View Full Version : BlackCat Mark II
blackbishop351
12-29-2006, 09:52
After my success with my first tarp - and understand, this was my first 'real' sewing project - I've been considering making another one.
I like the overall design, but I just didn't feel that the first tarp was the best work I was capable of. I also wanted to try it again, now that I know the general fabrication scheme, to see how long it would take me. Fanatic Fringer gave me the impetus I needed when he requested one...
So I started working on it yesterday afternoon. It's been an off-and-on job, but I think the total time will be around 12-13 hours. That's pretty good, considering the first one took most of three days. Of course, I had to come up with cat curve measurements, make a pattern, and for the most part learn how to sew that time, too :p
I'm not QUITE finished - still have to add tie-out loops and seam seal it. But the bulk of the work is done.
Another interesting turn is that Fringer requested MacCat-style grosgrain trim on this one. I didn't want to mess with it before and it seemed like extra weight, but now that I've added it to his, I'm pretty impressed by the 'sturdiness feel' of it. I haven't pitched the tarp yet (no tie-outs), so I'll have to wait and see how the trim affects the cat characteristics.
All in all, I impressed myself. This thing came out looking NICE. I took my time with the aesthetics this time, as opposed to before when I was just struggling to get it done. I really had no idea I could make something look this nice. Go me :D
Anyway. I should be finished Sunday or Monday. I posted a couple of corner detail pics for anyone who's interested.
stoikurt
12-29-2006, 10:30
Very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Awesome, I can't wait to see it either. If I remember from your first one, it was pretty big. Is this one the same size? Also, do you have any weights for them yet?
Again, really good job. I love the look of the black.
Nice job. I see I am not the only one getting hooked by the sewing bug.
FanaticFringer
12-29-2006, 16:00
Hey man it looks great so far. Cant wait to take her for a spin. I'm going to try to make it to the campout and I can show off your work.;)
Touch of Grey
12-29-2006, 16:09
I second that emotion! Fine job! Cannot wait for more pictures.
TOG
blackbishop351
12-29-2006, 17:42
Awesome, I can't wait to see it either. If I remember from your first one, it was pretty big. Is this one the same size? Also, do you have any weights for them yet?
Again, really good job. I love the look of the black.
Yeah, same size - 12' ridge, 11' total width before sewing. Mine weighs in at 13.6 oz. before seam sealing. Because I've gotten a bit better at sewing, I was able to stitch less on this one and still get solid seams and hems, so that might reduce weight a little bit. I also used 3/4" webbing for tie-outs on mine, whereas Fringer sent 1/2" to put on this one. Mine doesn't have the grosgrain trim though, so I'm not sure how things will balance out yet. I'll post a weight when I get the tie-outs on this one.
I guess Slowhike is gonna be the first one to see the BlackCat in action tomorrow...lucky guy :D
slowhike
12-29-2006, 21:46
[QUOTE=blackbishop351;.
I guess Slowhike is gonna be the first one to see the BlackCat in action tomorrow...lucky guy :D[/QUOTE]
i was hoping you'd be sporting that bad boy!
Bishop - Looks nice! Are the white tieouts reflective? That would be awsome if they are, as they kind of stick out on that nice looking stealth-tarp.
Brian
OES
blackbishop351
12-30-2006, 02:51
They're actually not white, they're grey 1.9 oz. ripstop from Walmart...but the fabric has some sort of DWR-type coating, so it reflects the camera flash like a son-of-a-gun :p
The stealth thing is definitely what I'm going for. I'd prefer OD or brown, but Ed's sil is so much cheaper that I can't justify the cost difference with color alone :D
I have some 1.1 oz. untreated OD ripstop (also from Walmart), but it's got a much looser weave than the grey stuff I used - I don't know if it would hold up as corner reinforcement.
headchange4u
12-30-2006, 10:54
I have been thinking of putting grosgrain on the edges of my hammock. How was it to work with?
I have been thinking of putting grosgrain on the edges of my hammock. How was it to work with?
While BB should chime in on this as well, I can say that after working with a few miles of the stuff, it really isn't too bad. If you get 1" Grosgrain ribbon, it is fairly easy to fold it over in 6" sections and then sew a small portion, then repeat repeat repeat until you get to the end of the hammock. Sewing two lines of stitching prevents it from ripping itself out the hammock, which is probably what you are looking for;). As long as you have a relatively straight line to sew on, or one that is folded over prior to the GGR application, you shouldn't have any problems.
