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  1. #1
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    Summer weight, sewn thru under quilt - instructions

    So you want to sew an underquilt, sewn thru style.
    Pins, pins and more pins! I found out that sewn thru is more difficult than a baffled quilt because the two layers of nylon want to swim all over the place while you're trying to sew them together.

    That being said, I did make one and it works. It kept me warm one night in Texas into the upper 30's while wearing my hiking clothes. It has 3 ounces of 900 fill power down from Ed Speer (now Tree to Trail Gear).

    So here goes: Basically, you are simply making a bunch of semi-circles in a row. The “flat” sides of the semi-circles will be next to the hammock (we will call this the “inside”) and the curved sides will be away from the hammock (we will call this the “outside”).

    The total size of quilt I made was 40” wide by 51” long with the stitching running longitudinal to the hammock. Pick whatever size you like. I am 6'-1” tall and just shy of 200 pounds and this is a perfect size for me with a foam pad under my feet and knees.

    The first thing you do is pick the average thickness of quilt you want to make. Then calculate the diagonal of your semi-circle which will be 8*thickness/pi. I other words. The average thickness multiplied by 2.55. This will be the width between stitches on the “inside” of the quilt.

    Now we need to calculate the stitch spacing on the “outside” of the quilt. That is pi/2 time the “inside” width that we just calculated above. In other words, the “inside” spacing multiplied by 1.57 to get the “outside” spacing of stitches.

    Now divide the desired minimum width of your quilt by the “inside” spacing and round UP to the nearest whole number. This is how many chambers you need. So, the final width of quilt will be the number of chambers times the “inside” width.

    How much down do you need? Just multiply the quilt width by the length by the average thickness and then divide all that by the fill power. That is how many ounces you will need.

    When you cut your fabric, don't forget to add width and length to make big enough hems that you can run you suspension shock cords through (hint: go bigger than you think you will need!).

    I run a 5' length of 1/8” shock cord through each of the two side channels, tie that to another 5' of 1.75mm Zing-it which loops over the end knot of the hammock and back to the other side of the quilt where it's tied to that shock cord. I do this at both ends. However, some folks like to attach shock cord to the corners of the quilt (no side channels) and run that around the end knot of the hammock. I like my way because I can then slide the underquilt toward the head or foot as needed, once I'm in the hammock.

    I run 3” of 3/32” shock cord through the head and then the foot end, with a cord lock on each, to cinch up the head and foot ends of the underquilt, as necessary.

    Some folks like to incorporate the “triangle thingies” in their suspension, but I have not found it to be necessary. YMMV.

    Here are the pics to prove I didn't just make this up
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  2. #2
    New Member bluethundra's Avatar
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    Nice work.

  3. #3
    Senior Member sir_n0thing's Avatar
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    Hey, nice work there!
    "I know the feeling - It is the real thing - You can't refuse the embrace!" | "Go n-éirí an bóthar leat."

  4. #4

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    Great looking quilt Mike! You do great work. I love the look and design of the extra baffles for insulation management. You gotta make sure that 3 ounces stays where it is suppose to..

    Now, being the gram weenie I know you to be, I am surprised you did not share the weight of that bad boy with us...

    ~Stormcrow
    Owner/Founder at Hammockgear.com - Hammock Camping Outfitters
    Home of the Burrow, the Incubator, and the Phoenix

  5. #5
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    Thanks everyone.

    Someone sent me a PM asked me for my pattern as they had seen me mention that I had made a sewn-thru underquilt. I have been meaning to write this up but never got around to it. The PM request spurred me into action and I wanted to post it in the forum so that others could critique it and suggest improvements for all to see. With all the great ideas swirling around on this forum, I figure this design will be like fine wine and improve with age.

    I tend to be conservative on all my quilts and keep my baffles close together to insure that my down doesn't migrate. It takes a little longer to sew a few more baffles but it's small compared to the total time to measure, cut and sew the whole project. I plan on using my quilts for a long time and I don't want to have problems with the down shifting on me.

    I can't believe that I didn't post the weight! What a glaring omission! the total weight with the suspension, using 1.1 ripstop nylon is 10.0 ounces. I pack it in a 4 liter, roll-top dry bag. It would fit in 2 liter one but, I don't like to compress my down too much.
    Last edited by MAD777; 09-09-2011 at 06:05.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  6. #6
    Senior Member Sarae's Avatar
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    Thanks so much for posting! I'll be sure to keep an eye on this thread for even more advice!
    In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    Nice work. Thanks for sharing.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Sarae's Avatar
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    Thanks!

    I've been meaning to post this for a couple weeks now. I had great results from following your instructions! Made up 2 summer UQs so some family could join in on a hammock backpacking trip. It only got down into the 60s, but they were comfortable nonetheless Thank you!

    I ended up doing 10 baffles with 4 oz of 900 fill down total. They each weigh around 11 oz. Nice!

    First image is the filling set up I rigged. Just some magnetic clips on the fridge holding up the quilt
    Second and third images are the underside and topside of the finished quilts.
    Fourth and fifth are the quilts in action.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Sarae; 09-29-2011 at 12:52.
    In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

  9. #9
    New Member
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    Where did you guys buy the material to do this project? I'm having a hard time finding the down?

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Wilderness logics, underground quilts, and thru-hiker.com all sell high quality down.

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