Can you cut an existing sleeping bag so that you get both TQ & UQ from the same bag?

[trouthunter]

Hey guys,

I have read a few DIY stickies, read a few threads, and did a search, but did not find exactly what I was looking for.

I am pretty good at DIY projects, but have very little experience in the DIY quilt department.

So - I have a synthetic sleeping bag, a square one, not a mummy style. The rating on the bag will be in the temp range I need the quilts for, I understand the science behind insulation, so on and so forth.

I just need to know if any of you guys have successfully cut a single bag in a way that lets you get both TQ & UQ from the same bag? I am only 5' 6" tall and only need a 3/4 length UQ so I hope that works to my advantage here, haha.

I thought maybe I should mark out the parts I need on the bag with a sharpie and see where I'm at in terms of dimension.

Advise or thoughts are all welcome!

[Redoleary]

Do a search for Peapods or Pea Pods, I believe that's what you're after.

[Boston]

Measure the bag when laid out flat, and open.

Using excel (or some other spreadsheet program), and set the column width and row height so you get an even grid.

Assign a scale to the grid (I often use 1 block is 4 or 6 inches on a side).

Draw a rectangle to scale of your sleeping bag on the grid.

Use the shape/line tools to plan out your quilt's.


Alternatively you can do the same thing on graph paper. It's just not as easy to make adjustments.

[trouthunter]

Do a search for Peapods or Pea Pods, I believe that's what you're after.

Hey Redoleary,

I have considered doing a pea pod style project, but having two separate quilts (TQ & UQ ) is going to be more useful and practical for me this time around.
This project is to fill a need in the 40F - 60F range, I need a separate, loose TQ that allows me to easily regulate my body heat in this temp range.

[DanglingModifier]

Your height and non-full length UQ requirements probably do work to your advantage, and the only way I can imagine that you'd get sufficient shoulder width out of the arrangement is if you do go the 2/3-3/4 tapered UQ route leaving one end of the bag wide enough for shoulder coverage. It seems like having adequate TQ coverage for your thighs, hips, butt and torso might still be challenging if you size the UQ width sufficiently to give you the necessary bottom and side coverage one should expect from an UQ, especially if you move around at night.

For comparison's sake the Warbonnet quilts tend to be on the narrower side. The Yeti UQ is 40" wide. The Mamba TQ is 48" wide. Spread open does your rectangular bag come anywhere close to matching the sum of those widths? I'd think you'd need to be in that ballpark to have a chance of having adequate coverage once you start chopping the bag up.

That said, I could be way off base. I've never made a TQ or UQ. My only qualifications for commenting are having average human spatial visualization skills.

[RedStix]

This is an interesting question. If you are willing to sew together a few odd size pieces I think you can make this work. Here are my rough approximations at how this would work.

Assuming you are starting with a rectangular sleeping bag that opens up to 80" x 80" you would start by cutting your sleeping bag straight across at 50". Based on your height I would then cut about 8" off the remaining 50" x 80" piece, leaving you with am ~ 50" x 72"rectangle to be used for a top quilt.

Quilt 1.jpg

You are left with two pieces; one 50" x 8" and one 30" x 80". I would cut the 30" x 80" piece in half along the 40" line.

Quilt 2.jpg

I would then sew the three pieces together as drawn below (alternating the side the 8" piece is sewn on to match the side you typically lay on).

Quilt 3.jpg

My biggest concern with this layout is having multiple seams on the bottom quilt which might cause cold spots. One option might be to omit adding the 8" segment to the side and simply using it to double up over the seam in the middle.

Keep us posted on your progress with this. I might have to give this a try with one of my old sleeping bags.

RedStix

[RedStix]

Here's another option. Start by cutting out a 44" x 60" underquilt first. Then cut off at a 45* angle the funny shape at the end.

Quilt 4.jpg

Take the small piece and flip it over so the 45* angles fit together and sew these remaining pieces together to get something like this.

Quilt 5.jpg

It is kind of funny looking, but I think it could easily be used as a top quilt.

Hope this helps.

[Redoleary]

Hey Redoleary,

I have considered doing a pea pod style project, but having two separate quilts (TQ & UQ ) is going to be more useful and practical for me this time around.
This project is to fill a need in the 40F - 60F range, I need a separate, loose TQ that allows me to easily regulate my body heat in this temp range.

Oops, I guess I misunderstood your original question. I see what you're shooting for now, sorry about that.

[The Tree Frog]

Wow Redstix. Way to put some thought into your advice. Nice job!

[Hammonkey]

you say it's a rectangular bag? What are the dimensions? On an UQ, you want the length to be about 50-60" wide X 70-80" long. If you're able to get two piece like that out of each half you should be good. Before cutting i'd recommend trying it first to see how much excess material you have or need.

The simplest conversion would be to open up the corner the bag folds at so you can fit the suspension through the end and then you can just zip it up around the hammock and the angle you're lying at should allow you to lay diagonally.

If you really wanted to get into it, and create separate TQ/UQ then I'd do something like this:

As far as the UQ goes, the easiest method after stripping the zippers off would be to run a ribon of 3/4"-1" grosgrain along the sides with a loop doubled back on some lineloc3s. You can attach via shockcord to your ridgeline or suspension and adjust either side independently. On the ends I would do 1-1.5" grosgrain so that you can run another shockcord through with a cordlock to cinch up the ends.

For the TQ, Again start by stripping the zipper off and then make a rolled hem on the long edges of the sleeping bag. I would push some of the stuffing back out of the way so you're sewing through less, but this will be the softest and most comfortable as opposed to folding a ribbon of grosgrain down it. For the end, add a ribon of 1-1.5" grosgrain to thread a shockcord through so you can cinch it up to create the bottom of your footbox. You may want to just sew it up entirely, but that is a much more daunting task on a sewing machine. So the alternative would be either sew on some soft tabs to tie together every 6" up to about the back of your knees in length to finish off the footbox. some other methods would include adding snaps, or running a long each length a strip of ribon sewn every couple inches that you could run a shock cord through to lace up like a shoe. If it were me I'd do the first suggestion, its the simplest and easiest and will probably be the most comfortable. You can then trim the width on the top quilt as your needs suit, but i'd try it first before cutting.