Brian
OES (http://www.OutdoorEquipmentSupplier.com)
headchange4u
12-30-2006, 12:22
While BB should chime in on this as well, I can say that after working with a few miles of the stuff, it really isn't too bad. If you get 1" Grosgrain ribbon, it is fairly easy to fold it over in 6" sections and then sew a small portion, then repeat repeat repeat until you get to the end of the hammock. Sewing two lines of stitching prevents it from ripping itself out the hammock, which is probably what you are looking for;). As long as you have a relatively straight line to sew on, or one that is folded over prior to the GGR application, you shouldn't have any problems.
Brian
OES (http://www.OutdoorEquipmentSupplier.com)
Do you roll the edges of the fabric before you sew on the gosgrain or do you just sew it directly to the edge?
I roll the edges over first; this gives you something of substance to push the GGR against when you sew it on. Also, it prevents the ribbon from being pulled off if/when the tarp whips in winds. Just make sure the rolled hem is less than the width of the GGR!
blackbishop351
12-31-2006, 19:01
I sewed a rolled hem in all the edges before I added the grosgrain. And I have to disagree with Brian - adding that trim was about the biggest PITA I can imagine :eek:
It took forever...much longer than the hems themselves. Because I wanted everything really nice and neat, I folded and pinned the whole length of each edge before sewing. That wasn't the big pain though. The screwy part was making sure that the edges of the trim were even from one side of the sil to the other. I kinda had to do that, because my first line of stitch went pretty close to the edge of the trim, and I didn't want to miss the trim on the other side ;)
Anyway, I pinned about every 4-5", checking each pin to make sure the trim was even, then sewed the whole edge at once. I know many of you guys are a lot better at stitching than I am and can make stuff pretty without doing this, but I'm not there yet.
blackbishop351
01-01-2007, 13:47
OK so Fringer's BlackCat is finished, for all practical purposes. Just have to seal the ridge seam now. I posted a couple more pics - they didn't turn out as well as I'd like, but they give the general idea.
I haven't weighed his yet, but as long as there's not a huge weight penalty, I'll be adding the grosgrain to mine, too. Even though it was a HUGE PITA. It really gets a tighter pitch and it definitely looks more durable.
I ended up making his corners a lot nicer than mine, the hems a lot neater, and the ridge seam a lot straighter. Yeah. I guess I really just made him an all-around nicer tarp :confused:
I may be donating my first effort to the starving hammocker fund and just starting from scratch :p Depends on how long it takes to make the other stuff I need to get around to!
blackbishop, the Mark II looks excellent. Very nice work. I really like how it looks almost dark brown when set up in the light. Don't feel bad about the pinning. I still pin virtually every seam I sew. The more I can protect me from me while at the machine, the better.
Brian, do you sew the seam first before adding the ribbon or just do it all in one step?
blackbishop, the Mark II looks excellent. Very nice work. I really like how it looks almost dark brown when set up in the light. Don't feel bad about the pinning. I still pin virtually every seam I sew. The more I can protect me from me while at the machine, the better.
Brian, do you sew the seam first before adding the ribbon or just do it all in one step?
Patrick, I may be efficient, but not that efficient. I fold over the fabric first, then add the ribbon to each side with a seperate trip, and then do a continuous trip around the perimeter again so there are two layers of stitching over the GGR.
Oh, by the way, folding over the ribbon at the corners so that raw ends are not exposed is also very importatn! GGR has a nasty habit of coming unsinged and unraveled unless the ends are both singed and hidden from wear...
Brian
OES (http://www.OutdoorEquipmentSupplier.com)
blackbishop351
01-04-2007, 13:10
Oh, by the way, folding over the ribbon at the corners so that raw ends are not exposed is also very importatn! GGR has a nasty habit of coming unsinged and unraveled unless the ends are both singed and hidden from wear...
I'm with you on that one. I heat sealed all the ends first, hid them all with some sort of seam, and double stitched the whole perimeter. I didn't do it all in one shot, but who's counting :p
blackbishop351
01-05-2007, 01:44
So I finally got Fringer's BlackCat seam sealed and weighed. Came out to 17.6 oz. - not bad for that much coverage! Comparing to my BlackCat, looks like the grosgrain added somewhere around 3.5-4 oz. - not a terrible tradeoff for the bombproof edges!
I posted a couple of new pics, too.
P.S. - It'll be in the mail by the middle of next week, Fringer! Sorry it took so long...
