Our children love to lounge in the hammock. At first, we bought the cheap $8 camping hammock which was promptly(within 2 hours of set up) gnawed on by Grizzle.... Not ruined but not pretty or as durable with a portion hanging off the side.
I had spied a fabric hammock in a sales flyer for Joann Fabrics back in May. I kept the page so I could try to copy it. I wanted a nice looking hammock the kids could lay in together or I could lounge with them when the heat of the day demands a break.
This is not exact and still needs a few trouble shooting check ups- I flipped myself around and that hammock threw me on my butt.) Just remember to straddle the hammock lay back and then lift your legs one at a time..
This is how I built ours. I am not reliable for any injuries that occur due to your making or using of this project. And remember- STRADDLE!- not plop.
what to purchase or salvage:
5 yards of durable fabric ($5)- I used a a heavy woven cotton/polyester from the bargain shelf for $1 a yard
a 100 ft bundle of 1/4 size rope which is also used for clotheslines($7.97).
an 8 ft piece of 2x3 wood stud ($1.69) (from lumber store or recycled) cut in half to make 2-4ft sections.
First, you must drill 7 holes in the smaller SIDES of your 2x3. Using a big enough drill bit so your rope will fit through the hole like this (but don't do the rope yet. This is just to show you why your doing it):
Be sure to space them out evenly and start with the first one 4 inches from the edge . Then find the middle and drill that hole. Then measure out where the other 4 will go.
Now Bust out the sewing machine for some simple stitching a kid could do. You need to make a seam. So open your fabric out and fold it in half so you have 2 layers of fabric, with a fold on one END. Sew the open end together. Now fold that seam over and sew it down to the fabric. Fold that seam over again and sew it down on the open edge of the fold to the fabric body. Repeat 3 more times. With the last fold over, you will need to sew over the seam 3 times, securing it to the body of the fabric. See picture:
Now you have a circle of fabric with a sewn seam. Situate the fabric circle so the seam is in the middle.Now you need to make "end pockets" for your 2x3. (pic has rope but just pay attention to the pockets!) Sew 5 inches away from the folded end to make the pockets big enough for the wood and still have a little space like this:
Feed your lumber through their sleeves and situate so they are even at the ends. Feel with you fingers where your drilled holes are, through the fabric. Take a sharp pair of scissors and POKE do not cut- POKE the point through the fabric into the hole. It should look like this:
Poking separates the thread where cutting will cause gret weakness and no support for the hole. Do this for both fabric ends. After you have all your holes poked, remove the wood and grab your rope.
Now cut that rope into 2- 50 ft sections.
Feed one through the first hole and make it 5 feet long. Do this for both ends hole. I just put the rope in and pull it the length of the wood to the opposite end, then add 6 inches before cutting.
Once you have the ropes in their holes, you are ready to thread them through the holes.
Your almost done! Don't give up yet! Your hard work will pay off soon.
Situate you ropes so they are not entangled with each other inside the sleeve. That extra room in the sleeve will come in handy with this step. Now make sure your fabric holes line up with the rope holes. Separating the rope into just the area of its hole. I used one of Lil' man's screw drivers to pull the rope through the hole like this:
Now that you have all your ropes through the holes, you are ready to tie them together.
I pulled them with my feet straddling the middle rope hole. Using that as a guide to get it straight. I pulled them into a bundle and tied a knot. This picture shows you a braid, but upon installation to the tree, I found it made for too long of a space between tree and hammock. If you have a wider space, you may want to go with the short braid, but I ended up taking the braid out, leaving just a knot.
I used additional rope to tie it to the tree.
See first picture and notice blue rope. It was tied just under the hammock knot then tied around the tree.
I spent under $15 on this project. It may not last for years and years, which if I had bought indoor/outdoor fabric it would have been more possible. I wanted a hammock that looks like an $80 style for under $20 and I did it.
A hammock brings such pleasure and joy to any yard. Enjoy lounging beneath the tree canopy as the sun hits its high in the sky. Sip on iced tea or a cold brew. Relax and have....
