I can't belive this

[jacob]

Well, first off, hello from Nova Scotia!

This weekend I am going camping with some friends but came across a problem. I don't have a single person tent! I have a huge Coleman tent that is just so ridiculously ginormous it's not funny. So I started looking for alternatives.

Single person tents? Too expensive. Larger tents? Simply too big for just me, considering this is intended to be a "minimalist" camping trip. I even considered a debris hut shelter for the night, but our location is going to be away from any real leaf litter so I can't even get away with that.

Then I stumbled across this site. I think telling you I have half of a DIY bridge hammock built should explain how impressed I am, considering I found this site yesterday. Imagine my wife's surprise when I came home from work today with an armload of fabric and immediately asked her to teach me how to use her sewing machine!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find ripstop nylon so I had to settle for the heavier canvas but it seems like it will hold up well. I won't be hiking much more than a couple kilometers with this so weight shouldn't be too much of a big deal.

I'll grab a few photos when I finish it tomorrow! Thanks for this awesome forum!

Edit: I just came up with a sewing question for you professionals out there. While sewing the nylon strap to the edge of my canvas, I found that the thread on the other side (what comes out of the bobbin?) isn't tight, the loops I mean. I'm not pulling the fabric through the machine, i'm just letting it push it through itself as it's sewing and simply guiding it but I still can't figure out why the loops on the bottom are so loose! Any ideas?

[bry961]

welcome jacob

to answer your sewing question probably adjusting your tension on the machine will fix this problem. The tension on my machine need to be changed when i go from sewing just the fabric to sewing something a little heavier(webbing etc) so hopefully that works for ya. Other than that, enjoy the site and be careful its like crack you'll be making stuff all the time and when you're not you'll be thinking of it or how you can improve a past project.

Just wait you'll see

[Ramblinrev]

Sounds like you need to tighten the upper thread. If your wife is anything like mine... show her the problem and ask her to fix it for you. I don't mess with that stuff on my wife's machine. But then she sews professionally and my machine is an old cast off of hers so it don't matter if I bugger that one up.

[warbonnetguy]

yeah, if its loose on bottom, the thread coming from the spool probably needs more tension, if the top threads were loose, then you might need to tighten the bobbin tension. adjust until it's identical on both sides.

[miisterwright]

Yep, adjust the tension of the top thread. I had this problem a while back sewing the bag back on my cheap byer lounger. Frustrating as all get out to take forever to sew something that's only like eight inches. I was unfamiliar with the machine so spent half the afternoon trying to figure out how to wind the bobbin. My mom called while I had half the machine apart, so I was complaining about how it was way to difficult to deal the the bobbin (she has a similar model) and how whoever designed the machine didn't know his had from- well, you know. So she get out her machine to look at and is just totally not understanding why I'm having so much trouble.... Turns out you don't have to tear the machine apart. I was way overcomplicating things Live and learn... Make sure to post photos of your completed hammock.

[neo]

Well, first off, hello from Nova Scotia!

This weekend I am going camping with some friends but came across a problem. I don't have a single person tent! I have a huge Coleman tent that is just so ridiculously ginormous it's not funny. So I started looking for alternatives.

Single person tents? Too expensive. Larger tents? Simply too big for just me, considering this is intended to be a "minimalist" camping trip. I even considered a debris hut shelter for the night, but our location is going to be away from any real leaf litter so I can't even get away with that.

Then I stumbled across this site. I think telling you I have half of a DIY bridge hammock built should explain how impressed I am, considering I found this site yesterday. Imagine my wife's surprise when I came home from work today with an armload of fabric and immediately asked her to teach me how to use her sewing machine!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find ripstop nylon so I had to settle for the heavier canvas but it seems like it will hold up well. I won't be hiking much more than a couple kilometers with this so weight shouldn't be too much of a big deal.

I'll grab a few photos when I finish it tomorrow! Thanks for this awesome forum!

Edit: I just came up with a sewing question for you professionals out there. While sewing the nylon strap to the edge of my canvas, I found that the thread on the other side (what comes out of the bobbin?) isn't tight, the loops I mean. I'm not pulling the fabric through the machine, i'm just letting it push it through itself as it's sewing and simply guiding it but I still can't figure out why the loops on the bottom are so loose! Any ideas?

welcome to hammock forumsneo

[slowhike]

Welcome to HF Jacob.
The canvas is going to be heaver than you might want but it should be nice & strong.
Maybe you can find a light weight fabric for your next hammock & keep using that one at home. Looking forward to the pictures.

[jacob]

Well, it took a lot longer than I anticipated to get the endcaps sewn together so I still have the bug net to sew on tonight, with a zipper so I can get in and out.

Once I finished the end caps I did manage to rig the hammock up to a couple trees at about 12:30am to see how it felt. It was very, very nice!

I can say however that my sewing skills are in definite need of improvement so don't laugh when I post my photos when i'm finished.

I'm already looking at ways I could rebuild it and improve it!!

[Bug-Bait]

Hi Jacob...welcome to Hammock Forums. I've been to Nova Scotia about six times...always in the summer. You are lucky to be living in one of the friendliest and most beautiful of places.

[Preacha Man]

congratulations on your new hammock, and don't worry about how it looks as long as it is safe and is comfortable. Welcome to the site, and enjoy your trip.

Dwight