Thank you HF members! I finished my first diy project, a silcat tarp

[Mr.Tattoo]

Awesome job on the tarp! I look forward to seeing more of your DIY projects .

[JohnSawyer]

I want to thank all of the wonderful members here at the HammockForums site. You inspired me to tackle a big diy project that I never would have considered otherwise. I'm just about ready for my first hang.

Now I want to complete a lightweight top quilt for late spring, summer and early fall. I'm thinking about a 40 degree rating. I was contemplating using the sew through method as it is for warmer weather, but I could use a small baffle of no see-um mesh. Any opinions on which would be more advisable?

Wow... That's a great practice one... Send it to me so I can inspect it while you make your "real" one!

Nice Job!

[saniun]

That is quite a decent tarp my friend. Good job.

[raiffnuke]

Great looking tarp you have made there! Congrats!

[Detail Man]

Good looking tarp, gg. You shouldn't have any trouble with a quilt.

My advice on the top quilt is to avoid the sewn through method. It's fraught with pitfalls. Even though its for warmer weather, use baffles as small as 1/2" height. Allowing fir 1/4" seam allowance, the baffle material should be cut 1" high. I've done both and baffles are much easier.

Just to give another viewpoint on sewn thru quilts, I've done both baffled and sewn thru quilts. A walking foot makes all the difference when doing a sewn-thru quilt. Without one, the top fabric creeps along the bottom fabric under the presser foot. When you get to the edge, the fabric is no longer lined up. A walking foot keeps top and bottom fabrics feeding evenly, making a sewn-thru quilt much less frustrating. If you try a sewn-thru quilt, you'll need to add an extra 6-8" of length to the fabric to compensate for the loss of length when the quilt lofts.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice on the top quilt. I'll plan to use some mesh to make the baffles for my warm weather TQ and avoid the sew through method. I'm 6' tall so I was planning on making the quilt 78" to take the gathered footbox into consideration. I'm planning on using 1.1 nylon with shock cord and lock for the foot box with a taper in the width toward the feet. I'll have to research some dimensions for width top and bottom before I get started.

Sounds like you're on the right track. IIRC about 56-60" wide at the top, and taper 5" on each side is about what I made mine and was well pleased. We're close to the same height. For the cinched footbox, the shockcord isn't necessary. Some regular drawcord would work better.

[sclittlefield]

Wow, that looks fantastic. Boy that gg trim sure makes the tarp POP! Nice work.