FanaticFringer
01-05-2007, 02:30
So I finally got Fringer's BlackCat seam sealed and weighed. Came out to 17.6 oz. - not bad for that much coverage! Comparing to my BlackCat, looks like the grosgrain added somewhere around 3.5-4 oz. - not a terrible tradeoff for the bombproof edges!
I posted a couple of new pics, too.
P.S. - It'll be in the mail by the middle of next week, Fringer! Sorry it took so long...
It really looks great!!! I sure do apprecite it. It still weighs less than my GG 9X9
Thanks
blackbishop351
01-05-2007, 02:57
It still weighs less than my GG 9X9
When you get yours in the mail, we should both post pics to show off the superior coverage too! I bet Neo would LOVE that! :D
Brian, I just made my first hammock and added ribbon to the long edges. I only had 3/4" handy and it was a bit tough to work with. I had originally planned on folding over twice first, but the required seam was just two narrow, so I only folded once, then did two lines of stitching on top of the ribbon.
I really like the look, but on the real one, I need to use wider ribbon, which I think will be easier to get more exactly in half. Because there was slight variation, I wasn't able to sew the second line of stitching as close to the edge as I would have liked.
Is 3-4oz. really how much weight the ribbon adds? That seems like a lot.
blackbishop351
01-05-2007, 12:20
Some of that is seam sealing...the original weight (13.6 oz.) I posted on my tarp wasn't with silicon added to the ridge.
But as far as the grosgrain goes, you have to consider that there's ~ 40' of the stuff on this tarp...
I just did a test on a couple of brand new, crisp 100 yard rolls of 3/4" GGR, and the weight for all of them was right around 14.2oz/400g per 100 yards. That translates to .047oz/ft, or 1.90oz per 40', or if you are using 1" GGR, then about .062oz/ft, or 2.5oz for the entire tarp, assuming it is actually 40'.
Patrick, I am a bit confused. When you say 'fold over twice first', what do you mean? I used 1" for quite a while (I think about a years worth of making tarps) before moving to 3/4", as it is quite a bit trickier, so congrats on getting it done with such small ribbon! Also, I do the inner seam first; it might let you get closer to the "action", aka the spot where both sides of the ribbon intersect (visable through the silnylon, thank goodness).
Brian
OES (http://www.OutdoorEquipmentSupplier.com)
blackbishop351
01-05-2007, 13:38
I just did a test on a couple of brand new, crisp 100 yard rolls of 3/4" GGR, and the weight for all of them was right around 14.2oz/400g per 100 yards. That translates to .047oz/ft, or 1.90oz per 40', or if you are using 1" GGR, then about .062oz/ft, or 2.5oz for the entire tarp, assuming it is actually 40'.
That sounds about right - a couple ounces (give or take) for trim, plus a couple for silicon sealer.
FanaticFringer
01-05-2007, 17:57
When you get yours in the mail, we should both post pics to show off the superior coverage too! I bet Neo would LOVE that! :D
Yea next time I camp out with my nephew, he'll be using the GG 9x9 and I'll have the Black Cat. I'll take some comparison shots and a real nice shot with an awesome waterfall in the background that you can possibly use for your web site when you market these puppies.:D
blackbishop351
01-05-2007, 18:01
Jeez, man...I'm not going that far! Brain has the market on these, as far as I'm concerned. I only made mine to save my money and his grades :D
...Brain has t...
Who?:p
I'm actually just "quasi-finalising my initial semester abroad plans", which being an engineer, is kind of tough. I'm hoping to spend 6 weeks in Berlin studying German in July/August, and then possibly taking two weeks and backpacking around before or after! Lots of time between now and then, and hopefully I can gather enough tarp interest to help get me there!
Brian
OES (www.OutdoorEquipmentSupplier.com)
slowhike
01-05-2007, 20:19
brian... do you iron the folded gg ribbion before pinning it to the tarp edge?
sorry if i missed that from an earlyer post.
To be honest, I pin absolutely nothing. I instead work in 6"-8" increments, both on the ridgeline seam and on the perimeter reinforcement. So in theory, I fold over about 8" of GGR, then continue sewing that portion, then fold another 8" over, sew that section, etc etc.....
Brian
slowhike
01-05-2007, 22:04
thanks brian.
headchange4u
01-06-2007, 11:39
Brian,
I am in the process of making a 12 foot hex, cat cut tarp and sewed the flat felled seam with no pins. I was dreading it but it was pretty easy.
