Is it as easy as it looks?

[Tuckahoe]

Here I stumbled into the DIY section of the forum, and found myself reading nearly every single thread through the first 20 pages and book marking all sort of vendors.

I have done quite a bit of sewing in my time and I find myself wondering why shouldn't I try my hand at both an underquilt and a topquilt.

[gmcttr]

Why not indeed? It's just fairly simple sewing.

[aka.jobbe]

I'm just thinking the same. And have been looking for a European dealer of the things ill need.....

[The Old Boot]

I found most of the work was in the planning - what size, what design features did I want, etc. etc.

Since one is not working from a sewing pattern that does all the work for you including yardages and layout, you get to do it all yourself.

The bonus is that you get to do it your way - all my gear is made the right size and shape for me with all the stuff I saw the manufacturers doing with none of the things I didn't want!!

[Tuckahoe]

I found most of the work was in the planning - what size, what design features did I want, etc. etc.

Since one is not working from a sewing pattern that does all the work for you including yardages and layout, you get to do it all yourself.

The bonus is that you get to do it your way - all my gear is made the right size and shape for me with all the stuff I saw the manufacturers doing with none of the things I didn't want!!

That is what I am seeing, and any patterning seems to be squares, rectangles and trapezoids.

What really got me going was looking at someone's PDF of how a synthetic underquilt (or top quilt) would go together... duh I can do that, its not much different than making bed quilts.

My one issue is that I have not worked much with sewing material like ripstop or climashield (mostly natual fibers), and I'll need to understand how select the right amount of insulation.

[Boston]

Before starting DIY, I hadn't sewed since 5th grade. I've made 3 hammocks, a bunch of stuff sacks, and a tarp so far...Working on tarp #2 now.

[The Old Boot]

My one issue is that I have not worked much with sewing material like ripstop or climashield (mostly natual fibers), and I'll need to understand how select the right amount of insulation.

I guess ripstop can be hard to work with if you're not used to softer, slippery fabrics. A lot of the guys use the small office binder clips to hold things together - I took that pointer when making the tarp cause you don't want pinholes that will later leak on you. Personally, I didn't find it hard to work with at all - the hardest was laying it out on the floor cause I didn't have a big enough work surface. Trying to match edges with 10 yards of ripstop was kinda like herding cats... Tin cans or books are your friend.

Climashield is a little more bothersome than regular quilting batting because it seems to have more give to it. Just like quilting batting, rough cut it bigger than what you need and retrim later. The nice thing about Climashield is that it doesn't need quilting at all, simply stitch it in place around the outside seam and you're good to go.

Which thickness of CS you use will depend on what temperatures you expect to be hanging at - then add a few degrees cause it's always better to be too warm than looking for extra clothes at 4 AM.

[Ramblinrev]

I guess ripstop can be hard to work with if you're not used to softer, slippery fabrics. A lot of the guys use the small office binder clips to hold things together - I took that pointer when making the tarp cause you don't want pinholes that will later leak on you. Personally, I didn't find it hard to work with at all - the hardest was laying it out on the floor cause I didn't have a big enough work surface. Trying to match edges with 10 yards of ripstop was kinda like herding cats... Tin cans or books are your friend.

It's funny to hear ripstop called a softer fabric. I guess it depends on the frame of reference. I use pins and don't care much about the pinholes since the seams will be seam sealed anyway. But that's just me. Old Boot is pretty much right on with the rest of it. Work slowly and cut carefully and matching the edges is not really as hard as it might be. On the first pass if you are matching selvage work 6-10" at a time and you can sometimes match the edges with out pinning at all. Let the machine do the work.

[The Old Boot]

It's funny to hear ripstop called a softer fabric. I guess it depends on the frame of reference.

Well as compared to a lot of fabrics used in 'regular sewing' (as opposed to gear making), ripstop is definitely one of the softer fabrics. I'd rank it up there with satins, I guess. When you've sewn everything from bridal gowns to business suits and winter coats, ripstop is 'soft'!!

[stevebo]

If you take your time, its pretty easy. (as long as you dont need it by next week end!) Just about everything takes alot longer than you think!