I've never made anything myself (since maybe 4th grade...) and I'm going to try to tackle a quilt-to-pad attachment system as my first project. I've found grosgrain ribbon, but now I'm looking for center release buckles (or another kind that lay really, really flat...). Any ideas of a source?? I don't know enough of the suppliers to find any.....

Thanks in advance!!

scroll down about halfway.



http://www.questoutfitters.com/plastic.htm#Acetal%20Fasteners

Thanks Ken!! That's perfect. There's enough stuff here that it might even change my idea a bit.

Their customer service is top notch as well. They will also adjust your postage rate. So don't expect to pay as much for shipping a few light items.

Try The Rain Shed, at http://www.therainshed.com/Hardware.htm
They have the heavier type. Would not recommend the watch band type for any BP use I can think of - too fragile.

The light watch band buckles work just fine for quilt to pad connections. Most quilt manufacturers use them in their pad attachment system.

I got my center release buckles http://www.owfinc.com/hardware.html -- part GCR3/4. The ones from Quest look identical. They work just fine.

I also got my gros-grain from OWF. Be careful about using gros-grain from your local fabric store, since gros-grain refers to the weave and not the material. If you buy from one of the outdoor suppliers like Quest or OWF you'll be fine. Even with the gros-grain from OWF, it is thin enough that it crinkles under the center release buckle; it works just fine, but you have to be a little deliberate when you slide the buckle along the ribbon to not let the ribbon scrunch up.

I posted photos of my quilt-to-pad system, here's the link in case you missed it.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=69689

In that post I focused on a double quilt, but should have said that the system would be great for a single as well. I've got a Nunatak single quilt, and it uses the same materials (gros-grain and center-release-buckles) to pull the quilt together underneath you -- but IMO it's better to attach it to the pad instead so it doesn't migrate when you roll.

Amy

Your post was my inspiration. It looked easy enough to do, but seemed the best way to snug the quilt wherever I wanted and still be able to get out.

I should have the stuff by the weekend and will give it a try. Thanks again for the pictures...made it easy to try to figure out.

Jennifer,
I updated my original thread with this info, but thought I should share it here in case it's useful to you.
Quest Outfitters sells gros grain ribbon in FIRM or SOFT. When I tried the SOFT variety, the buckle causes the ribbon to wrinkle and frumple. I've now built with FIRM gros grain and it is significantly better.
Amy