DIY Down Top Quilt Project (picture heavy)

**Parm** · 07-29-2012, 20:46

Wow. This level of detail is really helpful. Thanks for letting us in on the process.

**gt7599a** · 07-31-2012, 09:09

Nice TQ. Thanks for sharing the walk through.

Glad to know the TQ spread sheet helped someone. Any feedback on it?

Ed

**doogie** · 07-31-2012, 10:03

Originally Posted by gt7599a

Nice TQ. Thanks for sharing the walk through.

Glad to know the TQ spread sheet helped someone. Any feedback on it?

Ed

When I started reading the feedback on your spread sheet that the quilt turned out too short, I got nervous and reverted to my own planning. As I made my plans I had columns for which bag of fill went into which channel, rows for each baffle and each chamber. I also had my custom calculation on the fill needed based on a test channel that I made. This was due to the fact that I scavenged most of the down from a jacket and vest.

I don't understand how the length got short on some people, unless they made a different type of footbox.

The only possible error that I saw was the size of my finished quilt was to be 50"-38"x 72" with a 2" loft and 1" hem and 1" seam allowance. I believe the spread sheet told me to cut a trapezoid 58"-46"x80". This isn't quite right. The slope of each of the sides is 1" per foot, so at a point 4" past the head of the quilt, each side has increased by 1/3" for a total of 2/3" difference. As you see from my cad drawing it made it 3/4" total width at the top. The foot is reduced by the same amount. I got around this by drawing the finished trapezoid on the fabric and adding the loft, hem and SA to the outside.

All in all an enjoyable project. I really need some cool weather soon.

**kwchannell89** · 08-13-2012, 09:29

This is very informative. Thanks a lot! It seems to me the hardest part would be sewing the other outer shell to the baffle fabric.

**doogie** · 08-13-2012, 09:50

Originally Posted by kwchannell89

This is very informative. Thanks a lot! It seems to me the hardest part would be sewing the other outer shell to the baffle fabric.

It's really not as hard as it seems, although I did get going a little fast and got some of the extra material caught while sewing one baffle. Had to rip out about a foot of stitching. Be extra neat and go slowly and it's not too bad.

**RockIsland** · 08-13-2012, 14:17

Thanks for the great pics and instruction. I have been working on a Down UQ for about two weeks. I had to rip it all out and start over, thread injector was messing up, and was unhappy with baffle material. I really like the use of the masking tape instead of pins. It looks much easier to get a "straight" line. (not that I can sew a straight line). Going by fabric store on the way home and getting new baffle to start again.

**Lost_Biker** · 08-27-2012, 09:22

Great job! Thanks for the good pics!

**doogie** · 12-10-2012, 20:39

Update for Arothian. Here are some details on the footbox.

First the seam, if I remember correctly I closed the end baffle and left enough of both the top and bottom fabric to make a small drawcord channel. I sewed the channel with the cord in it so I didn't have to fish a small cord through a long small channel.

The footbox with the velcro (Omni-tape) closed and the drawcord open. I came up with this method for securing the drawcord with only one cord lock. I tied a bowline loop just barely big enough to pass the cord lock through. The bowline is too large to fit through the channel, so it won't pull out when open.

To close the footbox I pass the cord lock through the bowline and cinch down tight. When closed I can force the tip of my pinkie into the opening. I tend to have hot feet, so I didn't bother with a flap to cover the hole. If I thought it was necessary I would just stuff a bandana or some other fabric in the hole.

I hope this clears things up.