DIY Tarp Idea... Save some fabric?

**KerMegan** · 05-25-2011, 10:09

are all the edges on your hex equal lengths? (looks close in the last pic)
in which case you can rotate 60* and have the seam back on the ridgeline for stability/stretch reduction, and still have the savings of cutting on the diagonal from your fabric....
KM(who has no hex tarp, but likes the look of this, being also a 'cheap mook-ette')

**hppyfngy** · 05-25-2011, 10:25

Originally Posted by KerMegan

are all the edges on your hex equal lengths? (looks close in the last pic)
in which case you can rotate 60* and have the seam back on the ridgeline for stability/stretch reduction, and still have the savings of cutting on the diagonal from your fabric....
KM(who has no hex tarp, but like the look of this, being also a cheap mookette)

Mine are not but sounds like OneEye's are. No reason you can't do that I was just going for maximizing length while minimizing fabric. The more you cant it the longer you can get.

Originally Posted by OneEye

I liked this idea too much so I went ahead and started sewing one up last night. I still have to hem it, add tieouts, and some DIY waterproofing, so no hang report for a while, but the layout and sewing so far has been pretty simple.

I had some calendered 1.1oz ripstop that was 63" wide, so I took 3x that for the length to start with (5'3"x15'9"). I measured to a point 5'3" along one side, and double that (10'6") on the other, and made a straight cut between them. I then matched up the two 10'6" selvege edges and sewed a flat felled seam. Dimensions at this point are ~7'5" x 14'9" with a length of 7'5" at the tarp edges. I expect to lose 1"-2" from those measurments as I hem the edges.

Having plunged in this far I'll be whipping up a batch of silicone/mineral spirits to see if I can't get it waterproof after I hem it up. It should be fun over the next evening or two playing with this thing to finish it. If it works I have another 15' or so of fabric to make another one.

Wish me luck.

-Mike

Excellent Mike! Take pictures! I don't have enough fabric so you're way ahead of me. (I am also slow...)

**OneEye** · 05-25-2011, 11:12

Originally Posted by KerMegan

are all the edges on your hex equal lengths? (looks close in the last pic)
in which case you can rotate 60* and have the seam back on the ridgeline for stability/stretch reduction, and still have the savings of cutting on the diagonal from your fabric....
KM(who has no hex tarp, but likes the look of this, being also a 'cheap mook-ette')

My version is built using a 45° angle. That makes the math easy and I only need two cuts: cut to length, and make an angled cut. The sides coming to the ridgelines are 5'3", and the long sides parallel to the ridgeline are 1.414x that (7'5") which is the same as the width. The ridgeline length is twice the width. Seam and hem allowances take away just a little bit.

7' sounds wide enough to me, 14'+ seems a bit long, but we'll see how it goes. If it is really too long I can always hack away at the ends and redo the hems & tieouts.

I'm hoping that the ridgeline on the bias won't be a problem. Isn't that what happens when folks pitch a square tarp in a diamond configuration? Besides, with WM $1.50 fabric what do I really have to lose?

-Mike

**hppyfngy** · 05-25-2011, 11:41

Right. That's what I was trying to undo with the second design, was that extra long length on what would be the ridge line. That and the more hex it is, you have the option of hanging the seam along the ridge and then you are tying out at a bit of an angle, but in certain wx conditions that's fine.

Up to a point you can lengthen it and actually use less fabric, but I wanted it to be more hexagonal, i.e. shorter than your 14'.

I'm not sure what the optimum will be...

**hppyfngy** · 05-25-2011, 13:14

BTW, OneEye, I like your sketch, it's much prettier than mine (although the width should be 7'5" of course...

)

And no doubt by using the width of your fabric to define the shape via 45* angles you have made it as easy as it can get to lay out and cut out.

Sometimes getting the fabric out and looking at it the simplest solution comes to you automagically.

Good thinking!

**OneEye** · 05-25-2011, 13:35

Originally Posted by hppyfngy

BTW, OneEye, I like your sketch, it's much prettier than mine (although the width should be 7'5" of course...

)

It is drawn with the panels moved based on how I did my flat felled seam (~3/8" for one piece of fabric and up to 3/4" for the other). The dimensions are rounded to the nearest inch, so the width wound up being just over 7' 4". If the central seam did not take any fabric to do it would be 7'5". After all the hems are put in it will shorten up just a little more.

**hppyfngy** · 05-25-2011, 13:53

I was kidding...

**OneEye** · 05-25-2011, 14:44

Originally Posted by hppyfngy

I was kidding...

Only mentioned it for clarity. With a name like Hippy Fungus it had to be a joke, right?

(My wife loves coming up with alternate interpretations for vanity plates.)

**OneEye** · 05-27-2011, 10:04

No pics yet, they are all on the camera.

Finished hemming Wednesday night and added tieouts at the corners last night. The tarp feels extremely long. I'm hoping the width will be right, based on other hammock tarps that are well liked. The extra length might complicate things by forcing the tarp higher, but we'll see how it feels when put up with a hammock. Hppyfngy's alternate orientations creating a shorter, wider hammock might be the best bet.

Hopefully over the weekend I can successfully waterproof it and we'll see how it pitches.

-Mike

**hppyfngy** · 05-27-2011, 10:37

Nice OneEye but I can't see the pics on your camera...

Hope it hangs well and looking forward to seeing pics of it in service. Like you said before, if it turns out to be too long, it will be a minor job to shorten it, esp as fast as you work!