I did have a question about reinforcements. When in the tarp making process when do you add corner reinforcements and how to you attach them? How big should a corner reinforcement be?
blackbishop351
01-08-2007, 09:09
Hi everybody -
I'm in the process of writing up directions for my BlackCat. Unfortunately, I haven't taken pictures during the construction process yet, so I was thinking...
Would anybody be interested in one of these? I would only ask shipping, cost of materials (about $35), plus a little bit for my time....and I'm willing to trade, too.
The reason I ask is that I'd like to have pictures to put with my directions, but I don't exactly need TWO of these myself...
Just a thought! Anyone interested, let me know!
NCPatrick
01-08-2007, 09:42
Hi everybody -
I'm in the process of writing up directions for my BlackCat. Unfortunately, I haven't taken pictures during the construction process yet, so I was thinking...
Would anybody be interested in one of these? I would only ask shipping, cost of materials (about $35), plus a little bit for my time....and I'm willing to trade, too.
The reason I ask is that I'd like to have pictures to put with my directions, but I don't exactly need TWO of these myself...
Just a thought! Anyone interested, let me know!
In a word: Yes.
I'm interested. Don't know what I could possibly trade you, but I'll PM you about it.
Brian, about folding over twice, I meant the seam before adding the GGR, as in folding the material once to make the seam, then over again to completely hide the raw edge.
It would have been pure luxury to have been able to see through to the other side of the GGR, but I was making a hammock, so using 1.9 brown ripstop and just praying.
I've made the second generation of the hammock and left the GGR off, giving myself a nice wide seam instead. The final version will have that seam plus the Velcro to attach the netting, so I thought the GGR would be unnecessary.
Thank you for being so helpful with your construction information.
FanaticFringer
01-10-2007, 16:22
Just hung my Black Cat tarp BlackBishop made for me. This thing is sweet.
I cant believe how much coverage she gives. He really did a professional job.
The Breeze
01-10-2007, 16:36
bet it is really nice hope you really like it :rolleyes: If it seemed like there was a little touch of enve in that there was and if you don't like it I have my address realllllly handy. plus I will pay shipping the lest I could do. hehhhhe:D :p hope you enjoy it let us know.:cool:
FanaticFringer
01-10-2007, 17:30
Oh yea one more thing....Happy Birthday Keith ( BlackBishop):p
blackbishop351
01-10-2007, 17:35
Thanks, man :cool:
Y'know...it's probably a good thing I'm getting all this DIY stuff out of the way now...'cause in another year, I think I'll be so old I won't be able to see well enough to sew... :eek:
slowhike
01-10-2007, 17:47
Thanks, man :cool:
Y'know...it's probably a good thing I'm getting all this DIY stuff out of the way now...'cause in another year, I think I'll be so old I won't be able to see well enough to sew... :eek:
you're just a young whiper-snapper<g>. i still haven't needed to get glasses yet (yet), but the needle threader on the new sewing mach sure is nice.
& happy BD.
Can I use poly ggr? Or do i need to use the nylon ggr? Also, How do i tell the dif between sil-polyester and silnylon? I thought I had silnylon but i have been reading posts about sil-polyester. Are the two interchangeable?
Cannibal
08-05-2007, 02:31
Would the edges be easier to sew using bias tape instead of grosgrain? The gg is having a tendency to "bunch" on me and I read somewhere that the bias tape is better when used for a curved edge. Am I doing something wrong or is it just a PITA?
stoikurt
08-05-2007, 07:49
Yes, it would be. Bias tape threads are on the diagonal so when you go around a curve the fabric will stretch and adjust itself to form to the curve. Most of what you can buy locally is Poly/cotton but someone here found and has ordered 100% polyester bias tape from somewhere. It may have been TeeDee on the HH Clone he made.
schrochem
08-05-2007, 08:57
Yes, it would be. Bias tape threads are on the diagonal so when you go around a curve the fabric will stretch and adjust itself to form to the curve. Most of what you can buy locally is Poly/cotton but someone here found and has ordered 100% bias tape from somewhere. It may have been TeeDee on the HH Clone he made.
Quest sells 100% nylon 3/4" here (http://www.questoutfitters.com/narrow_roll_goods.htm)
jellyfish
03-02-2017, 17:11
I just ordered 8 yards of black silpoly. Yes, black!
FJRpilot
03-02-2017, 21:22
I just ordered 8 yards of black silpoly. Yes, black!
