Ray Way quilt kit two person deluxe

[shannon stoney]

I just sewed the Ray Way two person deluxe quilt. I like it very much, although I have only tested it so far in a frigid bedroom.

The Ray Way quilt kit contains yardage of lightweight nylon and insulation material. You cut out the pieces to the right length, and you can customize the kit in that way. There was plenty of fabric for my partner, who is five foot ten inches, and me (shorter). I think you can order a longer version too if you are taller.

I sewed the kit on an old treadle sewing machine that only sews a straight stitch and can’t reverse stitch, but it worked fine.

The deluxe kit also includes a long zipper for the Split Zip option, which I did not use. The directions were mostly very clear and easy to follow and detailed. I ended up making the simplest version of the quilt, without the Draft stopper or the Gorget, but I added the draft stopper later. The quilt is so light that it sort of floats over our two bodies, sometimes causing a gap between the quilt and the mattress, so if I were doing it again I would include the draft stopper from the beginning. It was not too hard to add it after the fact. I couldn’t really add the Gorget later so easily. The purpose of the Gorget is to close the gap of air that happens between the two people using the quilt at the top of it. It’s probably a good feature too.

I also ordered the stow bag but I haven’t made it yet. That kit looks fine too. The stow bag is supposed to be waterproof.

The quilt is very warm, but if you get too hot it’s easy to stick a leg or arm out to cool off. In that way it’s more comfortable than my pile of blankets.

The cost of the two person deluxe quilt and two stow bags and shipping was about $90. I think that’s a pretty good deal.

I made the stow bag too a few days later. It worked out perfectly, and if you put it into my Golite breeze packpack and then stuff the quilt into it, it compresses to a practical size in the backpack.

Ray says on the website that the stuff bag would make a good first sewing project for somebody who has never sewed. I’m not sure I agree with that. I am an experienced sewer, and I had trouble with the slippery fabric. You can’t pin it, or you will poke holes in the fabric, compromising the waterproofness of the bag. When I make another stowbag, or quilt for that matter, I might use a glue stick or tape or something to hold the fabric together while sewing.

I had trouble making the flat felled seams as Ray describes them, and I simplified them a bit by not folding the raw edge under, but rather folding it to one side and simply stitching it down on the stow bag. The silnylon fabric does not seem to ravel at all, so the raw edge is stable. The quilt fabric is not treated with silicone so it does ravel; therefore those seams must be finished completely. I found it easier in some cases to do some of the sewing by hand because the nylon is so slippery.

[Elliott Wolin]

I found the instructions easy to follow and the entire kit simple to make . I included all features (Gorget, draft stopper, and split-zip) and even extended the draft stopper onto the lower part of the quilt. I have a lot of sewing experience but I think beginners should have no problems.

I have sewn a lot of slippery silnylon and it takes some getting used to (I often pull carefully from both sides though the machine). I have no problems making flat-felled seams in both silnylon and uncoated 1.1 ounce ripstop.

Dealing with the bulk created by the insulation was on occasion problematic, mainly when sewing the final opening closed. Generally the insulation just compresses down to almost nothing, even many layers, so it is quite easy to sew.

Now to try it out on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier!

P.S. You can always pin silnylon on the outside of the seam allowance, although I find this often unnecessary. And making pin holes in the seam where you will apply waterproofing is no problem…what difference is another pin hole or two in a seam when there are thousands of needle holes.

Later…it worked great for my wife and me for 13 nights on the Wonderland trail this summer. Most nights were in the low 40’s and we were warm and toasty. The draft stopper helped, too.

[John Williams]

We built our Ray-way quilt last winter in anticipation of our AT Thru Hike. We planned to get it shipped up to us whenever the weather warmed up some. We did this around the first week of May.
What I found is that not only was I warmer than in my Western Mountaineering Ultralite, but also way more comfortable. It was so nice to crawl inside, share heat, and be able to roll around and be comfortable. We used the quilt for probably 100 nights – some of which got quite chilly.
We recommend this quilt without reservation. It was not too hard to make (although Becky and her mom did most of the hard work), was super durable (looks like new!) and fun to use (it's fun knowing you made it yourself).
Highly recommended!

[Author]

Posts