Sweet Dreams, ~Tammie
I had spied a fabric hammock in a sales flyer for Joann Fabrics back in May. I kept the page so I could try to copy it. I wanted a nice looking hammock the kids could lay in together or I could lounge with them when the heat of the day demands a break.
This is not exact and still needs a few trouble shooting check ups- I flipped myself around and that hammock threw me on my butt.) Just remember to straddle the hammock lay back and then lift your legs one at a time..
This is how I built ours. I am not reliable for any injuries that occur due to your making or using of this project. And remember- STRADDLE!- not plop.what to purchase or salvage:
5 yards of durable fabric ($5)- I used a a heavy woven cotton/polyester from the bargain shelf for $1 a yard
a 100 ft bundle of 1/4 size rope which is also used for clotheslines($7.97).
an 8 ft piece of 2x3 wood stud ($1.69) (from lumber store or recycled) cut in half to make 2-4ft sections.
First, you must drill 7 holes in the smaller SIDES of your 2x3. Using a big enough drill bit so your rope will fit through the hole like this (but don't do the rope yet. This is just to show you why your doing it):
Be sure to space them out evenly and start with the first one 4 inches from the edge . Then find the middle and drill that hole. Then measure out where the other 4 will go.
Now Bust out the sewing machine for some simple stitching a kid could do. You need to make a seam. So open your fabric out and fold it in half so you have 2 layers of fabric, with a fold on one END. Sew the open end together. Now fold that seam over and sew it down to the fabric. Fold that seam over again and sew it down on the open edge of the fold to the fabric body. Repeat 3 more times. With the last fold over, you will need to sew over the seam 3 times, securing it to the body of the fabric. See picture:
Now you have a circle of fabric with a sewn seam. Situate the fabric circle so the seam is in the middle.Now you need to make "end pockets" for your 2x3. (pic has rope but just pay attention to the pockets!) Sew 5 inches away from the folded end to make the pockets big enough for the wood and still have a little space like this:
Feed your lumber through their sleeves and situate so they are even at the ends. Feel with you fingers where your drilled holes are, through the fabric. Take a sharp pair of scissors and POKE do not cut- POKE the point through the fabric into the hole. It should look like this:
Poking separates the thread where cutting will cause gret weakness and no support for the hole. Do this for both fabric ends. After you have all your holes poked, remove the wood and grab your rope.Now cut that rope into 2- 50 ft sections.
Feed one through the first hole and make it 5 feet long. Do this for both ends hole. I just put the rope in and pull it the length of the wood to the opposite end, then add 6 inches before cutting.Once you have the ropes in their holes, you are ready to thread them through the holes.
Your almost done! Don't give up yet! Your hard work will pay off soon.
Situate you ropes so they are not entangled with each other inside the sleeve. That extra room in the sleeve will come in handy with this step. Now make sure your fabric holes line up with the rope holes. Separating the rope into just the area of its hole. I used one of Lil' man's screw drivers to pull the rope through the hole like this:
Now that you have all your ropes through the holes, you are ready to tie them together.
I pulled them with my feet straddling the middle rope hole. Using that as a guide to get it straight. I pulled them into a bundle and tied a knot. This picture shows you a braid, but upon installation to the tree, I found it made for too long of a space between tree and hammock. If you have a wider space, you may want to go with the short braid, but I ended up taking the braid out, leaving just a knot.
I used additional rope to tie it to the tree.
See first picture and notice blue rope. It was tied just under the hammock knot then tied around the tree.
I spent under $15 on this project. It may not last for years and years, which if I had bought indoor/outdoor fabric it would have been more possible. I wanted a hammock that looks like an $80 style for under $20 and I did it.
A hammock brings such pleasure and joy to any yard. Enjoy lounging beneath the tree canopy as the sun hits its high in the sky. Sip on iced tea or a cold brew. Relax and have....
Sweet Dreams, ~Tammie
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