Up until this point, I have slept in a traditional mummy bag or under a double quilt. Now, I’m about to make a summer quilt for one. I am going to use 1.1 oz/sy nylon for the shell and 2.5 oz/sy Climashield XP for the insulation (one layer).

My question is, what size should I make it? My tentative plans call for a tapered rectangle measuring 52” wide at the head, 44” wide at the foot and, 79” long.

I am 6’-2” tall and weigh 190 pounds. I am always a side sleeper. I use a 2” thick inflatable pad to sleep on.

I want to keep this as light (small) as possible while still covering me comfortably. OK, so fire away, all you quilt dwellers! Is this too narrow at the head? Too wide at the feet? Too long, since I draw up my knees somewhat?

On another design note: should I simply sew omni-tape along the bottom edge and a little up the sides to close the footbox in Ray-Way style, or should I sew a circle end at the foot maybe 10” or so in diameter. The advantage of the Ray-Way style is that I could lay the quilt flat (although, if I need a quilt, I would probably want a footbox). The advantage of the sewn-in insulated disc at the foot would make the effective length seem longer, therefore the quilt could be a bit shorter.

Looking for the community’s much respected advise.

Since both fabric and insulation come in 60" rolls, why not just make it the full width and then decrease the dimensions gradually? That's what I did. I don't know about velcro (omni-tape is a type of velcro) for the edges... I tried it briefly but was ultimately not impressed. The best way I found to secure a quilt to a sleeping pad is straps, like what Nunatak quilts have.

Edited by artsandt on 11/09/2008 16:49:01 MST.

There are lots of good designs and instructions on the web. Just Google "make your own backpacking quilt". Here's an example.
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/make-quilt/index.html

As for proportions, I like to keep the widest at about 55 inches. I'm a large 6'2" and sleep on my side sometimes and toss and turn a lot. I taper the top 12" down to 48" at the shoulder and taper to the foot starting at 24" from the bottom. The flat foot section is 36" wide. In other words, this quilt is rather barrel-shaped. I also use a zippered or velcroed foot section (Jardine style) instead of a boxed foot so the quilt can be opened out flat for quick drying. A #3 zipper will work if you put a keeper at the top end to keep it from unzipping voluntarily. I use buttons as keepers. The foot section is rounded. That gives my feet enough room.

If you start your taper from the top, you may find your legs and/or hips don't have enough coverage. Tapering the top 12" as described saves weight by eliminating some unnecessary bulk. Again, think of a barrel.

Regarding Omni-Tape, I've tried it. On this particular design I tend to kick it loose too easily. Regular Velcro has worked OK for me, but I've used small zippers on my last 4 quilts and I like them better than Velcro.

Edited by vickrhines on 11/09/2008 18:21:56 MST.

Quilt Design Secret #5 Revealed:

However wide you decide to make the top, think about cutting/rounding the top corners a bit to limit the amount that has to be bunched up at the neck.

We start about 5" below the top on the sides and start a taper so the total width of the top edge is about 6" less than the quilt max width about 6" down from the top edge.

Just use a nice smooth radius for the corner cut.

It helps the quilt to feel a bit less like the super bushy wolverine is wrapped too tightly around the neck.

Vick, thanks for the link. You and Ron both pointed out a good idea of tapering the top, also.

I too am starting to doubt the omni-tape idea. Not enough holding power for a thrasher like me.

Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming folks!

Those dimensions looks about like what i've used in the past, and im about your size. Unless you plan on using your quilt as a hammock underquilt, some form of 3D footbox would serve you well vs velcro. I think that purpose is why many of the gear manufacturers make their quilts fully openable. A side sleeper with a rayway footbox isn't ideal since the seam won't orient with the way your foot is positioned.

David, that's a good point about the 3D footbox vs ray-way footbox for side sleepers.

Michael,
Hope you take LOTS of photos on this project so you can inspire a few of us on the edge of making a quilt to move forward !!!!

Thanks
Kevin