I had been thinking of trying a pleated hammock, ever since Mule showed us his designs. He made a very informative YouTube video describing pleating of different lengths of fabric. I highly reccomend it. The thread is here.
I got some helpful tips via PM with Mule before beginning. He gave me the heads up about problems in weight distribution within the pleating. It can lead to pulled stitches or damage to the fabric.
So, I thought if I used Amsteel in a channel, instead of a series of sewn pleats, I might be able to avoid damaging the fabric.
Also, I wanted to try pleats just in the upper torso area, where I hoped to gain more room for the shoulders and upper arms. pleated_portion.jpgI guess I miscalculated the cat curve of the side where the fabric gets bunched up. Because the hammock gets deeper at my middle back up to the head.I am getting an inverse banana effect even when tied off at a good sag angle.pleated_proportional_increase.jpg
Unfortunately, I am seeing the fabric beginning to sepparate from the row of stitching that holds the Amsteel in it's channel. I used 1.1 ripstop which does not seem adequate for the forces applied (occupant weight 150 lbs.). pleat_sepparation.jpg I will continue to use the hamock, but only around the house.
I still think this idea has lots of merit. I just thought I would share the results of my first attempt. In case others are trying this, I suggest using heavier fabric or devise a way to reinforce the pleats (or both).
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