How to cut out bridge hammock pattern?

[pdxhanger]

I am working on my first bridge hammock, and I'm finding it requiring more precision measuring/marking/cutting of the fabric than I'm used to with my GE hammocks. Maybe I'm stupid, because the instructions I've found don't seem to address this, but marking and cutting a pattern on a long/wide roll of fabric seems way harder than the actual sewing.

Would you share any tricks you have learned to make this process easier/better?

Since I have learned the hard way that symmetrical-ness is really important, it seems like the best method would be to fold the fabric in two, mark out the pattern on one side, and cut both sides together, but I can't envision a way to make the fabric stay together while cutting, even with a bazillion pins.

It doesn't help that the only sizable floor space I have in the house is carpeted. I have a carpenter's square, an aluminum 48-inch ruler, and a tape measure. I can't afford a good laser square like Griz shows in his video, and I suspect the cheap ones on Amazon aren't worth getting. (?)

Also, I'm only planning to make one or two hammocks, so I don't want to make a pattern unless I absolutely have to (and, anyway, that would require some of the same skills I seem to be missing!)

BTW, I am using WV's method, and so I don't have to deal with the catenary cut issue, but I'm still having trouble.

Thanks in advance!

[Just Bill]

I might suggest watching another portion of one of Grizz's videos in which he uses some cheap poster board from a big box store to create a pattern with. That's really the best way to go as you have a relatively fixed surface you can easily mark, erase, modify or change.

Especially working on carpet... I don't see any other way given what you have available.

I like using two things easily found at hopey depot or maynards:
A roll of 36" craft paper for temporary or prototype layouts ($10 or so)
A roll of more durable floor protector like ramboard I use this for something firmer and you may need it for carpet cutting.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ram-Board...8x50/202823781

You are entirely correct- one of the biggest challenges to DIY is layout- after you understand the basics of sewing good layout and cutting is really 99% of the job.
The other possibility is to pick up a cheap piece of 1/2" MDF... you can get it ripped in half (2'x8') or cut down to 3'x8' for a bit more space and easy handling and likely store it under a bed or more easily get it home from the store. They cut for free at hopey depot and that's about $20 for a full board.

Carpet and nylon is a tough combo- I'd say you need to address that with the plywood but using a paper pattern you could put underneath the fabric would at least give you something halfway firm to cut against if you pin the fabric to the paper so it doesn't move.

So long as the pattern is square/correct- you don't need to laser it up or even mark the fabric- just slip the paper under it and trim the fabric to match.

[Just Bill]

Oh- you can likely lay out a 1/4 pattern too. I'm not a fan of that (I like a half pattern minimum) but many folks here have built things with a 1/4 pattern for the reasons you've described. You would need a symmetrical project obviously but WV's bridge may be a decent candidate for that.

Also- if you have one- paper patterns can be laid out on a garage floor or even the sidewalk outside if you're desperate. Just don't do the fabric on the concrete as it's too easy to damage.

[GrizzlyAdams]

Ha! Just Bill is here giving some of my answers. Other answers: (1) you can tape together ordinary 8.5" x 11" paper, draw half the arc on that, and then cut the arc. Provided you are really really good at squaring the fabric you can fold the body in the middle, and pin the template on. Pins along the bottom to keep it aligned with the edge, pins through smoothed fabric at least 3/4" away from the edge (because pinning distorts the paper a little). Then cut freehand along the the edge. My error doing that is about the same magnitude as the error drawing a line on the fabric to begin with.

For the smoothing part before pinning, you'll have to get something hard and flat beneath it. Your carpeting is the hardest challenge you've got.

[kitsapcowboy]

Not much left to say after such good advice from the experts.

My DIY bridge hammocks are identical on each end and therefore have two perpendicular axes of symmetry. I use a quarter pattern with a double fold of my hammock body fabric so I minimize effort with my rotary cutter while maximizing precision of the cuts that are to be congruent. The quarter pattern on folded fabric also helps when workspace dimensions are limited. Supplies like masking tape and/or quilting clips ("Wonder Clips") can help keep your stacked layers of fabric sorted. Good luck.

[pdxhanger]

Thank you all for the help! I was hoping there would be an answer that included helpful elves. I'll try your suggestions and keep experimenting.

[kitsapcowboy]

(PS: In a pinch a 4' x 8' sheet of hard-finish panelboard (for walls, smooth and white on one side) from the home store is just big enough for you to cut out fabric for a bridge hammock on your carpeted floor, and, being flat, you can store it under your bed or in the back of your closet when not in use...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/FashionWall...-Panel/3015239

[pdxhanger]

(PS: In a pinch a 4' x 8' sheet of hard-finish panelboard (for walls, smooth and white on one side) from the home store is just big enough for you to cut out fabric for a bridge hammock on your carpeted floor, and, being flat, you can store it under your bed or in the back of your closet when not in use...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/FashionWall...-Panel/3015239

Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately, I don't have a great place to store it - I'll have to see if I can get it under the bed.

[Country Roads]

I taped poster board pieces together to make a rectangle large enough to measure out and mark my pattern (my bridge is one of WV's). I then cut out the pattern and put it on my spread out material (I have found weight plates for weight lifting to work really well) and anchored it down. I then anchored the pattern down to the material and made sure everything was tight and not wrinkled. I then drew the pattern on to the material and cut it out. I do have an upstairs room that is large enough to lay out my material. I put the posterboard pattern pieces together in such a way that I could fold it up along the taping lines and store it to have for another hammock.
BTW: WV's People Bridge Hammock for side sleepers is nice. Mine went together very nicely and surprisingly fast. It is very comfy too.