Joann fabrics and quilt supplies

I want to make a summer bag/quilt but want to make it cheaply. Has one one made a summer bag entirely from fabrics from Joanne's? The insulation seems to be the biggest concern to me. The lightweight ripstop is not an issue. Weight is only of mild concern.
Thanks,
Scott

JoAnn seems to be targeted to home sewists and crafters, not the outdoor crowd. Once I found some Thinsulate, but that seems to be no longer stocked. If weight truly is not an issue, you probably could use their offerings to make a summer quilt, but may do as well buying a pre-made quilted blanket on sale. Depending on the temperature range you anticipate, if you still want to make a quilt, consider using "lame" (lah-may) fabric which is metallized as your inside face. It should reflect some heat. It may feel a bit scratchy, so you may also want to wear some sort of PJs using this fabric.

DIY, you get to make it just the way you want it. making camping equipment is fun. but if all you want is getting a piece of equipment cheaply, consider buying on the used market. I have heard of others who bought used down clothing/pillows from goodwill and harvested the down for projects(seems like a cheap way of getting down to me)

You are spot on with regard to buying used gear as a money-saving strategy. Our OP seemed to indicate a wish for a DIY experience. Planning to use harvested down from thrift shop items might work, but the down is likely to be of lesser quality, either beaten to near end-of-usefulness or mixed with a lot of feathers. Coupled with the effort to make a down item, it may not be worth it. Weight was not an issue, making synthetic fills good options.

you're totally right , harvested down will be of poorer quality! I only offered that as an money saving alternative.

I researched it and it looks like it does not make any sense to drop in quality that much. I had read about the possibility about using Joanne's (or other domestic fabric stores) from a post on another forum somewhere. Nobody had actually done it but someone suggested it. Considering I will not approximately 1-1.5 inches of insulation, that is too many layers of crappy stuff to make sense.
Regarding using reclaimed down from thrift store... DON'T DO IT!!! I have personal experience with this one. Its much less down and more fluffy, very small feathers that will constantly come out of the bag and you will wake up covered in tiny feathers.

I'm finding that JoAnne's is not the place for Civil War civilian wear, either. I have found underpinning fabrics there, but none of their many cotton prints are even remotely suitable for the 19th century, and their wool is both expensive and part synthetic. .

They have linen that might work...but yeah..

Online is really the best way to buy DIY material that is exactly what you want. With Joan's, you have to compromise. You can easily use their ripstop and batting for a quilt. But the ripstop is heavy, as well as the batting. Plus the ripstop isn't that much cheaper that really light ripstop online.

First, I have not found that Joanns has less expensive material- on the contrary, I can always find a better buy elsewhere.

Second, you put a lot of work in sewing an item, so using high quality material makes sense. The only exception is when I make a proto-type in order to experiment and come up with a pattern. I once cut up and used worn-out stuff sacks to test a backpack design.

Internet buying frustrates me because they charge an arm and leg for "shipping and handling" for outdoor material, which really ships cheaply because it is light weight. Often you will pay more for shipping than the material!

I looked at this route recently since I want to make a quilt as well. JAF is not a good source, the synthetic insulation is heavier, bulkier, and more expensive than Climashield. My skills at sewing do not allow for a down product, so I went with 3.6 oz/yd CS.

Searched may places, the least expensive I found was by sourcing everything from Ripstop by the Roll. Going cheap I could make it for $43.55 (less if you want to use end-of-roll, but they didn't have any colors I cared much for), I went for Taffeta as a lighter material, thought a good deal more expensive, topping out at $69.70 for everything.

Ray Jardine still sells his quilt kit on his web site (rayjardine.com). The most basic one is $89, and that's a warm-weather only version. I guess the question is how low the temperature might go where and when you're using it.

The common synthetic insulations found at Fabric Depot, etc. are too heavy and not compressible enough to make a satisfactory bag or quilt.

I wouldn't completely dismiss the idea of harvesting down from an old bag, jackets, etc. It won't be the lightest or the best, but could be adequate and cheap, especially if making a relatively thin, sewn-through quilt. If you're using baffled construction, there's so much work involved you might as well spend the money on good insulation if possible. You can, if you have some time on your hands, "grade" the down by hand, removing all the little pinfeathers. I've actually done this, and it was quite a chore, but it worked.

I made a down bag using "floor down" from Feathered Friends, which is the down they vacuum up after a day of making bags. It has to be washed, and it contained a few bits of assorted debris. If I were doing it again, I'd just spring for the good stuff and avoid the hassle, but the point is it worked.

I agree that the generic insulation I purchased at JAF is of poor quality. I purchased some at JAF for an emergency sleeping bag and it did not work well. I never used that bag, but my brother-in-law (a warm sleeper by the way) said he almost froze to death in it. I threw it away.