MYOG Goose Down Sleep Socks

MYOG Goose Down Sleep Socks
Easy MYOG goose down sleep socks.

Goose down sleep socks – what could be better when you’re snuggled inside your sleeping bag but your feet are still a tad bit chilly?

Beings OffGrid wanted a pair for his colder backpacking adventures and we’d already made down quilts and a balaclava, why not ensure toasty tootsies too?

And so the quest for easy-to-make down socks began…

To make sewing these down socks easy, I developed a one-piece pattern with two simple darts to create the sock shape, which eliminates piecing in the sole. All you have to sew is the darts, the front and toe seams, connect the inner and outer pieces, and then stuff and close. Simple, right?

No? Well, if you want to see me make these down socks before you try them on your own, watch How to Make Goose Down Socks at JoelHornOffGrid. Otherwise, let’s get started!

Pattern

First, you’ll have to create your pattern, so we took a picture of ours on a grid. It’s not a too-complicated shape so you should be able to look at the measurements and replicate it on paper. I used regular tissue paper but you can use what you have, taping pieces together if needed.

Goose Down Sleep Socks Pattern

This is a one size fits many. I wear women’s 8.5 and these sleep socks are plenty roomy but super comfy. Our son wears men’s 11 and they fit him, as well. Keep in mind that the insulation comes from the loft, so roomy is good!

But if you do want (or need) to adjust the size, simply shorten or lengthen the foot area a little between the dart and the toe area. Just be sure you don”t make them too snug.

Materials

In addition to a sewing machine and basic sewing supplies, you will need:

  • Calendered nylon (we used a 24in x 72in leftover piece of 1.5oz)
  • Goose down (we used 1.2oz 800 FP but will up it to 1.6oz next time)
  • Shock cord (we used about 2 feet)
  • Cord locks (2)

Instructions

  1. Cut 4 sock pieces from calendered nylon. Note that each piece is cut on the fold.
  2. Open up each piece and mark the location of the darts, heel tab and the start of the stitch line on the shiny side of the calendered nylon. Although I used the same color for both the inside and outside, I’d recommend using different colors, if possible, to make construction even easier.
  3. Cut 4 strips of nylon about 1/2in wide by 2in long for heel tabs, which will help keep your inner layer in place when you take off your sleep socks.
  4. Sew the heel tabs securely in place on the shiny side of the fabric.
  5. Sew both darts on each piece, backstitching at both ends of the stitch line, and trim to a 1/4in seam allowance.
  6. On each outer sock piece, fold in half with the right sides together, matching the top, toe, and dart seams. Pin within the seam allowance, if desired. Sew a 1/4in seam from 2in below the top to the toe. Again, always be sure to backstitch whenever you start or stop sewing.
  7. Match up the toe, centering the seam on the tab. Pin, as needed, and sew a 1/4in seam there, as well.
  8. On each inner sock piece, do the same thing except use a 5/8in seam and trim the seam allowance down to 1/4in after sewing. DO NOT trim off the toe tab.
  9. Turn your outers and inners right side out.
  10. For each sock, with right sides together, match up an outer with an inner at the top front and sew them together from the top edge down to the front seam 2in below. Be sure to overlap the front seam a little and backstitch so there’s no hole there for down to escape through. Repeat on the other side.
  11. Turn your sock pieces inside out again, overlap the toe tabs and sew each to the seam allowance of the opposite toe.
  12. Then overlap the heel tabs and sew them together securely.
  13. Reach your hand inside the outer and grab the toe of the inner through the fabric, and turn the sock right side out with the liner inside the outer cover.
  14. Weigh your sock and then stuff each with down, pushing it well into the toe area. Re-weigh your sock and add more down until you reach the amount you want.
  15. Align your inner and outer at the top edge and pin. Remember that the inner is smaller than the outer so you should have some foldover of the outer fabric on both sides at the front. Sew the top closed 1.5in from the edge.
  16. Sew the layers together 1/4in from the edge to create a fold line.
  17. Fold on the stitchline and sew down the raw edge. Don’t worry if the fold is slightly above the stitchline.
  18. Fold the top over 3/4in and pin. Then sew 1/2in from the top edge to form your casing.
  19. Run shock cord through the casing, attach the cord lock and tie the cord ends, then pat your sock until you get the down evenly distributed and you’re done!

Keep in mind that these are are sleep socks – for warmth while sleeping or just sitting around. They’re NOT slippers. They’re NOT for hiking. If you walk around on them, not only will you be immediately acquainted with the cold you’re trying to avoid, you might rip a hole in them and lose your down altogether. So treat them as you would your down sleeping bag/quilt.

For a detailed tutorial, see How to Make Goose Down Socks at JoeHornOffGrid.

Interested in More MYOG Projects?

