home made underquilt

[silentbob]

A couple of months ago I bought a very cheap sewing machine - about £25 quid from one of those shops that sell lots of cheap stuff made by obscure brands - so I could have a try and see if it is worth eventually getting something more expensive or perhaps just learn more about them so I can get a bargain at a car-boot sale.

I made a couple of stuff sacks and a little hanging pocket for the ridgeline of my hammock but then, after much research on this forum, I took the plunge and made and underquilt. The material was from "fabrics'n'stuff", the insulation is primaloft from "extremtextil" (the usual - no affiliations just good reviews/recommendations from this site).

I made a few drawings but to be honest a lot of it was made up as I went along and ran into problems I hadn't foreseen.
I tried to make the underneath wider than the upper so that the insulation wouldn't be compressed too much when the quilt was curved around me. In the end this has "sort of" worked but could be done much better.

The photos below (sorry about the quality) show the various stages. It will attach using the shockcords hung over the gathered ends of my hammock. The ends can be gathered up to keep cold air out - I'll need to play with it a bit to get the optimum "gathered in-ness". The seams were finished with black grosgrain.

The seams and quilting stitchlines are very wonky, it will never win any prizes for beauty - but I think it will work. It is certainly very warm (I used it as an extra duvet last weekend when my boiler broke). I know it is a bad workman that blames his tools but I don't really think I could make it any better than this without a signifcant upgrade to my sewing machine. Until then I'm quite happily making my own ugly yet functional gear for much less than it would cost to buy it ready made and having tremendous fun doing it.
The next step is to make a "weather shield" for it, to stop splashes of water hitting it from below and add another layer of wind resistance.

 

[coln18]

10 out of 10, love it when i see someone jumping in and giving it a bash, looks good to me mate and i bet if you were to try another one it would be even better.

 

[topknot]

Hi,
That looks real good , and you have learned from it.

Topknot

 

[Teepee]

Good on ya for getting stuck in

The first ones are the hardest, they get much easier. Getting the differential right( making the bottom bigger than the top) isnt so important on synthetics anyway-it'll be great for ya.

A wonky seam line that you stitched yourself is worth 10 perfect bought ones

I'm with you on the weather cover, just about to start one myself.

 

[Shewie]

That looks spot on, nice work

I was going to mention some cord to cinch up the ends to stop draughts, but then I spotted you have some

Let us know how you get on, try and find it's limits in terms of temp

 

[PDA1]

Excellent work, particularly for a first attempt. Given the type of insluation used, did you really need quilting lines the full length of the quilt? Ray Jardine just uses spot quilting on his quilts. Might save a lot of heartache sewing the most difficult lines. Some really good ideas for design and execution on Hammock Forums
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=85
Now you can have fun adjusting it so there are no gaps between the hammock and quilt when in use. Makes an enormous difference if you get that sorted. If you make a waterproof cover, bear in mind that you will have condensation build up in the quilt if not adequately ventilated. BTWl what brand of insulation is it exactly?

 

[silentbob]

...did you really need quilting lines the full length of the quilt? Ray Jardine just uses spot quilting on his quilts. Might save a lot of heartache sewing the most difficult lines

BTWl what brand of insulation is it exactly?

Thanks for the feedback everyone - I did wonder if I needed quilting lines all the way along but didn't want to risk all the insulation just ending up in a big lump at the bottom. Shame since that was the hardest part to do.

This is the link for the brand of insulation. I used the Primaloft one 200g:
http://www.extremtextil.de/catalog/Isolation:::53.html

It is the only insulation I could source from here in the UK. Since it came from Germany it was what put the total cost right up.

 

[Corin]

Awesome job mate! you have given me some ideas!
Good to see your a scout too!

 

[jackcbr]

Over engineering isn't always a bad thing. Your quilting seems make sure you don't get any gathering and you learnt something. As long as it doesn't affect it's operation or cost too much more, why not belt and braces. Nice work either way.

 

[PDA1]

I think you are absolutely correct in needing to prevent the Primaloft bunching. I just thought you have used the most difficult way to do it. This illustrates the "spot" quilting to which I referred :
http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Quilt-Kit/index.htm

Might make the next one a little easier.
Anyway, congratulations, this is an inspiration to us all.

 

[woodspirits]

quality work, thats just as good as any shop bought quilt. thats going to keep you cosy well done mate.

 

[Chiseller]

Good health :thumbup: its summat I'd like a go at....or to encourage 'er outdoors to well done.

 

[RichardIT]

Very nice

 

[resnikov]

How many layers of the primaloft did you use and what sort off temps have you been down to?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[silentbob]

I used two layers of the Primaloft.
I've only had chance to use it a couple of times since I made it. The coldest was at Giant's Seat earlier this year. It only went down to about -2 but it was absolutely toasty.

The only problem I had was cold feet. I used my sleeping bag as a top quilt, leaving the bottom 18 inches or so of the zip fastened as the box for my feet, but the underquilt is only a 3/4 length so there was nothing under my feet. If I made another one I'd make it about 12 inches longer just for that reason.

I'm afraid I don't know how low the temp would have to go before I'd feel the cold but I think it would do fine in most UK weather.
If I did get cold I think it would be fixed by lowering the edges of my tarp further below the level of my hammock to reduce windflow underneath me rather than needing more insulation.

Hope that helps (and makes sense!)

 

[Teepee]

The only problem I had was cold feet. I used my sleeping bag as a top quilt, leaving the bottom 18 inches or so of the zip fastened as the box for my feet, but the underquilt is only a 3/4 length so there was nothing under my feet. If I made another one I'd make it about 12 inches longer just for that reason.

A good fix for this and both that I and many use with shorter UQ's are;

A piece of CCF mat, same size as the rucksack compartement can be easily carried, adds extra padding to the pack and put under your feet, keeps them warm. A few of blobs of silicone sealant on the mat will keep it in place, under your feet.

A warm jacket/jumper/gilet done up and put over your feet is also a great and easy fix to cold feet.

Lowering the tarp will help only marginally.