My Home made quilt

[Joshua Knapp]

I just got done with my first MYOG project (with the help of my mom). I made a summer quilt using .9oz ripstop momentum and 2.5 climashield XP. The quilt turned out so well that I wanted to share with others. I'm recently back from Glacier were I was able to test it to its limits (and a little past). We had great weather on our 4 night trip, with nighttime temps ranging from 33f -48f. The quilt did a fantastic job of keeping me warm when temps dipped into the upper 30's, but on the 33 degree night with Caprilene 2 top and bottoms, smart wool socks, a montbell thermawrap jacket and light balaclava I was cold.

My design employed some features from other MYOGers. Small loops along the outside edge of the quilt and a long piece of webbing running through the loops lets you snug the quilt up on cold nights. I have draw cords at the head and foot. A small circular piece of insulated fabric fills the hole left by the drawcord closer keeping my feet warm. I did deviate from some other quilt designs by not running insulation all the way to the edge of the quilt.

For instance to keep drafts down I wanted a little more fabric than the 70"x48"x36" quilt "standard" but I also wanted to keep weight to a minimum. So my quilt is a little wider. The dimensions are 70"x55"X36", but the climashield dimensions are only 70"x40"x36". So my thoughts were to increase the fabric surface area, thus reducing drafts and save a couple of onces by only insulating the middle of the quilt. This design seems to have worked pretty well, I don't think I have reduced the warmth of the quilt, and with the slightly wider dimensions I have kept drafts down and increased my sleeping comfort. Another added benefit is that bulk is also reduced. This packs incredibly small!
I suppose you may be interested in the weight of the quilt and while not the lightest I think it is pretty respectable at 12.3 oz 12.8oz with stuff sack.

[David Wills]

thats a very interesting concept of keeping the insulation in the middle of a quilt. Its kind of like a bottom closure topbag. How is the insulation stabilized since it isn't sewn on the edges? Also, are the insulation-less flaps 1 layer of momentum or 2? You could save a bit of weight and stabilize the insulation to increase durability if the answers are "its not" and "2".

Thats a very unique design though, great job!

[Joshua Knapp]

Hi Dave,
The insulation is sewn into the head and foot seams, and on the sides to just the inside(bottom) piece of momentum. I originally wanted to have only one layer of momentum for the flaps but this became somewhat of a logistical issue and it was just easier to have a double layer.
Thanks

[Michael Davis]

Joshua,

Good looking quilt! Congratulations!

I think the idea of making the fabric wider to keep out the drafts while limiting the insulation to save weight is a fantastic idea. Drafts are the #1 fear of going to a quilt.

[JohnB]

Good design. I might want to make one of these. Why did you not use a zipper instead of the loops and long piece of webbing? How much heavier would a zipper be? A zipper would have made for a tighter fit and therefore a warmer bag. When you cinch up the bottom of the bag does it feel tight around your feet, or is there plenty of room? What size are your feet?

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