Weight your CDT First

[No_bugs]

I finally finished my Costco down throw topquilt project. Green, seam ripped, sewn footbox, four tiny snaps from my grandma's button box, and impatience at the wait before I can use it. However, when I was seam ripping for horizontal baffles I thought some of the squares didn't have much down. I figured it was just me paying more attention to it as I sat in front of the tv for hours. But after I finished the project, I noticed another CDT I have (red) seemed puffier. So I weighed them. Dang it. The red one weighs (with stuff sack) 16.4oz, and the green one (the top quilt, also with stuff sack but minus 20 squares of material) 14.3oz. I'm pretty sure that the material I cut out didn't weight 2 ounces, plus I added thread and snaps.

So, other newbies, weight your quilts before starting your project to decide which one to use. I had had three untouched CDTs to choose from and just randomly picked one of the green ones to distinguish it from the red underquilt I'd already made. And got an understuffed one.

[Smckinney0031]

Great info!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[TaoJones]

Adding down to a Costco down throw is a really simple process.

If you hang a CDT in front of a strong backlight you'll quickly notice that some of the squares have almost no down in them. Do it again after you finish ripping either the horizontal or vertical seams. You might also put it in the dryer for awhile with no heat to fluff the down - it's a long time and distance from the point of manufacture until you remove the CDT from its stuff sack and it needs a chance to breathe.

That said, these things don't contain much down, anyway, and it isn't the highest quality of down, either. That's not surprising given the price point it's designed to hit.

If you do decide to augment the down, get a better quality and buy as much as you think you'll need to make the quilt meet your performance requirements. If you aren't picky about down quality, then repurposing an old down parka or other product you can probably find at a local thrift store at a low cost should be sufficient.

Shake the down in your CDT to one end of the channels, then open the other now-empty channel ends. Add whatever down you've gotten your hands on equally to each channel, then re-sew the ends. Another trip through the dryer on the fluff setting (no heat) will help evenly distribute the down in the quilt - if it doesn't, do your best at re-distributing the down by hand.

Once again, hang the quilt in front of a strong backlight and check the down distribution. I believe you'll be much happier with your TQ at that point.

If you don't sew or don't have a sewing machine, a local tradesperson can probably help you out with such a simple project for a little cash. Good luck.