Your going to like it,.. my a Black Cat is one of my favorite tarps.
jellyfish
03-02-2017, 21:58
Your going to like it,.. my a Black Cat is one of my favorite tarps.
Did you make yours 12' or shorter? I'm not sure what to do.
FJRpilot
03-02-2017, 23:00
Did you make yours 12' or shorter? I'm not sure what to do.
It was the first DIY project I ever made. I tried to make an 11ft tarp, it ended up 10.5 feet. Learned my first valuable lesson about "seam allowances". For a summer tarp, I really like 11 ft, If your using an 11 ft GE hammock. My 10.6 Does save me a little weight when I backpack. It's just barely enough coverage in a downpour...
jellyfish
03-03-2017, 00:33
It was the first DIY project I ever made. I tried to make an 11ft tarp, it ended up 10.5 feet. Learned my first valuable lesson about "seam allowances". For a summer tarp, I really like 11 ft, If your using an 11 ft GE hammock. My 10.6 Does save me a little weight when I backpack. It's just barely enough coverage in a downpour...
Those nasty seam allowances are always tricky. That is the truth.
My current tarp is 11'. I have heard that if your tarp is too long, it can mess with hammock suspension and that would not be fun. I am not super tall, so my vertical reach on a tree can only go up so high.
I guess I'll just do whatever BB tells me to do. I'm going to trust the expert with his design.
FJRpilot
03-03-2017, 09:18
Those nasty seam allowances are always tricky. That is the truth.
My current tarp is 11'. I have heard that if your tarp is too long, it can mess with hammock suspension and that would not be fun. I am not super tall, so my vertical reach on a tree can only go up so high.
I guess I'll just do whatever BB tells me to do. I'm going to trust the expert with his design.
Good call... I've always looked at BB as one of the "Mage's" of Hammock camping. I still have the PDF of his build instructions for the original "BlackCat".... It still available online...
http://www.tothewoods.net/ImagesStayDry/BlackCatTarp.pdf
jellyfish
03-03-2017, 09:23
Good call... I've always looked at BB as one of the "Mage's" of Hammock camping. I still have the PDF of his build instructions for the original "BlackCat".... It still available online...
http://www.tothewoods.net/ImagesStayDry/BlackCatTarp.pdf
Do you have the spreadsheet? That seems to have been lost in the interweb.
All the tarps I made were from BlackBishops instructions.....https://flic.kr/s/aHsiTZBYun
Shug
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3115/2490778310_9bb2967583_b.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2361/2257292552_5944d8a33e_b.jpg
blackbishop351
03-03-2017, 14:05
I'm in the process of reconstructing a proper catenary spreadsheet. It won't follow the instructions exactly (I don't remember how lvleph did all his formatting on the original), but it will give people enough measurements to make one of these.
silentorpheus
03-03-2017, 15:07
I actually have copies saved of the original lvleph sheet - a couple different versions. However they seem to be either missing some additional data, or corrupted, as they give errors, and open the excel debugger when you click "feed the cat" to get the calculations. :rolleyes:
Edit: here's an older archived thread, that links to a lot of the original files. Most of the links are broken and sites shut down, but a few still work if you take the time to dig through them.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/3947-Blackbishop-blackcat-tarp-pdf
jellyfish
03-03-2017, 17:58
All the tarps I made were from BlackBishops instructions.....https://flic.kr/s/aHsiTZBYun
Shug
https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3115/2490778310_9bb2967583_b.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2361/2257292552_5944d8a33e_b.jpg
These look sweet! How long did you make your ridgeline?
I'm in the process of reconstructing a proper catenary spreadsheet. It won't follow the instructions exactly (I don't remember how lvleph did all his formatting on the original), but it will give people enough measurements to make one of these.
You are the best! You design it, and I will sew it. Awesome.
I actually have copies saved of the original lvleph sheet - a couple different versions. However they seem to be either missing some additional data, or corrupted, as they give errors, and open the excel debugger when you click "feed the cat" to get the calculations. :rolleyes:
Edit: here's an older archived thread, that links to a lot of the original files. Most of the links are broken and sites shut down, but a few still work if you take the time to dig through them.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/3947-Blackbishop-blackcat-tarp-pdf
Thanks. I will definitely take a look.
These look sweet! How long did you make your ridgeline?
Made all ridgelines 11'.
Perfect.
Shug
jellyfish
03-04-2017, 09:13
Made all ridgelines 11'.
Perfect.
Shug
Good to know. Thanks!
