Want to make a quilt… (many questions)

[Jonathan Whitney]

I know I can use the search option, but I was hoping that asking about specific materials and construction might help get me pointed in the right direction a little faster.

First off, I'm more inclined to take on the project after buying an REI branded Pertex jacket with primaloft on clearance. I forget the name of it. Cedar run or something? Anyhow, I bought it in the dead of winter realizing that I actually didn't have a jacket. I kept remarking how the thing was like wearing my own personal sleeping bag. It was great out in 20 degree weather with a 5 degree windchill, and still fine indoors. I took it on a recent car camping trips with friends during cool to warm temps just in case it got chilly at night. I ended up napping with the thing draped over me in the middle of the day and realized how awesome it was for the conditions, which were probably in the mid to high 70's.

So, with all that said, from the info I've gathered so far, I think I'm targeting a project using the momentum90 fabric and primaloft insulation from thru-hiker.com. The idea is to make a quilt that will be good for summer, but work down to maybe 20 degrees when used in conjunction with my primaloft jacket that I will be carrying/wearing anyway in the winter. So with that in mind, which weight of primaloft insulation should I be using? Right now I see it in .4, .6, and 1.2 inch lofts. What is the conventional wisdom for loft of primaloft in regards to degree rating?

Also, I really have zero idea what to start with pattern wise. I've seen some with the closed footbox and open back that can be tied together for winter. That seems like a good way to go. Although I'd also like an option to cinch down the top over my shoulders in colder weather. Any ideas?

[Richard Scruggs]

Ray Jardine sells quilt kits with a selection of features plus detailed instructions. His website also provides some sewing tips. His "Ray-Way" quilt kits are linked about half-way down the home page of his website at:

http://www.rayjardine.com/

[Jonathan Whitney]

I'm not really interested in the Ray Way stuff to be honest. I'd like to check out different designs and patterns and custom design my own rather than get locked into one design and one choice of materials.

[Jonathan Whitney]

Seriously? No other input? I at least expected a link to a more thorough thread I had missed in previous searches. Any more suggestions or resources to point me towards?

[Jerry Adams]

I'm no quilt expert, but

Apex requires less quilting

5 ounce would be good down to 30 F according to I forget who

thruhiker.com sells it

owfinc.com sells 6 ounce Apex, probably cheaper

If you wore your jacket inside you'de be well below 20 F

You might get by with 2.5 ounce Apex if you wore jacket inside

Make sure and quilt it all around the perimeter or the insulation will shift away from the edge where there will be gaps. With Apex you might want to sew down the middle? With Primaloft One you would want to sew every 6 inches (?) in both directions (?)

0.9 ounce fabric inside and outside would be good. owfinc.com and thruhiker.com sell it.

[Walter Carrington]

Here's one article I've found:
http://backpacking.net/makegear.html

[Jonathan Whitney]

Walter,

Thanks for the link, I think the quilt tutorial on there gives a real good base idea of what I'd like to attempt. Much appreciated.

Jerry,

Thanks for the points on quilting the material, but the more I search, the more fuzzy it seems to me. For instance, in down quilts, they make a baffle using no-seeum mesh, but I'm assuming this isn't required with a continuously woven type insulation. However, quilting is a must if I'm set on primaloft. How is this accomplished?

I've noticed on my jacket, the top is quilted and the liner is just one piece not attached to the outer layer. Do they just run the material through a sewing machine with the primaloft on the back, or is there more to it? Does it need a backing layer of no-seeum in order to keep it all together?

[Jerry Adams]

You can either

have one layer, then the insulation on top, and sew a seam. It's a little difficult to not get the insulation to catch on the zipper foot. If you compress the insulation with your fingers you can get it to feed. Maybe it works to have insulation on bottom and fabric on top? But it seems like the feed dog might not push through the insulation? I just haven't tried that.

or have one layer, insulation, then the other layer, and sew a seam (through all three). You don't have the problem of the insulation catching on the zipper foot. But there's a seam on both sides. And since there's a sewn through seam, it's like zero thickness there so it might be colder. And if there's a seam on the outside so it can leak water.

