Hi folks,
Now that I can operate a thread injector well enough to get by, I've decided to tackle an underquilt. I have an IX underquilt for my Hennesy from Molly Mac gear that I really like, but it wasn't a great fit for my new bridge hammock. So, I made my own. I used 2 layers of Insultex, with a layer of .34 oz Cuben on the outside to keep things clean, and hopefully it will have some additional barrier effect as well. I slept pretty warm with the Molly Mac UQ, which I think uses 3 layers, but I think I should be fine with 2 plus the Cuben, especially for a summer quilt.. I have enough leftover IX to make an additional layer if needed...I'll just cut to shape, bias tape the edges and slip between the hammock and quilt if needed.
First step was to cut a pattern the shape of the main hammock body. I then marked out the pattern on one layer of IX. I then stacked this on top of a layer of Cuben and another layer of IX, with the Cuben in the middle between the two layers, rough cut leaving a couple of inches margin, and pinned. The Cuben goes in the middle, but when the quilt is mostly stitched and turned inside out will end up on the outside.
Next, I made four shock cord ties, one for each corner. I took some shock cord, made a loop, and sewed some polyester twill tape on the ends, to make a tab so that I could bar tack that into place and have a nice secure attachment point.
I then put the loops in between the two layers that I wanted to end up on the outside...in this case, the unmarked IX layer and the Cuben, making double sure all loops were on the same layer. I put them in with the loop pointing in, with the tab outside the stitch line. That way, when I did the main stitch line, it stitched over the cords. When the stitching was done, I then went back and bar tacked the tabs to the extra fabric.
So, I stitched around, leaving a 2ft opening at the head end. After bar tacking the cord tabs, I cut off the excess close to the stitch line, cutting around the cord tabs. Then, I turned it inside out tucked in the remaining open slit, and through-stitched to close.
Here's the results:
Cuben face up (the outer/lower face):
IX side up (right side up):
On the hammock:
Basically, I just loop the cord around the ends of the spreader bars, with an overhand knot to reduce the loop length if needed. I had thought about using some sort of mid-point attachment, but this fits so well I don't think it will be needed.
Final weight, with stuff sack, is 7.5 oz.
Hope to field test in a couple of weeks!
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