Good to know. Thanks!
One of them kept morphing....ended up being my Winter tarp.
Shug
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2120/2256680531_9e12e3fa3a_z.jpg?zz=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJxi5j6rGU
WalksIn2Trees
03-04-2017, 10:23
Those nasty seam allowances are always tricky. That is the truth.
My current tarp is 11'. I have heard that if your tarp is too long, it can mess with hammock suspension and that would not be fun. I am not super tall, so my vertical reach on a tree can only go up so high.
I guess I'll just do whatever BB tells me to do. I'm going to trust the expert with his design.
My OldManWinter has a 13' RL... No trouble with my suspension, but the bottom edges are a bit higher off the ground when closed down in storm mode...
I'm summer, You also don't need to pitch it super low, because the extra length gives you more coverage. For winter is though, you want more interior space.
I think for a winter tarp, 13' RL is a great length, but if I was to make one, I'd make it wider to match as well. I'd start my design with the doors because they define the height, pitch, and width of the final tarp, important factors for dealing with snow load.
Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk
jellyfish
03-04-2017, 13:40
My OldManWinter has a 13' RL... No trouble with my suspension, but the bottom edges are a bit higher off the ground when closed down in storm mode...
I'm summer, You also don't need to pitch it super low, because the extra length gives you more coverage. For winter is though, you want more interior space.
I think for a winter tarp, 13' RL is a great length, but if I was to make one, I'd make it wider to match as well. I'd start my design with the doors because they define the height, pitch, and width of the final tarp, important factors for dealing with snow load.
Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk
I like the idea of extra coverage! So many decisions. Thanks for the intel.
I think my future black cat will be for summer/spring/fall. I am really happy with my winter tarp (with doors) to block cold wind.
jellyfish
05-10-2017, 18:45
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170510/5c721cc840cd46f1b57085963788881e.jpg
Seams are sealed and she is ready for the weekend.
kitsapcowboy
05-10-2017, 18:48
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170510/5c721cc840cd46f1b57085963788881e.jpg
Seams are sealed and she is ready for the weekend.Very nice, JF!
jellyfish
05-10-2017, 18:57
Very nice, JF!
Thanks Cowboy. What seam allowances do you use for your standing grosgrain ridgeline? I want to try this on my next tarp and I couldn't find where you explain it.
kitsapcowboy
05-10-2017, 20:12
Thanks Cowboy. What seam allowances do you use for your standing grosgrain ridgeline? I want to try this on my next tarp and I couldn't find where you explain it.I generally try to make the allowance for the first pass as small as possible, say 1/4" or less. Then I finger-press the cr@p out of it when I invert the two sides, and I make the second pass around 3/8". This is necessary to get 1" grosgrain ribbon to do its thing correctly and cover the second pass row of stitching. If you're folding 1.5" grosgrain ribbon over the ridge line, things can be relaxed a bit, so I shoot for 1/4" to 3/8" on the first pass and 1/2" to 5/8" on the second pass; the wider ribbon gives you nearly 3/4" of overlap to cover the critical second pass stitch row, and makes for an easier build at the cost of a few grams. It also lets you use beefier 3/4" D-rings at the ends if you leave the folded grosgrain long and make your ridge line tie-outs integral with the ridge line ribbon. HTH...
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=148618&d=1492099576
Here's where I detailed my process the first time I tried this technique on my Xenon Wide winter tarp:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/130330-DIY-Xenon-Wide-Winter-Tarp
jellyfish
05-10-2017, 20:33
I generally try to male the allowance for the first pass as small as possible, say 1/4" or less. Then I finger-press the cr@p out of it when I invert the two sides, and I make the second pass around 3/8". This is necessary to get 1" grosgrain ribbon to do its thing correctly and cover the second pass row of stitching. If you're folding 1.5" grosgrain ribbon over the ridge line, things can be relaxed a bit, so I shoot for 1/4" to 3/8" on the first pass and 1/2" to 5/8" on the second pass; the wider ribbon gives you nearly 3/4" of overlap to cover the critical second pass stitch row, and makes for an easier build at the cost of a few grams. It also lets you use beefier 3/4" D-rings at the ends if you leave the folded grosgrain long and make your ridge line tie-outs integral with the ridge line ribbon. HTH...
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=148618&d=1492099576
Here's where I detailed my process the first time I tried this technique on my Xenon Wide winter tarp:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/130330-DIY-Xenon-Wide-Winter-Tarp
Thank you!!!