Try it on scrap fabric and see what works best.

You must already have the Primaloft

I already have some Primaloft which I guess I'll use rather than get Apex, but it bugs me to have to do this

[Jonathan Whitney]

Ok, I think I've got a decent handle on how to do the quilting, and I have a good plan in mind, but now I'm wondering more about other quilt patterns. Does anyone else have any good links?

[Dustin Short]

As far as patterns go, get some cheap $1/yd fabric from wal-mart or your local fabric shop to play with (you really only need it for testing foot box designs). Since you want to push below freezing a footbox is pretty much required. Really you'll want to design the box for your own feet anyway.

As for materials, since you're using synthetics you don't need a downproof shell fabric and may consider saving money/weight. I'm personally going to make both a 2.5 and 5.0 oz APEX quilt using 4.5momme silk from thaisilks.com.

Goodluck and have fun! Do share your results with us as well!

[Nigel Parrish]

Hi Jonathan
I'm just in the process of making a quilt using primaloft one insulation; 200g sq metres and 60g sq metre with a pertex inner and out layer. 

My quilt is 130cm wide at the top and 100cm wide at the bottom with the taper starting 50cm from the top edge so it is wide around the shoulders and hips. It's 180cm long and I'm using a piece of 200g primaloft insulation 150 long and 60g 180cm long, the full length of the quilt. The thinner primaloft will cover the foot area with a double thickness 260g over the main body and hips.
I will add a draw cord hem at the head and foot end and Velcro closure for 50cm at the foot end to form a foot box. 
I've cut both layers of pertex and insulation to the desired size with an additional 5cm hem around the    Pertex. I have also cut out one layer of the scrim the same size as the insulation and intend to use this to quilt the insulation to the inner (body) side of pertex, preserving the outer layer 'unpieced' to retain water resistance. To hold the insulation and scrim in place I will lay the insulation on to the pertex layer, place scrim in top and fold the extra hem over and machine all the way around. To quilt the primaloft I'm going to use a hand needle and thread and make thread darts through the scrim, insulation and pertex every 15cm or so. At the foot end I'll just machine sew square quilting because the insulation will be more stressed there around the foot box. I might also sew thorough all layers at the junction of the thicker and thinner insulation (30cm up from bottom) to hold that in place.
Over time the primaloft might shift but should last enough seasons. 

Should take some pictures and post up in next couple of weeks. 

Nigel

[Jamie Shortt]

Jonathan, I will offer my quilt instructions. It is not exactly what you are after… its down and 40 degree quilt, but it does provides dimensions and techniques for making a versatile, yet easy to make quilt.

http://www.lytw8.com/My_Gear.html#LytW8_Summer_Quilt

look for the link to the pdf on the page.

Jamie

[Jonathan Whitney]

Thanks all for the replies and input so far. The more I think about it, though, the more I think I really like sleeping bags. I tend to roll on my side from time to time, and I'm not sure a quilt would do what I want exactly. It seems like a system for people who are used to just laying flat on their back all night long.

But I am considering doing an integrated pad type bag. I'd basically make it like the big agnes bags with the sleeping pad pocket. Something I could use my insulated pad in the winter for a full sleep system and then use my summer pad as well with the zipper all the way open. The primaloft jacket I already have will make it easy to push the temps limits in the cold. I guess when it comes down to it, I just really like bags with a hood.

I think I can continue on with the quilting info and just tear apart this cheapo mummy bag I got for 20 bucks on sale one year. I can use that as a base pattern and build a lightweight bag off of that. I'm still tempted to just make a whole bag with insulation on the bottom as well off of the one I have now, but the rough math tells me I'd be spending a lot of time and money to get to basically what I have now between my summer and my winter bags. But then again, I really like sleeping bags…

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