Rectangular Underquilt - My first REAL diy gear

[jbo_c]

Here are some pics of my first underquilt. I used one layer of 5oz Climashield insulation. I "overstuffed" it with an additional 1oz of climashield by making the insulation layer 6 inches longer than the shell and shifting the insulation evenly throughout the length of the quilt. That worked pretty well, though I'm not sure it'll make much difference.

Another thing I did was make it so the outside shell has a "pillow top". I did this by making the outside shell two inches longer and two inches wider than the inner shell. When sewn together, this does two things:
1. It makes it so that no matter how tight you pull it, there is no stress on the insulation.

2. It ensures that there is always a minimum of one inch of "free space" for the insulation to loft into. The shell layers can't restrict the loft.

The pillow top idea worked very well and did exactly as I'd hoped.

Final dimensions are 45" x 59". I'm five feet eight inches, so I guess that makes it a 59/68ths underquilt. That makes it truly one of a kind.

Now let's see if I can post the pics.

Right before the "moment of truth" all layers sewn together.






Just about to start turning it rightside out.






Halfway there.




Rightside out and laying flat.




A better pic of the whole quilt.






Here's a pic of how my "pillow top" idea worked out.





Haven't gotten to hang with it yet, but I'll post a couple of pics with it installed. I'm doing a weekend section hike of the approach and a short leg of the AT in March, that'll be the first real use with it after my test hang.

Sorry the pics are small. My phone was all I had.

Jbo

[vitamaltz]

That looks great! You obviously did your research and took your time making it, and the result looks sharp. Update again when you hang with it. Climashield is great stuff!

[jbo_c]

Somebody will ask, so cost was:

Outer layer - free 1.9oz RS from an early project that didn't work and got chopped into pieces. (Original cost $7 from OWF)

Inner layer - 1.1 oz RS from Wally World close-out. $2

Insulation - 5oz Climashield HL from OWF $19

Shock Cord Channels - 1.7oz RS from Hancock $2

Quilting Thread - Synthetic Upholstery thread from Hancock $1 (for the spool which will probably make another 25 quilts.

Figure the total cost at $31 if you include the original cost of the outer layer. If I'd used all WW fabric, I could have saved $5 of that, but I wanted it to match my hammock on the outside.

Took me about 7 hours to do it in the evenings. I'd say on a difficulty scale of 1-10, the difficulty was a 2. Patience required on the same scale was probably a 7.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!

Jbo

[OldnSlow]

That UQ looks great, and at a Super Price!!

[goodcaver]

looks nice and loft-y... Hope you have many nice warm nights in it!

[jbo_c]

Weight is 21.75oz.

Compresses pretty easily into about the size of a gallong milk jug, maybe a tad smaller.

Jbo

[gargoyle]

I like it. Do up a tutorial and big pics please. mmmm, pillowtop. Looks great.

[Sweetpea]

I like it. Do up a tutorial and big pics please. mmmm, pillowtop. Looks great.

This looks like a project I can do.

Like gargoyle mentioned, when you get a chance, can you write up a detailed tutorial. I'd love a step by step so I can attempt this. I need a new idea for an underquilt and this looks great! Thanks alot!

[OldnSlow]

How has this rectangular UQ worked for 3 season useage?

John

[jbo_c]

Only hung to about 50 degrees so far. Got a hike mid March that will test it NGO th 30s. Maybe a little lower.

Hung 'tight' at 50 was ok to too warm, so 30s should be. Good.