just right, or it was cold at the head end, and even then a piece of raw IX improved the performance by filling the ends better. Second, I started looking at the shaped-to-fit HH SS OCF Pad, which needs no gather.

Down UQs can be rectangular because they conform readily to the hammock shape when gathered. Incompressible, easily buckled Insultex is different. It occurs to me that the shape of the HH SS OCF Pad is the key to the outstanding performance of that meager piece of insulation.

As I posted in this thread, last night at about 20*F I finally got an all around toasty rest with nothing but Insultex insluation. Well, I did have an Insultex/Lamilite sit pad under my legs. Otherwise, my insulation was the following:

Speer Top Blanket
Me in light pants, down booties and my IX Vest with sleeves
IX/Lamilite sit pad inside the hammock, under my legs
One yard of raw IX
Single layer IX Insert
Single layer IX UQ 45"X52"
Single layer IX in Hammock Sock

Things were much warmer with all the air leaks finally sealed up, and five layers of IX under my torso. If the UQ were shaped to fit, and were three layers of IX, I believe it would perform very well.

- MacEntyre

[BOB1520]

I recently completed a top quilt with 4 layers of IX and a ripstop nylon (from Wally World) shell. I put sewn in channels at the top and bottom of the quilt with draw string in the bottom and shock cord in the top channel. I noticed that when pulling the draw cord on the bottom to create the foot box the IX DOES NOT like to gather at all. I had the partially milk the channel until the the bottom end was gathered. The same thing occured for the top channel.

Other than these two minor, but workable, issues the quilt was quite warm.
I have to say that you cannot compare this to a down quilt because the IX holds your body heat but doesn't give you that "warm feeling" reflected back as down does. Not that that is a problem, it's just an observation.

In the 1hr test that I squeezed in last weekend (in 27 drgrees) wearing jeans.wool socks, fleece pullover, and Under Armor hat. JRB winter nest for UQ I was never cold. Of course this is not a full test, but I was dieing to try it out outside and that was all the time i had available.

Ooops... Gota little off topic.

Tapering the IX sound interesting. Will you be sewing the shaped IX to a larger piece of nylon, which in turn will do the gathering and hole the IX in place?

[MacEntyre]

Will you be sewing the shaped IX to a larger piece of nylon, which in turn will do the gathering and hole the IX in place?

I'll have facing fabric on both sides, but will not gather it at all. It will be shaped, like the HH SS OCF Pad.

[Rockdawg69]

I don't have a HH SS and the OCF pad. So is it cut to fit the asym lay??

The problem I've had is getting a pad to stay close up in that position. The ccf pad falls away as it crosses the center line creating the air gaps underneath, particularly at the foot end.

I was hoping the IX quilt would be more flexible and solve that issue. Interested to see if your next version works better with tapers. The gathered end does seem to create a substantial problem in getting a close mating.

[Mrprez]

One way to deal with those type gaps is to create a dart in the UQ. Check the DIY on the KAQ for instructions. This causes the UQ to take on a "cupped" shape helping to reduce any gaps.

[MacEntyre]

I don't have a HH SS and the OCF pad. So is it cut to fit the asym lay??

Yes, but that just means it is a shaped from a parallelogram, instead of a rectangle, with tie out points. More importantly, it is cut to fit as it would if it were gathered.

One way to deal with those type gaps is to create a dart in the UQ.

Good point. I've thought about darts for the end, but I want to eliminate the need for gathering first. The KAQ uses a dart in the side, not the end. Darts are for reducing volume. A dart may be required in the end if the volume, after shaping it, needs to be reduced. In other words, if the edge fits tight to the hamock, but the UQ still sags down below the hammock and has a gap, then a dart could work. The dart would have to be made in conjunction with shortening the width at the end, not afterwards.

[BOB1520]

I'll have facing fabric on both sides, but will not gather it at all. It will be shaped, like the HH SS OCF Pad.

Ok. I got the part.
Will you use an under cover to keep the shaped IX or "IX Pad" in place?


The more I think about the dart idea that MrPrez mentioned. I think that would resolve both issues. The darts would minimize the ammount that would need to be gathered but still allow the IX to conform to the hammock contours.

The down side of the darts, is that it will take more time to creat than it would be to make a IX pad. also once the darts are in the IX , the UQ becomes specific to that type of hammock. I'm thinking that you want to make something that can be used on any hammock.

[MacEntyre]

Will you use an under cover to keep the shaped IX or "IX Pad" in place?

It's an UnderQuilt, so it will have a suspension.

...the dart idea ...would minimize the ammount that would need to be gathered but still allow the IX to conform to the hammock contours.

The HH SS OCF Pad has no darts, and it conforms without being gathered.

Stay tuned! I'm working on a zero gather, contoured IX UQ this afternoon, using a sailmaker's approach to fitting fabric to a curvilinear surface.

- MacEntyre

P.S. Then there are things called "pleats" which are very small darts... useful for inducing a curved shape in a flat fabric.

[MacEntyre]

Ok, the results are in... but the pictures of it hanging on the hammock have to wait until I can get someone to help me. Maybe Hawk-eye can stop by after lunch and be my subject.

I took a 58X36 rectangular UQ made from IX and Lamilite, and cut curves in all four sides. I shortened the head end to 18 inches, curved. I shortened the foot end to 16 inches, curved. The cord of the longitudinal curve along the sides is 5". The cord of the curve at each end is 3".

The ends of the fitted UQ need to be hung from the ridgeline, like a KAQ, because the ends sag a little bit. When the ends are pulled up, the fit is perfect, with no gather!

More later...

[Mrprez]

I like that Mac! Anxiously awaiting installed pix.