Yay! Another quilt thread

Ok, I have some 1.1 DWR and a bunch of polarguard coming in the mail on Friday, and I need to make a quilt by next weekend. I know there are threads and websites all over giving directions, but I am stubborn. I tend to make my own directions and try things my own way, so i want to post them here for anyone to comment on. Also, maybe if someone sees any flaws in the plan I am missing they might be kind enough to comment.

I plan on putting the two pieces of DWR together with the outsides facing in, and sew the two long sides and one short side. Now I have a giant pillow case. Then I will turn it right side out so it is a hollow blanket. Then I take the polarguard and slide it into the pocket like a pillow. After that I sew the end of the DWR shut, and sew another stitch around the entire edge including the insulation. This will connect everything together. Then I will sew those little loop things that allow it to loft but stay in place. The whole idea here is to keep from having to try to keep 3" of insulation and 2 sheets of DWR in place and sew it all at once. The pocket will keep the insulation from moving around as I sew it to the nylon so it is easier to handle, and it doesn't get off line and crooked and junk.

Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I plan on using this quilt on a 2 week trip this year, but also on an AT thru next year. That is why I am going with a 3" loft. I would think that could take me down to the single digits.

just a thought. i've been thinking that if a person wanted to make a synthetic insulation quilt & not do the traditional method, they could...
pin the 3 layers together as they will end up,
sew all the way around the edges
trim the excess liner & insulation
fold/roll the shell edge over & sew to from the finished edge
add quilt loops... done.
note... i would pin it so the insulation will end up a few inches wider than the liner & the shell will end up a few inches wider than the insulation.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...5/P2270002.JPG
that should cause less compression of the insulation when it's draped over you. ...tim

A suggestion to retain your sanity: Use some of those loop ties used to stabilize the quilt insulation on the corners of insulation itself before sliding it into the 'pillowcase'. The layers tend to slip around a bit as you load it and are a real bear to maneuver once inside. You can use regular thread for the loops that hold insulation only. I use acrylic yarn for those that hold the whole quilt.

Are you planning on doing a rectangular quilt, or one with a permenat footbox? I have pics in my gallery of my rectangular ones closed by a drawstring at the foot end and 2' of omni tape up the side. I also put a drawcord on the top to help close it around my shoulders. The drawcord takes away a little of the length. I made mine 6" longer than I am tall. as a quilt it comes up to my chin.

I am working on an article for my down quilts. I got a little side tracked with school and trail days. Take a lot of pics through your construction. It would be cool to have both on this site.

Jeff volunteered to convert my .doc to html. Maybe he'll chime in on this.

I am waiting on that article.

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Originally Posted by lvleph

I am waiting on that article.

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I am going to try and finish that up today. PM me your email and I'll send my the .doc of it. Size wise it is going to end up a couple megs with the photo's. I don't have the software to make .pdf's at home.

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Originally Posted by hammock engineer

I don't have the software to make .pdf's at home.

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I think there are web sites that will convert it to PDF for free. If not, I have a friend that can convert it to PDF for you. Just email the DOC to me and I will have him convert it and then I will send it back to you.

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Originally Posted by headchange4u

I think there are web sites that will convert it to PDF for free. If not, I have a friend that can convert it to PDF for you. Just email the DOC to me and I will have him convert it and then I will send it back to you.

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I'll look for the websites. I have the software at school. I am just trying not to drive there unless I have to. Gas is getting costly.

http://www.pdfonline.com/

Try that site. I think I have used it before.

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Originally Posted by Frolicking Dino

A suggestion to retain your sanity: Use some of those loop ties used to stabilize the quilt insulation on the corners of insulation itself before sliding it into the 'pillowcase'. The layers tend to slip around a bit as you load it and are a real bear to maneuver once inside. You can use regular thread for the loops that hold insulation only. I use acrylic yarn for those that hold the whole quilt.

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FD: All this talk about quilts over the years, and it never occurred to me to do that!:confused:

Thank you!

Ok, thanks for the advise everyone. For starters, it will just be a rectangular quilt. I may add omni tape at the bottom to make a footbox if I need to after this coming shakedown hike. I will try to take pictures, and if it all work out right I will send them to you HE. TeeDee, that is they way I saw it done on the internet, and I figured that would be more difficult for me. I don't have a very large area to work with, and trying to keep 3-4 layers of insulation and 2 layers of DWR in place while I sew would be too difficult. The pillowcase idea would keep the insulation trapped in place while I sew. Besides, that way has been done. I haven't seen this way on the internet, so I want to see how it works. That way people like HE and others can post it on their pages as another way to make a quilt.

