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  1. #1
    Senior Member County_mountie's Avatar
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    Converting down bag to quilt?

    I have three down sleeping bags I got to keep when I left the army. The bags are down and side zip. I would like to convert one to a top quilt if possible. Does anyone have any experience doing this and can it be done with a basic sewing machine??
    "Always pass on what you have learned" - Yoda

  2. #2
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    I turned my 1995 20° Marmot Grouse into a top quilt recently. Cut off all of the zippers. Also cut off the zipper baffles down to my foot box. I sewed on some material to use as ties to close the quilt behind my legs. I added a drawstring to close the foot box. I also added a drawstring and a snap for around my neck. I would add pics but I'm not sure how to do that from my phone.

  3. #3
    Senior Member sidneyhornblower's Avatar
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    I've done a hack conversion of an old mummy bag, but it was synthetic, not down. All I really did was remove the zipper and sew the footbox together. I used it for a year before buying a top quilt. If you want to convert a down bag, search around a bit in the DIY forum. People make such conversions from time to time, both to top quilts and under quilts and sometimes post videos of the process. To get you started, here are a few threads I found with a basic search. You can do better if you spend more time refining the search terms and/or reading the threads for links.

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...=convert+quilt

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...=convert+quilt

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...=convert+quilt
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  4. #4
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    I did it a long time ago. Basic machine. Good thread, Guttermans. Inexpensive fabric. Old down bag.
    I cut the inside fabric to the desired size. Cut the outside fabric a little wider. Marked my baffles on each piece of fabric. Started on the inside fabric and sewed all the baffles on. Then, starting at the bottom I sewed the baffles to the other fabric. Then I sewed one side shut. After that I. Set the machine in the driveway and started pulling down out of the bag and putting it in to quilt. I sewed each baffle shut as I went along. I sewed the foot box long sides together and then added a baffled foot box end.
    I wore that thing out in a hammock and on the ground. Loved it. It was 2006, but I have a 0° bag waiting for warm weather and I plan to do it again this spring.
    I thought the entire process was very easy.
    8EA220A8-EF61-472A-A3FB-E3F780EA5409.jpeg

  5. #5
    Senior Member Flash Grundelore's Avatar
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    Cutting off the hood and snipping out the zipper is the place to start... opening up the footbox really depends on your kind of use/comfort and how far up the stitching comes.
    For my conversion of an OT250 I shook as much down "down" at the hood as I could, and ran a line of stitching across. Then I shook the down "up" into the hood and made a second stitching across about 2" up... I trimmed off just below the second [higher] cut, plucked what down I could out of the lower seam and the folded the two cleaned up edges under each other and did a final seam across to give it a finished look.
    I just left the footbox alone. Ended up with a pretty sweet 40°+ quilt [the OT was actually advertised as a 32°, but isn't]

    No probz after two years. My sweetie is using it every night right on top of the bed rather than the heavy cotton down comforter in a duvet cover.
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  6. #6
    Senior Member Firesong's Avatar
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    You sure can.
    Easy way is to mark on the sleeping bag with a crayon the width you want , length as well.
    Then swish all the down in the channels to the opposite side of the mark you will sew on. (save all that down inside)
    Then do the same for the other side. (migrate the down to the line you had just sewn. Sew along it.
    This should allow for minimal down in the area you want to cut off. Sit on the floor with the vacuum going to clean up any
    down and cut along the outside of your newly sewn thread. Whisk the old material/zipper into a bag for the garbage.
    Then roll a hem along each of the sides. You can roll a slightly bigger hem on the bottom to put a cord through to make the
    foot box. Presto!

  7. #7
    Senior Member County_mountie's Avatar
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    Thanks everyone....I'm going to try it soon and will post photos of the process!
    "Always pass on what you have learned" - Yoda

  8. #8
    GilligansWorld's Avatar
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    This dude does his conversion with a synthetic but I think you could probably do something similar for a pod or as has been suggested, remove the mummy hood and zipper add channeling and shock cord and cord locks, s biners and you have an underquilt.

    https://youtu.be/UjHgV_8bN7A
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  9. #9
    Senior Member County_mountie's Avatar
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    So...I converted one my my Canadian Military Army sleeping bags to a TQ. The bag is duck/goose down and a little heavy at just under 48 oz or 3 lbs but I like it so far. I am going to cut open the footbox and install a draw cord and unhem it and add buttons or velcro so that I can open it up to a full blanket quilt...should be able to cut down on some of the weight by doing that as well I hope.20190210_191659.jpg20190210_191713.jpg20190210_191753.jpg20190210_191753.jpg20190210_191801.jpg
    "Always pass on what you have learned" - Yoda

  10. #10
    Senior Member County_mountie's Avatar
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    I also took the plunge and bought a new Singer sewing machine and this was my first project lol.
    "Always pass on what you have learned" - Yoda

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