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MYOG Apex Quilt

Originally posted on Reddit.

After searching for a quilt that would meet all my requirements (long, synthetic, from EU, cheap), I decided to try MYOG - this is my first project.

The design is heavily inspired by the popular Backcountry Banter guide video, most of the differences are just small details.

Dimensions: 225 cm x 138/110 cm (88.5’’ x 54.3’‘/44.3’’), I’m a 196 cm (6’ 5’’) rather thin and cold side sleeper

Lessons learned:

  • lining up multiple layers of fabric and Apex is frustrating
  • more pins!
  • the part sewn in last, after turning it inside out, must be sewn without the Apex, now I’ve got some Apex sticking out a bit on the side
  • don’t overshoot the size - I would definitely reduce the width, length only slightly
  • backing up the sewing with paper is not necessary, nothing went wrong
  • a LOT of space is needed, I made it work in my room but I’d definitely do it somewhere else with more room on the sides if I were to do it again
  • carpets are the enemy of Apex - I made sure to vacuum beforehand and put a polycryo sheet underneath but some hair still made its way onto the apex surface and I managed to poke some holes in the polycryo sheet with pins
  • zippers are hard - I managed to stitch too close to the teeth in one spot and now the slider gets stuck on it. I’d like to fix it, but don’t know how without messing it up even more.

Future work:

  • I need to figure out the best way for pad attachment, I’ve got an elastic cord but no idea how to secure it to the quilt tabs
  • Silpoly tarp coming in the next few days, stay tuned! (next post)

Camp mode using the footbox cinch opening.

Took up the whole room. It took a long time to get everything straight and create the base rectangle - 90 degree angles are not as easy as it sounds.

Turns out kam snaps are kinda fun.

3 snap pairs (top, 2 zipper ends), 2 pairs for strap attachment (attachment solution TBD).

Sewing everything together. Keeping everything lined up was really hard, stitches are definitely not exactly where I wanted them but they’re functional.

Footbox detail. The cinch channel was definitely the most annoying part to pin and sew. One part of the zipper is stitched very close to the zipper, so it gets stuck every time in this spot, maybe I’ll try to fix it somehow but I’m afraid I could mess it up even more.

Finished!

Blanket mode - it’s super long on purpose (for a tall guy) but the extra width seems a bit unnecessary. Also the taper could be longer.