tesco down bag / convert to blanket

Thinking about trying one of these cheap Tesco down bags and converting to a blanket. So by removing all the.down from the bottom and adding to top hopefully be warmer with still same pack size . Is it wide enough , and any thoughts on if it will work or how to go about it ?

I have thought about altering a bag I have. I sleep on my front so usually turn the bag upside down so the hood is over my head rather than burying my face in it. I also find sleeping bags can be a bit restrictive for my arms. I have an old Blacks Icelandic that I have used a few times by opening the short zip and having that underneath me so the bag is on its side. This is more comfortable but the bag doesn't have a hood and is heavy.

I had thought of taking a cheap down 2 season bag I have and shifting the down to the base, removing the side zip and sewing that side up and then putting a short slit down the front with no zip. This would be more of a quilt design and suit my sleeping position better.

However, everytime I look at it the amount of work involved puts me off and I get worried about all the down exploding as soon as I open it up I also wonder whether having so much of the down on the top and sewn up sides whether this would leave cold spots at the side.

There are quite a few full tutorials and threads on converting sleeping bags into quilts on a number of sites; in particular the MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) section of the backpackinglight.com forum is full of information. Unless the bag is considerably too small for you as a bag then it will certainly be large enough as a quilt, since you won't be completely wrapped in it.

The open back style of quilts will probably work rather better than a straight blanket, I'd suggest, especially if you leave about 18" sewn up as a footbox to stop the quilt from sliding off your feet in the middle of the night. Some people add straps to hold the whole thing in place around them, but I find that the most I need is usually some sort of fastening around the neck. A drawcord, or a piece of shock-cord and mini-carabiner clip, will snug in the top end nicely. The MYOG threads also discuss practicalities such as stopping the down from coating your entire house during the process (a hoover and a piece of fine cloth being key components) and many are profusely illustrated with photographs. You should find one depicting exactly the end result you're aiming for.