Another DIY UQ Kmart Down

[wwk10]

My mom helped me sew a DIY Kmart Down UQ this weekend.
Same as everyone else's, but I am proud of it.


• 1.1 ripstop (Backwoods daydreamer)
• 16 oz Kmart Down
(I'm sticking with the 550 FP estimate. Also, tag says 75% down, but I only found 2 feathers.)
• 44" x 60" with 2..25" baffles (Baffles made from 2.5" organza ribbon ---- no cutting strips of bug net).
(Mom insisted we bump length from 55 to 60. She did not have faith in the 3/4 UQ concept. I'm not going to argue with my mom.)
• 2" + loft
• Total weight with way too much shock cord is 28.60 oz.
• 1.5" grosgrain on head and foot for "cinching"
• 1.5" grosgrain down long sides for shock cord suspension method
AND
Webbing loops in each corner for alternate suspension.
I will decide later which version I like better.
• We left darts out. (We actually did some teeny tiny darts to make the narrower top side match the wider bottom side when we sewed it shut, but we did not do the traditional darts which help shape the UQ into a bowl shape. That is why my UQ lays flat in photos of it on the floor. Why did we leave the darts out? Because there are so many decisions to make along the way and thats just what we decided)
• $10 Kmart pillow
$18 rip stop
$5 Guttermans
$5 grosgrain 1.5"
$7 organza ribbon 2.5"
$3 webbing
$48 TOTAL
• 2 hours cutting and measuring
7 hours sewing
1 hour stuffing down
1 hour second guessing myself
130 hours planning, reading Hammock Forum, thinking, stealing ideas, taking notes, wasting time at work

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[wwk10]

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This pink organza on a grey background reminded me of a pretty party dress:
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Proof that I helped:
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[wwk10]

Ileft a gap half way down each long side to access the shock cord
UQ bunches up at the gap so this may be a mistake
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Close up of one cinched end. Hanging from shock cord in long channels, but you can see the webbing loops for alternate suspension:
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[wwk10]

bad edit sorry

[DemostiX]

Nice work; and thanks for the thorough book-keeping.

On the absent darts for tapering: I think some analysis will show that matters more for effectiveness is where the tension is put, so the quilt gets and stays intimate with the bottom of the hammock across the entire quilt surface. Darting with very flexible fabric minimizes the weight to warm ratio more than it increases warmth. So, darts would have saved you some weight--an ounce or less?

But given all the threats to heat escaping and cold air getting in, and how much time your technical advisor, contractor, and crews contributed.............

Good pics, too.

[Kapang!]

Awesome! Well done.

[miyanc]

I have heard the Kmart down pillow thing a few times, but is there a link to the info on how we are able to get it, if its still available?

[JohnSawyer]

You forgot: Sleeping warm in a hammock: Priceless.

Nice job!

BTW: are we sure they're your hands on that sewing machine? Could have been faked...

[avalonmorn]

Great work! Thanks for the pics.

[Lost_Biker]

Excellent work - thanks for posting it.