My shakedown hike is next weekend, so this quilt will be finished by the end of this weekend. I will be sure to give a more detailed post on it's construction if it all works out. Thanks again.

If you want, there is a section here for homemade gear instructions. Type up how to do it and add it. It should be a nice addition to the site.

The biggest difference I can see between the "pillow case" method you want to try and the method with the clothes pins and sewing all 3 layers at the same time is that in the latter method the insulation is sewn to the perimeter at the same time that the shell is sewn. In the pillow case method you will have to sew the insulation to the perimeter after stuffing.

I think you could have problems if you do not sew the insulation to the shell perimeter. The quilting loops are good, but a lot of the structural integrity of the insulation comes from being sewn to the shell around the perimeter.

Well, I made my quilt tonight. The pillow case idea is almost impossible. With approx. 3 inches of 3/4 inch polarguard, it is very difficult to keep everything together and in place to stuff it. I ended up going with the traditional way of sewing the DWR to itself, then sewing the insulation to one side. Then I just turned it inside out and finished the last 12". Oh well, I tried.

One question though. Is basting necessary? I tried it tonight and all of the basting threads untied themselves and came out. Plus it is a pain in the but doing that a lot. Maybe if I just did the outside edges and a 5 in the middle. In the pattern of the 5 side of dice.

As for the specs, it is very big, and very heavy. I hate being cold though. Probably about 78 inches long, and 58 inches wide. Weighs around 2 1/5 lbs. More than I was wanting, but too late now. Will just have to lighten something else up to compensate.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

Well, I made my quilt tonight. The pillow case idea is almost impossible. With approx. 3 inches of 3/4 inch polarguard, it is very difficult to keep everything together and in place to stuff it. I ended up going with the traditional way of sewing the DWR to itself, then sewing the insulation to one side. Then I just turned it inside out and finished the last 12". Oh well, I tried.

One question though. Is basting necessary? I tried it tonight and all of the basting threads untied themselves and came out. Plus it is a pain in the but doing that a lot. Maybe if I just did the outside edges and a 5 in the middle. In the pattern of the 5 side of dice.

As for the specs, it is very big, and very heavy. I hate being cold though. Probably about 78 inches long, and 58 inches wide. Weighs around 2 1/5 lbs. More than I was wanting, but too late now. Will just have to lighten something else up to compensate.

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What do you mean by basting? The quilt loops?

I don't think you need that much insulation...but then again I sleep warm, so...

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

One question though. Is basting necessary? I tried it tonight and all of the basting threads untied themselves and came out. Plus it is a pain in the but doing that a lot. Maybe if I just did the outside edges and a 5 in the middle. In the pattern of the 5 side of dice.

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Do you mean the quilting loops by "basting"?

If so - I definitely would not skimp on them - like sewing the perimeter of the insulation to the shell - it comes down to structural integrity. In use the quilt gets pulled about quite a bit - you definitely do not want the insulation getting pulled apart.

Yeah, quilting loops are what I'm talking about. Guess that's one more thing to do before the weekend. I know 3" is thick, but I will be oh so comfy on top of the mountains. I an 6' and 160 lbs. with 0.5% body fat. I get cold very very easily. I've never gotten hot even when it is 110* with 75%+ humidity, but put me in 60* and below and I freeze like a wet chihuahua. It sucks.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

Yeah, quilting loops are what I'm talking about. Guess that's one more thing to do before the weekend. I know 3" is thick, but I will be oh so comfy on top of the mountains. I an 6' and 160 lbs. with 0.5% body fat. I get cold very very easily. I've never gotten hot even when it is 110* with 75%+ humidity, but put me in 60* and below and I freeze like a wet chihuahua. It sucks.

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Wow...and I thought NCPatrick was bad! :eek: :p

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Originally Posted by blackbishop351

Wow...and I thought NCPatrick was bad! :eek: :p

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It pays of in the hot weather. I've had 2 quarts of water last me 3 days backpacking in July, and that includes cooking and cleaning dishes.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

. I've had 2 quarts of water last me 3 days backpacking in July, and that includes cooking and cleaning dishes.

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I am curious as to what meals you are cooking that would require less than 2 qts of water over 3 days. I do freezer bag cooking and you can use up 8 to 16 ounces of water for one meal and there is no clean-up. Plus you need water to drink.

