How Much DOwn?

[djminnesota]

Making a 3/4 lenth underquilt... about 6 foot. i want two inches of loft. I found some down but its a little too exspensive for me to expirement with the amount... about how many ounces of down should i need for my underquilt? do you know any anywhere that sells it relatively cheap?

[USMCStang]

I would consider 6 feet to be full length, unless you're exceptionally tall. Use the underquilt calculator to get all of your numbers:

Meteor's Underquilt Calculator

There are various vendors on here that sell down. Thru-hiker.com has 900 fill power in stock most of the time, and some people have had luck with purchasing a Bloomingdale's "My Luxe" pillow for the 800 fill power it contains. From time-to-time, hammockgear.com will also put 900 fill power up for sale on thier site. Searching through the vendor and DIY forums on here will yield tons of results.

[djminnesota]

I would consider 6 feet to be full length, unless you're exceptionally tall. Use the underquilt calculator to get all of your numbers:

Meteor's Underquilt Calculator

There are various vendors on here that sell down. Thru-hiker.com has 900 fill power in stock most of the time, and some people have had luck with purchasing a Bloomingdale's "My Luxe" pillow for the 800 fill power it contains. From time-to-time, hammockgear.com will also put 900 fill power up for sale on thier site. Searching through the vendor and DIY forums on here will yield tons of results.

ok thanks... i guess its full size then... first one ive ever made.....

[USMCStang]

ok thanks... i guess its full size then... first one ive ever made.....

I just finished my first UQ as well: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=44783

It's a little intimidating at first to start buying fabric and down without really having experience with what you're jumping into, but once you start putting needle to thread, it gets easier. You'll find plenty of help on here from people who not only have made their own quilts, but vendors who produce and sell them commercially. Even though you making a quilt means that they aren't selling you one, the vendors on here are top notch, and they are hammockers themselves.

Some tips:
Make sure you get "downproof" fabric. Generally, downproof nylon has a shiny side and a dull side. The shiny side goes against the down.

Don't stress about crooked seams. If you go off of your mark a little, it isn't going to make the quilt any less functional.

If you haven't used a thread injector, practice making some stuff sacks, snake skins, pillows, etc. It'll make life easier when you start on the big project and have some experience.

Start with a brand new needle. I used two needles to make my quilt. After I sewed the baffles and outside seams, I replaced it with another new needle to do the grosgrain channels, pull tabs, and seal it up.

Take pictures of your progress, and post them here for others to reference when they start thier first UQ

Good Luck!