Organic Revolution
25th July 2005, 07:08
diy hammock!
Servings:
well, depending on how many you WANT to make...
Preparation Time:
2 hours
Ingredients
* 3 yards (3m) durable fabric, at least 36" wide (1m).
* sewing thread
* approx 50 ft. (15m) non-strechable and strong rope; we recommend 3/8" (1cm) diameter polypropylene rope
Cooking Instructions
Now that you have all of the tools and materials, we can jump right into the project. Let's cut the fabric to size. We recommend that you mark the cut-line and try to cut squarely and straight because it will make the sewing step a little more straightforward. We started with 36" (1m) wide fabric and used a little of this width to make seams on each edge. While this was a good width it was at the narrow end of the scale. If you make your hammock too wide, on the other hand, the sides tend to completely envelop you - while this is comfortable (some people actually prefer this), your view of the surroundings becomes limited. We recommend anywhere between 36" and 46" (1 - 1.2m). Choose a narrower dimension if the users will be small or medium size; the wider version works for almost anyone.
The ideal length of the hammock seems to be about 24" (60cm) longer than the tallest user. They can be made longer with similar functionality, but doing so adds unnecessary weight. Any shorter and your head and/or feet will be become cramped up at the ends. We cut our fabric to 36" x 8' (1 x 2.5m).
With the fabric cut to the desired dimension, you need to sew seams on the edges; if you fail to sew seams, the fabric is likely to fray and slowly fall apart. As shown in the picture on the right, we folded about 3/8" (1cm) of the edges of the fabric twice, and then sewed along the edge of this fold. If you only fold once, the exposed edge of the fabric will fray up to your sew-line which is unsightly. Note that making the seams for the ends is incorporated into the following step.
Next we need to sew a loop at each end to accept the rope that will be used to hold up the hammock. While performing this step, we also need to protect against fraying. We folded over about 3/8" (1cm) of fabric, and then folded over another 2" (5cm) in the same direction. Sewing along the end of the loop you just made yields a loop that will not fray. There are other techniques to achieve the same result, and they are acceptable as long as you create a strong loop that won't fray.
If you make the loop too narrow, it will be difficult to slide rope through; making it too wide, simply wastes material and makes the hammock heavier than it needs to be. A 2" - 3" (50 - 75mm) loop seems adequate. Although double stitching may be suitable, we sewed along the loop three times to ensure that we were making a very strong and long-lasting hammock. Repeat this step for the other end of the hammock.
At this point, you may be surprised to discover that the hammock itself is finished! All you need to do is cut the rope in half and thread it through the two loops that you just sewed. We recommend cutting more rope than you intend to use because doing so increases the possible locations for setting up your hammock. We cut our 3/8" (1cm) wide polypropylene rope in half to create two pieces that are 25 feet (7.5m) each.
You can thread the rope through the loops by tying a knot in one end and slowly feeding it along with your fingers. A much better solution is to push a stick (or dowel) through the loop, tie an end of the rope to the end of the stick, and pull the dowel and rope back through the loop. Once you have the rope through the loop, pull it so that it is centered. Repeat this step for the other loop.
This project is remarkably simple if you have access to, and are familiar with a sewing machine. If not, you can perform the sewing by hand, but you will need a little more patience.
Servings:
well, depending on how many you WANT to make...
Preparation Time:
2 hours
Ingredients
* 3 yards (3m) durable fabric, at least 36" wide (1m).
* sewing thread
* approx 50 ft. (15m) non-strechable and strong rope; we recommend 3/8" (1cm) diameter polypropylene rope
Cooking Instructions
Now that you have all of the tools and materials, we can jump right into the project. Let's cut the fabric to size. We recommend that you mark the cut-line and try to cut squarely and straight because it will make the sewing step a little more straightforward. We started with 36" (1m) wide fabric and used a little of this width to make seams on each edge. While this was a good width it was at the narrow end of the scale. If you make your hammock too wide, on the other hand, the sides tend to completely envelop you - while this is comfortable (some people actually prefer this), your view of the surroundings becomes limited. We recommend anywhere between 36" and 46" (1 - 1.2m). Choose a narrower dimension if the users will be small or medium size; the wider version works for almost anyone.
The ideal length of the hammock seems to be about 24" (60cm) longer than the tallest user. They can be made longer with similar functionality, but doing so adds unnecessary weight. Any shorter and your head and/or feet will be become cramped up at the ends. We cut our fabric to 36" x 8' (1 x 2.5m).
With the fabric cut to the desired dimension, you need to sew seams on the edges; if you fail to sew seams, the fabric is likely to fray and slowly fall apart. As shown in the picture on the right, we folded about 3/8" (1cm) of the edges of the fabric twice, and then sewed along the edge of this fold. If you only fold once, the exposed edge of the fabric will fray up to your sew-line which is unsightly. Note that making the seams for the ends is incorporated into the following step.
Next we need to sew a loop at each end to accept the rope that will be used to hold up the hammock. While performing this step, we also need to protect against fraying. We folded over about 3/8" (1cm) of fabric, and then folded over another 2" (5cm) in the same direction. Sewing along the end of the loop you just made yields a loop that will not fray. There are other techniques to achieve the same result, and they are acceptable as long as you create a strong loop that won't fray.
If you make the loop too narrow, it will be difficult to slide rope through; making it too wide, simply wastes material and makes the hammock heavier than it needs to be. A 2" - 3" (50 - 75mm) loop seems adequate. Although double stitching may be suitable, we sewed along the loop three times to ensure that we were making a very strong and long-lasting hammock. Repeat this step for the other end of the hammock.
At this point, you may be surprised to discover that the hammock itself is finished! All you need to do is cut the rope in half and thread it through the two loops that you just sewed. We recommend cutting more rope than you intend to use because doing so increases the possible locations for setting up your hammock. We cut our 3/8" (1cm) wide polypropylene rope in half to create two pieces that are 25 feet (7.5m) each.
You can thread the rope through the loops by tying a knot in one end and slowly feeding it along with your fingers. A much better solution is to push a stick (or dowel) through the loop, tie an end of the rope to the end of the stick, and pull the dowel and rope back through the loop. Once you have the rope through the loop, pull it so that it is centered. Repeat this step for the other loop.
This project is remarkably simple if you have access to, and are familiar with a sewing machine. If not, you can perform the sewing by hand, but you will need a little more patience.