In addition to our goose down gear (a trio of down quilts, several pairs of down socks and a down balaclava), we’ve also made stuff sacks, a few merino wool shirts, a fleece hoodie, and a silnylon rain suit. My goal is to simplify the construction process of each project and then share the results here and on OffGrid’s YouTube channel.

So go subscribe to JoelHornOffGrid on YouTube and be sure to click the notification bell so you know when we upload more MYOG projects.

MYOG Lightweight Backpack

DIY Backpack
DIY backpack made from MYOG leftovers and cannibalized parts and pieces.

We’re finally done with the Pacific Crest Side Loader, OffGrid’s unusual custom-designed lightweight backpack made from MYOG project leftovers and cannibalized parts and pieces. It’s got everything he wanted exactly where he wanted it – at least for now. He might figure out some improvements if he carries it 500 miles across the Sierras in a few months. But first, before committing to taking it on the PCT, he’s going to do some intense durability testing closer to home. After all, some of those up-cycled pieces had seen better days.

And just how much does this “lightweight” 60-liter backpack weigh? OffGrid says about 40 ounces (2.5 pounds), which is 10 ounces heavier than his Gossamer Gear Mariposa but considerably less than his Osprey.

So… what was the total cost of this colorful DIY backpack? Zero. Yes, zero. Like I said, he re-purposed parts from old items (backpack, ATV cargo bag, tent sack, etc.) and used leftover fabric and hardware from other projects. He also borrowed the frame and belt from his Gossamer Gear Mariposa backpack. And I contributed a colorful array of thread (I had several bobbins I wanted emptied) so it’s not only a functional backpack, it’s also a work of art!

Loaded Pacific Crest Side Loader Backpack
A lot of gear fits into the Pacific Crest Side Loader!

A little backstory: In an attempt to solve some common backpacking frustrations, OffGrid has been experimenting with his unorthodox design. After much brainstorming and consultation with his on-site sewing technical advisor (that would be me), we figured out how to piece the thing together, which was a bitch but sure turned out good! Hopefully we can figure out how to simplify the construction process so we can share the design with others. Until then, don’t try this at home!

Drawstring or Enclosed Footbox?

If you’re going to make a down backpacking quilt, one of your key decisions will be whether to have an enclosed footbox or just use a drawstring to suck the bottom in below your feet. Beings we’ve tried both styles, we thought we’d share our experience and thoughts.

We’ve made two backpacking quilts so far and are looking forward to our third. (Geez – almost sounds like I’m talking about kids!)

Enclosed Footbox
MYOG backpacking quilt with enclosed footbox.

Our first is a three-season, 10-degree bad boy with staggered vertical continuous box baffles on the top, horizontal baffles from about mid-thigh down, and the ever-so-toasty enclosed footbox. We chose this design based on the scant MYOG info we found on YouTube and various blogs/forums.

Creating the enclosed footbox required fitting a down-filled “plug” into the end of quilt, which makes it more like a sleeping bag below the knees. While some folks opt for a rectangular or square box, I chose round so I didn’t have to deal with sewing corners. The “plug” turned out great and provides three inches of loft between your tootsies and Jack Frost. (Not sure what happened to my pic – the quilt looks discolored but is really just green. Must be the lighting.)

Drawstring Footbox
MYOG ultralight backpacking quilt with drawstring footbox.

Our second is an ultralight 30-degree summer-weight beauty with horizontal triangular (AKA V or V-box) baffles and a simple drawstring to pull the foot end closed. While this design may not fully stop cold air seeping in, it does seem to do a pretty good job.

We found a few significant advantages to the drawstring bottom. In addition to being MUCH easier to sew than the enclosed footbox, it’s also adjustable. And while it may not be quite as warm, it’s also not as hot in warmer weather because you can easily convert it into a blanket.

So our third addition to the family will be a 3.5-in loft, 0-degree chill chaser, that will definitely have a drawstring footbox. And the little bit of cold that might seep in? Well, that little problem will be easily negated by the down booties (socks) we made (instructions coming soon!).

If you’re interested in more info on how we made our ultralight backpacking quilt, see our detailed video on YouTube and the basic instructions here on WQ.

 

MYOG Ultralight Down Backpacking Quilt

MYOG Down Ultralight Backpacking Quilt

Good news! With a basic sewing machine and a little time (OK – maybe slightly more than a little), you can save money and create your very own high-end gear. “How?” you ask. Well, read on for the answer.

After sewing in strips of noseeum mesh to create box baffles on our first two quilts, we decided there just had to be an easier way – so we figured out how to create triangular baffle fabric using a continuous piece of mesh. If this technique has been used elsewhere, it’s certainly not well documented on the internet, so we figured we’d add more info to the pool.

