I just finished my first quilt project a few days ago. All of the ideas for this project were found here on BPL and I got some helpful tips from several members. After many trips I realized that I just cant sleep in a mummy bag, I move around to much and tend to sleep with my legs bent. I tested the quilt in my backyard at 48 degrees and was comfortable enough that I dozed off for over an hour before the neighbors barking dog woke me up. Until now I have avoided long hikes because of the lack of sleep issue... no longer!

The quilt is 48 inches wide at the head end then tapers to 56 inches at the shoulder and continues for 18 inches before tapering to 40 inches at the foot end. I found that no shock cord was needed at about 48 degrees with warm weather clothing on. The silk was a bit of a pain to work with but feels so nice on my skin I think it was worth the effort. The sewn footbox isnt pretty, I think I'll go with a drawcord closure next time. The draw cord at the head end was easy to sew and really helps to hold in body heat. The zipper was a PIA and looks rather sloppy but Im willing to live with it.

Materials: 1.1 Ripstop nylon from DIY gear supply

8 Homme Habotai silk from Dharma Trading

2.5 Climashield Apex from ThruHiker

1/2 inch grosgrain from ThruHiker

1/8 inch shock cord from ThruHiker

#3 zipper, snap, and polyester thread from my local Ben Franklin

Total weight came in at 15.2 ounces. Thats 9 oz lighter than my Mountain Hardwear Lamina 45, and more importantly... I can sleep now.

Edited by brucetbo on 04/25/2012 08:43:30 MDT.

Looks nice. Finished a similar (smaller) project for my daughter last week. Is that the olive brown or coyote brown 1.1 from DIY Gear Supply?

Thats the olive brown. I considered the olive green seconds, but decided I wanted the DWR coating. Im planning another for next season with lighter liner and shell materials.

Very nice project. I like the silk liner. I bet that is comfy. What temperature would you consider it rated to?

Thanks James, The silk is very comfortable and surprisingly inexpensive, it weighs about 1oz per sq/yd. For my next project Im considering the 5 homme to save a bit more weight. When I tested the quilt I was comfortable at 48 degrees but not hot at all. I carry a Terramar long sleeve top to sleep in when I expect temps below 50, this with my sleep pad and shock cord to keep the quilt wrapped around me would take me down to maybe 40 degrees? But Id certainly be fine at 45.

This quilt looks great, and is pretty much what I want to do, with a sewn footbox and sewn to my knees. I'll go visit my mom, who does decorative quilts, and let her handle the tricky parts.

My question is, what does the silk do to washability? I have a synthetic Lafuma bag that is holding up pretty well, with/despite being put in the front-load washing machine on "hand wash" cycle a few times.

BTW, the Lafuma has a squarish (trapezoidal) footbox that I really like. It's 7" across the bottom, 9" across the top, and 9.5" high. It works fine for my size 8.5's.

Edited by JohnJ on 04/29/2012 09:38:21 MDT.

Thanks John. I like the flexibility of the zippered footbox but it was a bit of a pain to install the zipper. As far as washing, I washed the silk in warm water on "delicate" so that it would shrink before I cut it to size. I also dyed it black then washed it again to rinse away any excess dye. After each washing I dried it in the dryer on low heat. I did notice some very minor unraveling at the cut ends after each wash but nothing messy or problematic. This was my first quilt and I used the 8 homme silk because I assumed it would be easier to work with and maybe a bit warmer than the lighter options. Ive read a few threads from BPL members who use 4.5 - 6 homme silk. I dont know if these weights might be more susceptible to raveling or other wear issues.

Did you use any kind of pattern for your quilt? I'm trying to gather more info in order to make my own warm weather quilt soon. Need to drop my 25oz summer bag.

I didnt have a pattern, but I used this drawing as a reference. I ended up adding 1 inch to both the head and foot ends as well as the middle section. Im 5'7 and 190lbs and have wide shoulders and the quilt is comfortable in width and length.

Good deal, thank you.