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  1. #1
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    Diy Karo Step topquilt

    Recently completed a diy Karo step topquilt using a lot of guidance from Dubberdesigns.com and several of his YouTube videos.

    Cannibalized some down from an old down comforter.

    Bought some Membrane 10 for the inside and some m15 for the outside.

    Used Tera 80 thread.

    Sewing step baffles is a pain in the butt, but makes a sweet quilt.



    Overall, probably twenty hours total. If I knew of a vendor that sold Karo style quilts, I would have probably just bought it. Never say never, but I don't think I'll have a desire to do this again in the future. Very tedious project that requires a lot of patience.

    Love this quilt though. Very warm and poofy.
    "If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison

  2. #2
    GilligansWorld's Avatar
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    Phenomenal work. If you find a vendor that does this please let us know

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Be The light in Someone's Darkness - Change the World one Act of Compassion, One Act of Kindness at a Time - We are All Living on Borrowed Time
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  3. #3
    Senior Member mistone's Avatar
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    That looks really good time and patience paid off in the long runThe best thing about making your gear you can say you made it that’s the satisfaction you get out of it and it feels good
    Its a good day to be out in the woods no matter the weather.Mist One..

  4. #4
    Senior Member Otter1's Avatar
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    VERY nice!

    How wide is each baffle and square width?

  5. #5
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    Hey, thanks for the compliments.

    The baffles are 3" finished. The Karo step boxes vary from 11 1/2 to 13 inch. The gaps between the boxes are two inches in each direction.

    The calculator I used suggested 3 inch baffles for a 20* rating, but this thing is lofty. Seems like maybe it will go colder. I also got carried away stuffing it with the repurposed down. I was concerned about loft and put 21 ounces of down in. So it weighs a solid 25.4 ounces. Being that it's 58x72, the weight seems comparable to some of the vendors.
    "If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison

  6. #6
    Senior Member Otter1's Avatar
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    Nice job. Please report back on how well the down stays put - the squares are large and the Karo quilts that I have had allowed down shift, even with squares a little smaller.

    It appears that you stuffed the quilt very well though - so I hope that your down doesn't move around much.

    Best of luck!

  7. #7
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Otter1 View Post
    Nice job. Please report back on how well the down stays put - the squares are large and the Karo quilts that I have had allowed down shift, even with squares a little smaller.

    It appears that you stuffed the quilt very well though - so I hope that your down doesn't move around much.

    Best of luck!
    Thanks Otter. I did reduce the recommended gap between each box to help slow down the movement of down. I hope it works out. I'll post some updates here after I put it in the cold a few nights. I'm already considering adding a baffle where the footbox joins the quilt.
    "If we lose the forests, we lose our only instructors. People must see these forests and wilderness as the greatest educational system that we have on the planet. If we lose all the universities in the world, then we would lose nothing. But If we lose the forests, we lose everything." -- Bill Mollison

  8. #8
    Senior Member Otter1's Avatar
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    Good point on the gaps!!! I didn't pay enough attention to that - that should help a ton.

    With all that down in the end panel, you may not need to add that extra baffle - it may press up against the rest of the quilt enough to have no gap, unless your toes go up into the edges. Try it one night and see.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Sunny Bear's Avatar
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    REALLY nice work man! Way to persevere through the tedious nature of the project. Making your own gear is amazing! You really learn the intricacies of the build and think of how to improve it while you're building it. I always love when people compliment the gear then ask, "Where did you get that? Who makes that?"

    I did feels so good to say I made it! I'm still rocking the same hammock that I made 5 years ago. I switch out many different suspensions, all of which I made, for different trips but the same hammock everytime.

    Now that you realize what you're capable of.......What's your next project?

    Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Senior Member Cabmanhang's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sunny Bear View Post
    REALLY nice work man! Way to persevere through the tedious nature of the project. Making your own gear is amazing! You really learn the intricacies of the build and think of how to improve it while you're building it. I always love when people compliment the gear then ask, "Where did you get that? Who makes that?"

    I did feels so good to say I made it! I'm still rocking the same hammock that I made 5 years ago. I switch out many different suspensions, all of which I made, for different trips but the same hammock everytime.

    Now that you realize what you're capable of.......What's your next project?

    Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk
    Thanks, Sunny. The value of diy is truly in the learning and feeling of accomplishment. Then you get the gear to use.

    I think my next project may be a **tent**.

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