HYOH but no offense that doesn't sound to smart to me.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

It pays of in the hot weather. I've had 2 quarts of water last me 3 days backpacking in July, and that includes cooking and cleaning dishes.

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How does that pay off? Dehydration is serious business. 2 quarts for 3 days?

i thought basting was for turkey:p ...
even with that body fat, dehydrations is serious, what are you thinking:eek:

I don't dehydrate though. I eat all of the normal meals like ramen, oatmeal, and all the good old fashioned camping foods. I just don't need the water because I don't sweat. I average a 5 mph pace with a 60 lbs load (I've cut that in half) and never got dehydrated or even close. I have the water handy, so I'm not trying to go with as little as possible. I just simply don't need to drink any when I hike. I am CPR and First Aid certified and an Eagle Scout, so I know the signs of dehydration and all that good first aid stuff. If I get thirsty I drink. I just simply don't need to. No explanation why. I actually got examined very thoroughly at Parris Island when I was in boot camp. They said to drink 8-12 canteens a day since it was 100*+ every day, but I was only drinking one. The docs checked me over, declared me fit, and told me to drink what I want because I must know what my body needs. So I got a Naval doctors approval to not drink water.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

I don't dehydrate though. I eat all of the normal meals like ramen, oatmeal, and all the good old fashioned camping foods. I just don't need the water because I don't sweat. I average a 5 mph pace with a 60 lbs load (I've cut that in half) and never got dehydrated or even close. I have the water handy, so I'm not trying to go with as little as possible. I just simply don't need to drink any when I hike. I am CPR and First Aid certified and an Eagle Scout, so I know the signs of dehydration and all that good first aid stuff. If I get thirsty I drink. I just simply don't need to. No explanation why. I actually got examined very thoroughly at Parris Island when I was in boot camp. They said to drink 8-12 canteens a day since it was 100*+ every day, but I was only drinking one. The docs checked me over, declared me fit, and told me to drink what I want because I must know what my body needs. So I got a Naval doctors approval to not drink water.

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Cerberus, Semper Fi and HYOH, but I wouldn't tempt fate. But if you know what works for you, then more power to ya!

Jay "Hooch" Johnston
Former Active Duty USMC 1987-92
CPL, 2531, 8654

5 mph AVERAGE?!?!!? I'd suggest you were mixing crack with your water, but I don't think you're drinking enough water for that! Do you even SEE the trees going by, or is everything just a big green blur??

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Originally Posted by blackbishop351

5 mph AVERAGE?!?!!? I'd suggest you were mixing crack with your water, but I don't think you're drinking enough water for that! Do you even SEE the trees going by, or is everything just a big green blur??

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I do keep 2 quarts on me at all times, and fill up whenever available. I may not need the water then, but you never know. Scout moto, Be Prepared and I live by it.

When I start hiking I just get into a groove and start moving. All of the trees look the same, so I don't care to look at them. I just hike fast for a long time that way I can spend more time at the good views. I was with a group of 30 with scouts a few years back on the AT, and it was my first time on the trail. We were in the Unaka Mt. area and a friend and I were both hauling up a mountain. We were 3 hours ahead of our group, and we just started 5 hours ago. So we decided to hang out and wait for them. We got to spend 3 hours sitting on a bluff that was hidden by some trees, and could see nothing but deep green rolling hills so far that we could see the earth curve and disappear. A perfect view. We ate lunch, and just hung out lost in our own thoughts for 3 hours. When our group caught up we packed up and headed out. They only got to spend 15 mintutes at the view because we needed to reach our campsite to stay on schedule. It sometimes pays off to hike fast.

Hooch, my fellow recruits really appreciated me not drinknig much. On the bad days they could count on me having 2 full canteens to share.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

Hooch, my fellow recruits really appreciated me not drinknig much. On the bad days they could count on me having 2 full canteens to share.

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After I got to the fleet, when we were in the bush, we'd carry at 4 canteens apiece for longer patrols in the days before the almighty CamelBak was invented. Heavy, but effective. I was already bogged down with gear and a radio anyway. :D

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Originally Posted by Hooch

After I got to the fleet, when we were in the bush, we'd carry at 4 canteens apiece for longer patrols in the days before the almighty CamelBak was invented. Heavy, but effective. I was already bogged down with gear and a radio anyway. :D

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Wait, CameBak wasn't always around? Wow.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

Wait, CameBak wasn't always around? Wow.

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Alright, smarta$$. :p

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Originally Posted by Hooch

Alright, smarta$$. :p

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Atleast I deleted the part about carrier pigeons and trebuchets.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

Atleast I deleted the part about carrier pigeons and trebuchets.

