Instruction: Gathered End Hammock

**Knotty** · 03-18-2011, 21:22

Mix it up 3M. Give the bridge a try.

**Syb** · 03-27-2011, 10:32

I made this hammock this morning starting with a raw 11' by 60" piece of 1.9 ripstop. I like the way it turned out (thanks Knotty) but the sides seem to flap a decent amount and feels as if I'm about to slide out of the thing. Short of trying Knotty's technique of adding shock cord to cinch up the sides, has anyone experienced this with this hammock? I went step by step from the instructions but it just seems to be "loose". I may try a different whipping method but wanted to see how close to Knotty's design I could get. Great instructions Knotty.

**samjaynes** · 03-27-2011, 11:57

Originally Posted by Syb

I made this hammock this morning starting with a raw 11' by 60" piece of 1.9 ripstop. I like the way it turned out (thanks Knotty) but the sides seem to flap a decent amount and feels as if I'm about to slide out of the thing. Short of trying Knotty's technique of adding shock cord to cinch up the sides, has anyone experienced this with this hammock? I went step by step from the instructions but it just seems to be "loose". I may try a different whipping method but wanted to see how close to Knotty's design I could get. Great instructions Knotty.

Syb - I made one with with Joanne's fabric 1.9, and yes it will be floppy. Knotty's idea is great, yet I have not tried it yet. Depending on the angle you lay in it, the next step would be taking the HH Asym DIY instructions for a gather, but when you pull the corners to the middle, pull them out a little farther. Then, before you pull tighten down the gather with pliers (if you are using a bite) pull out the corners a little more to have tight sides. JustJeff explains this a little in his site. http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock2.html

**Knotty** · 03-27-2011, 12:24

Syb - You're not likely to slide out but your top quilt or sleeping bag might. Try the stretch-side mod. It's easy. You'll like it.

**Syb** · 03-27-2011, 12:30

Originally Posted by samjaynes

Syb - I made one with with Joanne's fabric 1.9, and yes it will be floppy. Knotty's idea is great, yet I have not tried it yet. Depending on the angle you lay in it, the next step would be taking the HH Asym DIY instructions for a gather, but when you pull the corners to the middle, pull them out a little farther. Then, before you pull tighten down the gather with pliers (if you are using a bite) pull out the corners a little more to have tight sides. JustJeff explains this a little in his site. http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock2.html

Thanks samjaynes, that's how my other hammock is made. I wanted to see if I could accomplish that same result with this new (to me) whipping. Just Jeff has some great instructions!

Originally Posted by Knotty

Syb - You're not likely to slide out but your top quilt or sleeping bag might. Try the stretch-side mod. It's easy. You'll like it.

From the man himself

Okay, time to see if I have gross grain, shock cord and a cord lock lying around. I used a 7/8" roll hem foot (or whatever that attachment that creates the channel is called) so I allowed for room for just this very mod. Thanks again Sir Knotty.

**JohnSawyer** · 03-27-2011, 12:58

Originally Posted by Syb

Okay, time to see if I have gross grain, shock cord and a cord lock lying around. I used a 7/8" roll hem foot (or whatever that attachment that creates the channel is called) so I allowed for room for just this very mod. Thanks again Sir Knotty.

Cord lock not needed. Since you'll likely adjust and leave it... It shouldn't take much grosgrain to make that.

I WAS going to sew a footbox triangle in my hammock, but I think I'll give this a try!

**Knotty** · 03-27-2011, 15:16

Right on JohnSawyer. You can just tie off both ends of the bungee to the grosgrain loops and save a few grams by eliminating the cord locks and the extra inches of bungee.

**Syb** · 03-27-2011, 15:38

Originally Posted by JohnSawyer

Cord lock not needed. Since you'll likely adjust and leave it... It shouldn't take much grosgrain to make that.

Ha! Of course I finished the Knotty-mod after I read this!

I'll do my best to describe and post pics later.
I measured down to where my feet normally lay and put 2 marks on the side hem with tailor's chalk. I used the burn hole in one end. That end is where the (unnecessary) cord lock is. The type of cord lock I have has slots where you can run a piece of gross grain through which I did. The piece of gg wound up being about 1/4" wide. I threaded it through the slot in the cord lock and then sewed it with longitudinal stitches. For the other end, I just stitched the hem on top of the shock cord several times. This eliminated the need for a second piece of gross grain. Knotty was/is right. I do love it.

One more thing I did was to cinch up the head-end side about 5" or 6". I did this by undoing the whipping method Knotty describes and then pull up the side hem and re-whipping.

**Syb** · 03-27-2011, 19:12

I hope these pics go with the description above.
First is a wider shot of the stretch side.
black hammock 001.jpg

Next is a close up of the the 1/4" gross grain with the longitudinal stitch. The stitch is about 1.5" long. You can also see the cord lock with the gross grain running through it.
black hammock 006.jpg

Finally, the shock cord is buried in the channel and stitched directly to the hemmed edge.
black hammock 008.jpg

I will probably add another "stretch-side" to the opposite side as I rarely lay in the same exact position. I also think I could go rogue and use these as tie-out points a la HH or WBBB.