I made a synthetic quilt (1st sewing project ever)

[Ty Ty]

Got it done. I think it turned out great in that it fits great, came in under weight, and how I imagined it. Definitely not going to win any sewing contests but I think the sewing is all strong and sound so that is really all that matters to me.

A special thanks to Chris Muthig, I mainly used your guide at http://kringlelight.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/sin50/ along with measurements of Enlightened Equipment quilts (thank you Tim).

I used 1.1 oz nylon ripstop from http://www.thru-hiker.com and 5oz Climashield Apex insulation. It came out 59" wide at the head, half taper to 48" at the foot (can't hardly see the taper in the pics, it is more pronounced when you see it in reality), 80" tall and weight came out at 25.2 oz. I was going to be happy if it came out anywhere under 27-30 oz. I wanted it to be a big quilt, I'd rather go down in future quilts versus having it come out too small. So far seems to be just what I was looking for, plenty to tuck underneath me.

I put a drawstring at the foot, not at the head. I put a 20" Velcro foot box enclosure then I put two straps of Velcro about 6" and 12" above the foot box flap. I left them long for now but will probably cut them down some.

I sewed it differently than Chris did in his guide. I took the two main pieces of sil, pinned them (a bunch) on top of the insulation then rather than using strips I sewed from on top of the sil down through the two layers and then the insulation so that the foot had the sil to slide on and I didn't have to mess with strips of sil or newspaper. I think it worked well. I just sewed the 3 sides, (since I didn't want a draw cord at the top/head), reinforced the Velcro tabs and flap, then flipped it right side out, added the other 20" velcro to match the flap, then did the drawcord in the foot box to close it up. No complaints how everything worked out.

The one thing that concerns me is the temperature rating. It does not seem like it is going to work down to near 30 degrees but I could be wrong. I plan to sleep fully dressed including down puffy coat. We'll see soon enough, I have a trip planned this month in N Georgia and it should be around 30.

[Jerry Adams]

Nice job!

I think it should be good at 30 F if you wear down jacket inside.

I've worn similar colder than that.

[Seth Brewer]

For a first Quilt I'd say that's looking pretty good. I like the red color also! I've used my 50* synthetic (thinner insulation than yours) with a puffy down to about 35* and been just fine, so I'm pretty sure you can get that one down to 30* with a proper set up to minimize wind and such. Carpe Diem

[todd]

Nicely done. Especially for your 1st go!

I'm curious why you used Sil? Did you desire the VB effect, like cuben?

Also why no head-end drawcord?

These aren't criticisms of your nice handiwork….I just want to learn.

Thank you,
Todd

[Luke Schmidt]

I've found a bivy sack really increased the warmth of my quilt. If yours is more generiously sized it might not be a big a deal but I think it helps. If you can make a quilt a simple bivy should be easy to make. One word of caution. I'm not sure I'd use 1.1 oz nylone on the bottom of a bivy becuase with weight on the floor water can be forced through, I'd go a bit heavier for the floor.

[Ty Ty]

Todd – I think you just pointed out a mistake…I guess I used plain nylon not silnylon. I will amend my post accordingly. What I used was the "1.1 oz nylon ripstop 1sts" under breathable fabrics on thru-hiker http://thru-hiker.com/materials/breathable.php. I used the stuff he has priced at $5.99/yard. I wanted to use some of that momentum but figured this would be cheaper for a first try in case I messed up. Also why I used red, he only has it left in red and yellow.

I didn't do a neck draw cord because I get a little clastrophobic. I figured I would just make it nice and big so I can tuck and pull it around me.

[Chris M]

Congratulations on the quilt. It looks great. I have used my quilt down into the low 30's with a good puffy layer, but everyone sleeps differently for sure.

I like the idea of using the velcro to help keep it closed. That was a good way to use the extra materials you probably had to order anyways.

How tall are you, and how well does the 80" of length work for you?

[Ty Ty]

Yeah I did those velco straps at the last minute. I was not sure but figured why not, give it a shot. I left them long, my original intent was for them to be about 2 inches but then I figured they might give me some adjust-ability long (8"). Worst case I can just cut them off.

I am 6' tall 260lbs size 50 jacket. I was kind of shooting for 78" in length because that is what Enlightened/Tim uses for 6' tall but I just came out a little long. I was shooting for 58" width but came out at 59" so next time I will know to cut a little smaller. It seems to be nice and big, I am hoping I can wrap and tuck it around me with the extra wide/extra long. We'll see. I will update the thread after I use it in the woods.

BTW I am a very warm sleeper typically. I like to sleep cool, my wife says I am crazy because I will sleep with a sheet in the winter and will be cold to the touch when I wake up so I guess it bodes well for this quilt getting me down into the 30's. I am probably just used to heavy/thick car camping bags. I think the light weight of the quilt is throwing me off.

[Ty Ty]

I wanted to update this thread on my first use of the quilt. I slept under a metal barn type thing at my hunting land last night, open sides on the barn, low of 37 degrees and a stiff 10mph wind on me all night. The quilt did wonderfully.

I was surprised at how warm it was. When I went to bed I put on polypropylene long underwear bottoms, then cotton cargo pants, wool socks, on top polyester shirt sleeve tshirt, polyester long sleeve mid weight t-shirt, then a zip up fleece jacket and fleece beanie cap. I fell asleep and woke up sweating, took of the fleece jacket and the beanie and was still warm.

Really I think the ideal setup in this scenario would have been to just wear a thin base layer and a thin beanie, nothing more was needed.

I am slightly more convinced of the rating of this material now and it makes me like Apex even better. I like the feel of it, warms you up quickly.

Also the size was good for me. I was able to reach and tuck it under my body a little to block out the wind. It was nice when I had to get up to go to the bathroom, easy to get out of and just laid back down and brought it over me at the same time as sticking my feet down in there. I love not having to zip in and out of a bag, so much easier, so much more like being in bed at home.

Also I re-weighed it in grams and it is coming in at 750 grams or 26.5 oz so a little higher than I originally thought. Still happy with it. For starting out with a quilt I think it is better to make it too big and slightly heavier then work down the size in future quilts.

I am really pumped about my new ability to make different weight quilts without spending a fortune. As the weather warms up I plan to make a 2.5 oz weight APEX quilt for warm weather and shoot for a weight in the teens.

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