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:eek: And I guess my 782 gear was partially made out of chain mail too, huh? :p

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Originally Posted by Hooch

:eek: And I guess my 782 gear was partially made out of chain mail too, huh? :p

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I'm not knocking it. After all, that's all that was available back then.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

I'm not knocking it. After all, that's all that was available back then.

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I know we totally got off topic, but Marines are Marines, no matter what generation. Semper Fi! :D

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Originally Posted by Hooch

I know we totally got off topic, but Marines are Marines, no matter what generation. Semper Fi! :D

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I've never seen another branch where two people can meet, never knowing eachother or having ever met, but talk like they are old high school buddies just because they were in the same branch.

You mean like hammockers? :D

(hint...)

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Originally Posted by Just Jeff

You mean like hammockers? :D

(hint...)

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Of course, that's what we were talking about. :D Why would you think otherwise? :p

Yep. Semper Hamicus, (Always hammocking). Can't wait to try out my new quilt these next couple fo weeks. Of course the dang thing takes up 1/3 of my pack. I guess I went a little overboard on the width.

Never too late to alter the width...glory of DIY gear.

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Originally Posted by Just Jeff

Never too late to alter the width...glory of DIY gear.

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Yeah, but I'm too lazy. Plus it looks too good now, and I know that if I take it apart to fix something won't work out like it did the first time. It really isn't too bad. It will easily wrap around my sides in the hammock, and for the really super cold nights I can fold it in half and have 6" loft. Just put a pad and some other stuff under me to go with the underquilt. Plus if I ever have to sleep in a shelter it will be very cozy. Just bunch it up all around me and make a little blanket fort. Except girls are allowed in my forts.

This seems like a good idea. Maybe you should quilt it before adding the final top stitching. But I like the idea.

This just shows the inadequacy of a home sewing machine on outdoor gear. I really wish someone would make a buffed up home machine complete with walking foot, long arm, and only two stitches: zigzag and straight.

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Originally Posted by funbun

This seems like a good idea. Maybe you should quilt it before adding the final top stitching. But I like the idea.

This just shows the inadequacy of a home sewing machine on outdoor gear. I really wish someone would make a buffed up home machine complete with walking foot, long arm, and only two stitches: zigzag and straight.

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And under $500.:mad:

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Originally Posted by hammock engineer

And under $500.:mad:

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I was thinking under $200, but ok. :D

This one was sewn on a $90 White Classic. Basically walmart brand piece of crap. When you thread the bobbin and install it, it will never work right the first time. I have to do a test stitch, remove an cut out the tangles and crap, remove and reinstall the bobbin, and repeat. It takes about 8-10 tries to get it to work, but I never do anything differently. I just starts working all of the sudden. Oh well, got the job done in less than a day.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

This one was sewn on a $90 White Classic. Basically walmart brand piece of crap. When you thread the bobbin and install it, it will never work right the first time. I have to do a test stitch, remove an cut out the tangles and crap, remove and reinstall the bobbin, and repeat. It takes about 8-10 tries to get it to work, but I never do anything differently. I just starts working all of the sudden. Oh well, got the job done in less than a day.

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that kind of stuff will frustrate the stuffings out of a DIYer w/ the best intentions.

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Originally Posted by slowhike

that kind of stuff will frustrate the stuffings out of a DIYer w/ the best intentions.

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I was thoroughly frustrated. I invented a couple of new curse words that night. The good thing is there is an almost full bobbin in it right now, so I can do a couple more small projects before I have to go through the hassle again. If I really get into the DIY thing I might get a good one for Christmas or my b-day this year.

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Originally Posted by Hooch

I was thinking under $200, but ok. :D

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Yeah, about $225 or less for me.

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Originally Posted by Cerberus

I was thoroughly frustrated. I invented a couple of new curse words that night. The good thing is there is an almost full bobbin in it right now, so I can do a couple more small projects before I have to go through the hassle again. If I really get into the DIY thing I might get a good one for Christmas or my b-day this year.

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Just wait till you do get a good machine. You life will be sooooooo much less stressful. There is nothing like sewing on a quiet, worry free machine. Instead of causing stress, it relieves stress.

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Originally Posted by funbun

Just wait till you do get a good machine. You life will be sooooooo much less stressful. There is nothing like sewing on a quiet, worry free machine. Instead of causing stress, it relieves stress.

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These good machines you speak of, do they walk across the table when you sew at high speed?