Idea for Primaloft TQ

**futbolfreak08** · 12-26-2011, 11:06

So "Santa" was good to me this year and i now have enough cash to get the supplies to make my top quilt. After my success with Primaloft Sport for an underquilt i decided to go with that for the insulation again. One of the problems with primaloft though is that it needs quilting to keep it from shifting. This isn't a big deal, but i wanted something more aesthetically pleasing that a bunch of pieces of yarn sticking out of my new TQ. So i hatched this idea. I'm going to use just over 2 yards of 6oz Primaloft Sport, but instead of just sewing it in as one piece and then quilting it, i'm going to use 4 long rectangular pieces that can be overlap each other and be connected to one side or the other of the Ripstop. I'm sure that didn't make sense so i drew up something in Paint.

Each rectangle of Primaloft will be 15 inches wide and run the full length of the quilt. it will be sewn on all 4 edges to a layer of ripstop. this should keep me from having to worry about the insulation shifting after being packed and compressed. 2 pieces will be sewn to the ripstop that will be the top of the outer shell. the other 2 pieces will be sewn to the ripstop that will be the bottom of the outer shell. there should about 2 inches of overlap between where one layer is sewn through to the top and the other layer is sewn through to the bottom. Hopefully this will give a better appearance than loops of yarn all over the quilt. i guess my question is whether 2 inches of overlap is enough to keep cold air from getting through or will i need more overlap to avoid a cold spot in the quilt? any feedback from all you experienced DIY folks out there would be much appreciated.

**nothermark** · 12-27-2011, 09:41

FIrst, I'm interested but do not have a clue from experience. That said I wonder about that with primaloft. I see climashield used in shingle construction but not primaloft. They all seem to be baffle construction. There might be a message there. The other thing I see is shingle construction usually only is attached to one side. I think you will find that a top quilt gets a lot more action than a bottom quilt as you tuck it and snuggle into it so mechanical strength is a bigger issue than for a bottom quilt.

**futbolfreak08** · 12-27-2011, 12:03

Thanks for the reply. I've heard of using baffles for loose primaloft and treating it like down but what I've got is a big sheet of it. Are you suggesting sewing in the sheets of primaloft as if they were baffles? I'm thinking maybe attach one side to the bottom layer of ripstop and the other to the top layer a few inches over so it makes something like diagonal baffles that lay flat to form shingles. I don't know if this makes sense. I drew up a diagram but I have no way to upload it from my phone. Maybe I can put it up tonight (I'm a visual kinda guy)

**nothermark** · 12-27-2011, 12:54

I would be tempted to cut the Primaloft and use some baffles.
As I said, I have not done anything with Primaloft. My concern is that Climashield comes with a scrim and seems more mechanically robust. When I started looking for shingle construction all I did not see anyone using Primaloft that way. Primaloft was developed to replace down and seems to be designed for use with baffles so that even if it broke up it would not be a problem. Quilting is a half way measure between nothing and baffles. I think it works OK on the bottom because there is not the bunching and pulling I do on a top quilt. YMMV on that but I think it is an issue you should give some thought to.

**recce906** · 12-27-2011, 15:28

Sounds interesting. I have also used Primaloft for both top- and under quilts, with good success. Rather than going with yarn to secure the Primaloft, I used Guterman thread and sewed a knot every foot or so along the perimeter of the insulation to secure it to the exterior fabric. It let me from having to quilt the entire sheet and hasn't had any issues with shifting. Good luck.

**smars** · 12-27-2011, 22:49

I also used Primaloft for my quilts and was hoping to find a better solution than the quilting loops. I thought about doing the same thing you are talking about (overlapping the pl on the two shells) for the same reason of a better looking quilt, but decided to go with the method that I knew would work based on others experience. One thing to think about is that if the two shells aren't connected to each other except around the perimeter it will want to balloon up when you stuff it in a sack, and as easy as that stuff comes apart it may pull itself apart when it balloons up and the two layers seperate. Keep us posted.

-Scott

**futbolfreak08** · 12-27-2011, 23:06

So here's my latest idea. i went ahead and ordered some no-see-um netting with my primaloft. i think i'm still going to use 4 15in wide pieces of primaloft. i will sew one side of them to the bottom layer of ripstop and do the shingle idea with the other side sewn to the top layer of ripstop. Rather than just trusting the primaloft to hold over time though, i will put a piece of the no-see-um in between these shingles to form a sort of baffle, but it will be on angle to allow the primaloft to overlap itself. here's a cutaway sketch to kind of give an idea of what i'm talking about.

hopefully, even if the primaloft degrades over time and pulls apart, the no-see-um will provide a built in baffle to keep fiber migration to a minimum.

so, do you think this will work? any improvements you see that can be made? i've got 3-5 days till my materials come in and i'd like to settle on a design by then. thanks for any feedback.

**futbolfreak08** · 12-28-2011, 21:17

anybody have any additional input? will this latest idea work?

**PuckerFactor** · 12-29-2011, 15:28

I had an idea that I'm probably going to employ on my next quilt.
Basically, it involves 2 sewn-through layers sandwiched together with an offset so the stitch lines don't overlap and create cold spots. Since PL comes with a scrim on one side, I'd put that side to the inside to help contain the PL from sagging. And since that probably didn't make complete sense, here's a diagram.

PL quilting.jpg
This is a cross-sectional view. The red is the Primaloft, the black is the shell.

PF

**futbolfreak08** · 12-29-2011, 22:41

Originally Posted by PuckerFactor

I had an idea that I'm probably going to employ on my next quilt.
Basically, it involves 2 sewn-through layers sandwiched together with an offset so the stitch lines don't overlap and create cold spots. Since PL comes with a scrim on one side, I'd put that side to the inside to help contain the PL from sagging. And since that probably didn't make complete sense, here's a diagram.

PL quilting.jpg
This is a cross-sectional view. The red is the Primaloft, the black is the shell.

PF

That looks like a good idea. i just got my primaloft today in the single layer. maybe whenever i convince my wife that one TQ is not enough i'll try this idea. I look forward to seeing how yours turns out. I think for this time i'm gonna have to go with the diagonal baffles that i mentioned before.