You're Doing Underquilts All Wrong. Get A Clew ;-)

[Vargan]

What a cool idea! any cottage shops using this yet?

[jdy98p]

Would a single strand of 1/16” shock cord (with loops at each end) have the same pull/strength as a doubled strand of 1/32” that creates the loops from UQ to biner?


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[mrcheviot]

First, let me say this is a cool idea that I originally dismissed and upon taking a second look, there is a lot to like here. Good job & thanks to all who have contributed.

I can see a few potential applications for the ideas discussed in this thread, but the issue/problem of dedicated asym lay is near and dear to my heart (I only lie one way).

If you want a biased lay, I recommend sewing triangles onto the edges to complete a square. Otherwise you will just end up with a skewed blanket.

Adding triangles (as you mentioned in a post from Jan 2018) so that the insulation is at an angle (a la a Wookie) is certainly a method to explore.

Another method that's been discussed and is intuitive is the use of different length nettles to impart an asym lay of the UQ, which is the technique I use with my 3/4 UQs. In looking through some of your links, I also found this (last updated Feb 2018):

"Asymmetric (one side longer than the other) - Two opposing asymmetric clews will create a skew in the quilt. If you tend to lay in only one direction or have a one-sided hammock, this is an interesting option." (via http://leiavoia.net/pages/hammock/levquilt.html)

Wondering if you could share if you would lean towards one approach over the other, or if something changed between Jan - Feb?

It seems that both get the insulation shifted, however I suspect two things:

• The asym stitched (triangle) approach may require some more thought regarding lengthwise outer shell differential, esp. since the direction and tension of pull is more uniform across the lateral edge using any of the first three approaches pictured above, and is not aligned with baffle direction - whereas the asym nettle approach is more about turning the quilt via the differences in tension across the lateral edge.
• The asym stitched (triangle) approach, if the UQ was fitted even moderately, would provide more efficiency and better automatic adjustment.

Perhaps it's possible one approach works better for the Costco conversion, while another would better for retrofitting or for a purpose-made clew quilt. I'm not sure which method applies to which scenario though.

Wondering if anyone has actual experience with either method, or if anyone has directly compared these two methods?

Many thanks!

[mrcheviot]

What's the lightest stretc/power mesh that has been found? Any ballpark ideas of what optimal stretch properties would be? I'm seeing some in the 3oz/sqyd range that are 50% in one direction, 25% in another, and some others that are 25% four-direction and 25% two-direction.

Also found this short video which is somewhat illuminating, anyone care to venture a guess as to which one would most closely replicate a series of 1/16 or 1/32 nettles?

[leiavoia]

What's the lightest stretch/power mesh that has been found? Any ballpark ideas of what optimal stretch properties would be? I'm seeing some in the 3oz/sqyd range that are 50% in one direction, 25% in another, and some others that are 25% four-direction and 25% two-direction.

You can find ~2.5oz Stretch Mesh from Spandex World. Look for 50% 2-way stretch material ("Stretch Mesh"). I'm doing an in-depth article on the topic and will PM you some details.

As for asymmetric lay, I recommend the sewn-on triangles method over the skewed-clew method. Rotating the blanket itself is what gives you the Wooki-style lay you are looking for. Changing the clews around torques the blanket but doesn't actually change its geometry (actually makes it somewhat narrower). You can get the best of both worlds by 1) sewing triangles onto an existing quilt, or 2) creating a biased-lay quilt to begin with. Then put clews or stretch fabric on the ends.

[mrcheviot]

You can find ~2.5oz Stretch Mesh from Spandex World. Look for 50% 2-way stretch material ("Stretch Mesh"). I'm doing an in-depth article on the topic and will PM you some details.

As for asymmetric lay, I recommend the sewn-on triangles method over the skewed-clew method. Rotating the blanket itself is what gives you the Wooki-style lay you are looking for. Changing the clews around torques the blanket but doesn't actually change its geometry (actually makes it somewhat narrower). You can get the best of both worlds by 1) sewing triangles onto an existing quilt, or 2) creating a biased-lay quilt to begin with. Then put clews or stretch fabric on the ends.

I'm going to start experimenting on some ideas soon so I'd love to share some details & thoughts as well, thanks.

I may be jumping the gun, but at 2.5oz for mesh, what would the advantages be over using something like Argon90 with shockcord loop through an end channel (other than price of course)? Maybe this is still TBD...

[leiavoia]

I'm going to start experimenting on some ideas soon so I'd love to share some details & thoughts as well, thanks.

I may be jumping the gun, but at 2.5oz for mesh, what would the advantages be over using something like Argon90 with shockcord loop through an end channel (other than price of course)? Maybe this is still TBD...

If weight is not a concern, the advantage is that it is easy to just sew on a section of stretch fabric. If weight is a concern: A) use narrow band of stretch fabric with ultralight extension fabric to fill out the length, or B) just use a clew as per this thread. Clew suspension is going to be one of, if not the, lightest, underquilt suspension option (yes, i did the math).

[leiavoia]

Would a single strand of 1/16” shock cord (with loops at each end) have the same pull/strength as a doubled strand of 1/32” that creates the loops from UQ to biner?

Hi jdy. It's similar, but i don't think you will need to worry about it. The construction technique is more important than the strength. Even wispy 1/32" cord is more than enough to hold up an underquilt. I know recommend using "whipped clew" and snap anchors approach I use on the GEMINI underquilt project. It is the easiest to get going and has a straight-forward construction. I have made several quilts using this technique.

Several others in this thread are using single strands with line-locs, but i don't see any benefit to being able to individually adjust each strand. I've got the clew geometry honed in pretty well for what works for me: have strands all be the exact same length, but shorten the ones on the very ends by an inch or two (keeps the sides from being floppy).

[leiavoia]

This thread now has a sister thread about using spandex and stretch fabrics for underquilts. If you want to continue that discussion, head over here:

SPANDEX: The Perfect Fit for Underquilts.

[Marnoc]

Its an interesting concept to keep in mind if I build an underquilt.