How do you curve the ends of the whipping to make the middle drop a little bit?

I was thinking about running a few threads in two spots through the middle of the sewn end (before sewing), about shoulder-width apart from each other, then increasing the width of the hem on the ends a couple inches so the hem is triangular-shaped on each side (like the side of an hourglass, maybe.)

This might be easier than taping/clipping/pinning the seams before hemming, since you may be able to just hold the seam together with your hands as you're sewing.

Any opinions? I tried a curvy hem once, just to see how it modifies the lay but it came out all screwed up and I couldn't even get the whipping through without making an exit, lol.

Do you think a couple inches might be too much? Or is there also a better known way of doing this? I heard somebody mention that the HH models have a trick done to the whipping so it lays more flat.

On that note, is it really better, in experience, to concave the sides a bit so the ends are less floppy?

I guess I'm trying it out later today.

If you are going to whip the ends instead of gathering the ends with a cord through end channels, I strongly suggest that you just hem it straight across and "pull" the corners after gathering, but before whipping. That way you can experiment with different amounts of adjustments.

Either way, the effect on lay, is to raise the sides, not "drop the middle".

Thanks,

I'm gathering the ends with a continuous loop. I would like a permanent mod.. I'm actually trying to pull the left- and right-middle, too. I'm planning on hemming in a couple hours.

1-1/2" on each corner makes a big difference. Go too far and you'll have to cut it all shorter to fix it.

I suggest at least whipping it as a temporary step and pulling the corners different amounts to see what the changes are. When you find what you like, then cut and hem.

FWIW...Shortening the edges also places more stress on them as you get in and out.

Have you seen the "W" whip method on tothewoods.net? It is supposed to create more of a pocket in the middle of the hammock.

Thanks,

I made it..and it works great!

I actually used 15' of fabric this time, hehe. I found that folding about 8-10" of fabric on the ends, then folding again before sewing the loops takes away some of the stress points, since the fabric pads the rope a little bit more than usual. The actual finished length is somewhere around 13'.

What I did is measured the width and divided it into thirds, then pinned (yes I actually pinned this time for accuracy), with an extra 1/2" of hem in the middle. I was making this hammock for a friend who sleeps with a 70lb. pit bull every time, and the result was his dog not face-planting every time hopping out! It feels a little bit more like a spreader-bar-type hammock, even though it's asym-cut. The only thing I could have done better is adding maybe a 1/4" of hem-length to the ends so that it raises the sides a tad. This would be similar to the "W" whipping method, using sewn+loop ends.

It came out very nice. Next time we hang out, I'll take some pics of my finished work and show it to ya'.

Thank you guys for all your amazing support!