Our directions are for a summer-weight quilt for someone in the mid-5-foot range, but you could easily modify it to fit any height by using longer calendered taffeta and noseeum mesh yardage. You could also upgrade it to a warmer quilt by scaling up to increase the thickness for more loft.

We buy our fabrics and components from RipStopByTheRoll and our goose down from DownLinens. Altogether, the cost for this quilt was about $130. Considering you’d pay more than double that to buy a similar quilt, making your own gear makes a lot of sense – and saves a lot of cents, too!).

And now, finally, here are the written instructions for creating your very own MYOG Ultralight Down Backpacking Quilt.

Materials/Supplies

In addition to a sewing machine and basic sewing supplies, you will need:

  • 4 yards .66 oz calendered nylon taffeta (58″ wide)
  • 3 yards .5 oz noseeum mesh (62″ wide) (preferably NOT black)
  • 10 oz 850 fill goose down
  • 3 yards 3/32″ shock cord
  • 2 mini cordlocks
  • 3 snaps
  • 1 yard 5/8″ grosgrain ribbon
  • 1 22-yard roll 1/4″ quilter’s tape
  • 70/30 polyester thread
  • Bit of painters tape

Basic Instructions

NOTE: These basic instructions are supplemental to our demo video, How to Make an Ultralight Backpacking Quilt.

  1. Starting 3.5″ from one end, mark your noseeum mesh across the width of the fabric every 3″ along the full length of the yardage.
  2. With the calendered (shiny) side in, fold your taffeta in half across the width of the fabric to form a double-thickness rectangle 58″ wide x 2 yards long, and then mark the fold at each edge with a Sharpie.
  3. Sew the mesh to the taffeta 4″ from the fold.
  4. Rotate your fabric and sew the first marked line on the mesh to the taffeta 6″ from the fold.
  5. Rotate the fabric again and sew the next marked line on the mesh 4″ from the previous line on that side. MAKE SURE YOU’RE ALTERNATING SIDES.
  6. Repeat rotating and sewing along the taffeta yardage, stopping 4″ or so from the end; trim away the excess mesh.
  7. Sew your taffeta layers together 1/4″ from the edge across the bottom to close, and then fold on the stitch line and sew the raw edge down.
  8. Sew across the taffeta 1.5″ from the bottom to create the casing area, and then baste 1″ from the bottom for the casing fold line.
  9. Sew across the taffeta 1.5″ from the fold at the top to create the casing area, and then baste 1″ from the fold for the casing fold line.
  10. Taper the foot, if desired.
  11. Trim the excess mesh along the side(s).
  12. Sew 1/2″ from the edge down one side to close, fold along the stitch line and fold the raw edge under, and then sew along the folded fabric to finish.
  13. Insert goose down into each baffle.
  14. Sew 1/2″ from the edge down the remaining side to close, fold along the stitch line and fold the raw edge under, and then sew along the folded fabric to finish.
  15. Attach pairs of male and female snap pieces to folded grosgrain ribbon and sew in place next to the fold line within the casing area on both ends of your quilt. Note that the ribbon will overlap the casing stitch line. Also attach a snap on the sides of the quilt at the top of the taper.
  16. To create the drawstring at each end, sew a folded piece of grosgrain ribbon to the end of the shock cord and run it through the casing, and then sew through the casing and ribbon to secure.
  17. Attach a cord lock to each drawstring and you’re done!

For a detailed demo, see How to Make an Ultralight Backing Quilt at JoelHornOffGrid on YouTube.

Interested in More MYOG Projects?

In addition to three (so far) down quilts, we’ve also made a few pairs of down booties, a down balaclava, stuff sacks, some merino wool shirts, a fleece hoodie, and a silnylon rain suit. With each project, I use my decades of sewing/quilting experience to simplify the construction process and will share the results here and on YouTube.

So if you haven’t already, go subscribe to JoelHornOffGrid on YouTube and be sure to click the notification bell so you know when we publish more MYOG how-to videos.

Want to Make an Ultralight Backpacking Quilt?

Well then, you’ve come to the right place!

Welcome to Wilderness Quilter. In addition to my own quilting adventures, you’ll find MYOG projects my hubby, OffGrid, has talked me into over the past couple of years.

We’ve already made three down quilts and I’ve heard rumblings about a fourth. I ask you, who needs four down quilts? I can easily explain three:

  1. 3-season backpacking quilt with enclosed footbox
  2. -10 degree quilt for our car top tent
  3. Ultralight summer-weight backpacking quilt

But what do you suppose the fourth one is for?

Anyway…

Instead of box baffles in the third quilt, we used a continuous piece of noseeum mesh to create triangular baffles, which we found to be much easier. In addition to the very basic written directions here on WQ, we also uploaded a detailed demo video on YouTube.

And so, if you do want to make a backpacking quilt, I hope this info will help. Happy sewing!