I was thinking about this the other day and have some ideas. Will post the results when I get around to it.
I was thinking about this the other day and have some ideas. Will post the results when I get around to it.
Results are in!!!!
I cut my hammock with about a 4.5" cat cut along the side today.
Conclusion:
This is awesome! Floppy sides are practically eliminated but the hammock seems to lay exactly the same. The "wall of fabric" effect is greatly reduced. I have a really nice view out the hammock now. A stretchable foot box would probably be a good addition with cat cut sides.
What I did:
For reference I started with a hammock made from 120"x60" rectangular piece of fabric. The sides were already hemmed to ~59", and I ripped out the channel seams. I cut 2" cat cut's along the top and sewed a channel along the top (folded ~0.5" then folded ~1" and sewed 3 seams). My lengths were then ~ 116" center, and 112" along the sides. I then cut a 4.5" cat cut on each long edge so my middle width is ~50". I heat sealed the edged for now, but intend to re-sew the side hems. If you were doing this from scratch I'd hem the sides then sew the channels.
Picture 1: shows my pattern and how I made the cuts. (Fabric pinned and folded over).
Picture 2: shows the final fabric shape.
Picture 3: is a comparison before and after from inside the hammock. I apologize for the crappy "after" pictures. My camera's battery ran out and I had to use my phone..and it was dark. I couldn't get the after pictures from outside the hammock for the same reasons. I'll grab them tomorrow.
Improvements:
I think a 3" cat cut along the top channel would be better than 2" cut.
There still some floppy side. I could probably go to 6" cuts and improve that even more, while maintain the same lay.
Last edited by Boston; 04-02-2013 at 20:42.
Wow! You have guts!
It's good news to hear that it worked. I always had it in mind but never dared to curve the sides. My next hammock will have them.
Go easy on the end curves. I found it they are too deep, you lose some of the flatness of the lay.
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
It's just fabric and time... I got the "courage" from people reporting being able to hang with narrower hammocks without much issue. I figured this would be a better case, because you wouldn't be losing as much material by your head and feet, thus letting you maintain the same diagonal lay. When I lay in a hammock I tend to "center" my butt, and pivot around that point for my diagonal. So removing the most material from the edge in that portion doesn't affect how I lay.
Too much of a good thing...I agree, but I think 3" will be ok, especially with cat cut sides. I am also thinking about offsetting the center line to more of an asym cut along the top. I plan to try it with my next hammock.
Where would the fun be if you didn't tinker
Sorry for the delay. Here's the outside the hammock shots.
Pay attention to the amount of material folded up by my feet - BIG difference! You can also see it's a lot more taunt across the opposite edge.
I see the sewing machine and the tablecloth fabric going to Maine with me this summer. And I, we just finished offloading all the stuff in the RV we had been carrying while we were living in it. Maybe she will understand.
Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.
Boston,
Do you have any longer-term test results for this design? Specifically, have you noticed your TQ falling out at the foot end (so the stretchable footbox is more if a requirement instead of a good idea)? Do you think the design would work well for a side sleeper? I'm thinking that it may do well for sleeping in the fetal position because you won't have the hammock body pushing against your knees.
I just got a bunch of material from DIY Gear Supply and was thinking of making an 11' version.
Sincerely,
Dave-O
No field testing yet. I have a weekend trip planned in a few weeks and will report back.
I use a sleeping bag instead of a top quilt right now. I've never really had a problem getting in/out and zipping up. So as far as top quilt falling out I can't comment. If you have problems with it in a regular 60" hammock, or you tend to shift your legs a lot, you'll probably need some sort of foot box as the amount of material holding you in is reduced. If you don't have a problem I think you'll be ok.
Quick update:
I made my 2nd cat cut hammock this weekend. Went with the same cut along the long sides, but did a 3" deep cut along the top edge. I feel like this is the ideal cut for me, and will be using this pattern for any future hammock, until I get some other hair-brained idea.
I didn't play around with an asymmetrical cut, however. This hammock was for the gf so I figured I shouldn't experiment too much...
Boston,
How wide was your end channel? I made a catenary cut hammock (sides and ends) last night and used a 3" wide channel. I wonder if that was too big or does the size of the end channel end channel impact the effect of the catenary cut at the ends of the hammock.
It's been raining here steadily since Sunday morning so no pictures yet. I planning on taking it out for a quick day trip this Saturday so I'll post pictures then.
Sincerely,
Dave-O
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