I just bought some Hancock Fabric ripstop to make my first hammock. I think it will be a gathered end, double layer. In SCLittlefields go by and in others I see the factory edge (selvaged edge???) is hemmed. Is it necessary to hem the factory edge?
I just bought some Hancock Fabric ripstop to make my first hammock. I think it will be a gathered end, double layer. In SCLittlefields go by and in others I see the factory edge (selvaged edge???) is hemmed. Is it necessary to hem the factory edge?
You don't need to, but IMO it looks alot better to finish the edge.
But I've done the "no-sew" hammock and it held fine with just the selvadged edge and knotted the ends.
Ambulo tua ambulo.
DIY Gear Supply - Your source for DIY outdoor gear.
I honestly don't know if you need to, but I do. If nothing else, it gives me more experience sewing an edge. I know it sound crazy, but since I've started making my own gear, I've gotten so much better at sewing and part of that is because I've practiced when it wasn't needed; i.e. a factory edge. Before I started, I hadn't sewed anything in 20ish years, so I wanted to make sure it was correct, and the easiest "correct" stitch is the straight stitch. If you don't need the practice, you may not need to sew a factory edge, but if you are just starting, do it. Trust me, your work, down the road will be better. I just finished a whole bunch of christmas gifts off the sewing machine because I started making gear 4 months ago. Kinda cool.
Even though selvage doesn't need to be finished I can't resist doing it. Just feels like the right thing to do. If you can resist, then leave it be. No foul.
Knotty
"Don't speak unless it improves the silence." -proverb
DIY Gathered End Hammock
DIY Stretch-Side Hammock
Stretch-Side "Knotty Mod"
DIY Bugnet
Thanks all. I bought the fabric so I am committed, but I am a mull it over in my mind kind of guy. I anticipate several questions
There's a certain amount of OCD that presents itself here. Like everybody says, finish the edge. A hand rolled hem is a bit intimidating at first. Take your time and use some finesse. Not a big deal really. Take it slow and resist the temptation to floor the accelerator!
I did the Knotty DIY gathered end with a rolled hem by hand and it wasn't that tough. Time consuming? Yes. I was being very particular.
When I first got my thread injector, I made some basic curtains and didn't finish the selvage end. I wish I had now.
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
~Redd Foxx
"In wildness is the preservation of the world."
-Henry David Thoreau
I agree with Scott.
When getting out of my hammock, I use the edges of the hammock as handles to haul my fat self around to a sitting position, and then push off from them to stand up.
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
The selvage edge is remarkably strong. If I am going to rip the fabric intentionally I have to snip through the selvage before I can continue. Why would I rip the fabric instead of cutting it? Ripping the fabric squares the end to the grain, not to the edge. This is a technical issue which does not impact the vast majority of DIY gear so don't fixate on it. But it does illustrate the point.
I have done both and other than appearance I really ave not noticed a major difference. my lard butt has been supported just fine on the selvage. The major difference I have noticed, and this is merely an observation not a determined fact, the edges seem somewhat less floppy with a hemmed selvage. But are they really? I have no clue. For me it ranks in the "personal preference" category. It is very true that the OCD factor plays a big role.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
Getting in and out of the hammock can put a lot of stress on the long edge. I've heard of a couple people ripping an unhemmed edge in the TestHammock but never heard of a rip starting on a hemmed edge. You'll probably be fine for a few test hangs, but I wouldn't depend on it for a long time.
Plus it's pretty simple to do a long rolled hem...that's how I learned to do rolled hems without pinning, ironing, etc. Saves time in the long run.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
Bookmarks