Diy indoor hammock idea (need advice from the hive mind)

Hey everyone. I'm currently making an indoor hammock and as of right now I've got the material picked out. I'm using cotton quilt blender material for the outside and cotton no stretch flannel for the inside. Both came at 108" wide so no issues there. They both seem sturdy enough to hold my 300lb self, especially when sewn together. So here is where my need for advice/ previous experience comes in. Has anyone tried adding quilt batting to any form of hammock either for comfort or mild insulation? Is it needed at all and could it cause any problems for a gathered end hammock?

I’m guessing, keep hammock and insulation separate. Easier to wash and dry. Might mostly want to wash hammock more frequently than insulation. Also if your insulation is too warm, would you have to take it apart or have two different hammocks with different degrees of insulation?
Maybe someone will post, that has this in their home.
On positive side of hammock and insulation as a one piece unit...it might have better visual lines, no extra suspension lines to be seen and no adjustments to do.
You might find more by searching either in Hammock Forums past threads, or by Google or Safari search. Sometimes searching on Google can find topics that are on past Hammock Forums threads—if it works...great!

I use a diy insulated hammock for backpacking and I’m a big fan. I think an insulated hammock for indoor would work well. Since you’re talking about synthetic insulation washing shouldn’t be a problem. You should read up on under quilt design and decide if you’re going to have any sag or if you’re just going to sandwich it between fabrics. Sandwiching is easier, but less effective for insulating.

I wouldn’t worry about being too warm, most beds are better insulated than anything you’re going to sew and they’re not too hot (unless you live in the south with this freakishly long summer we’re having. #GretaMayHaveAPoint) You could also make the insulation removable using zippers or snaps or whatever. Another idea is to make a third hammock, line it with insulation, and nest your other hammock inside it. Easy way to test if you like the outcome.

Good luck


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I would also recommend keeping insulation separate. There are going to be times when you want it and times when you don't.

For cotton fabrics: the main issue is actually wedgies! Cotton on cotton has a high amount of friction. It can cause clothing to twist and bind. Smoother fabrics help. I prefer cotton for indoor hammocks, though. Synthetics carry a lot of annoying static electricity.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll take it into account. The insulation I'm considering is rather thin, (same stuff you see in bed quilts). I'm mainly considering using it because with the two fabrics I chose you could use the hammock as an actual quilt when not needed, i.e. folded on the end of the couch.

With the amount of fabric left over from the original pieces I have enough for a second hammock. So I think I'll try both insulated and non and see what happens. I'll post pics as they come together.

Let us know as your dream becomes reality

On an indoor hammock—I say go big or go home

Think about making the lower layer of the hammock looser than the upper layer, to allow the insulation to loft downward. If both layers are the same size, your weight will compress the insulation and you may not get much insulation value. (Of course, that means the inner layer will be the one that takes your weight, and flannel will likely not be sufficient!)

But it's indoors... so you may not need much... just something to think about...

I'd make a separate underquilt with your lining fabric that you can easily attach and remove as the temps change and also use it as a separate quilt on your couch. If you quilt through the body of your hammock fabric, all those seams will diminish the strength of the hammock, similar to perforations in notebook pages!

So I suggest quilting your batting between 2 layers of your lining fabric (not through your weight-bearing hammock fabric) to keep it from bunching up into lumpy areas when laundered. Even bonded batting will get lumpy unless you quilt it every 5-6 inches or so. But if you haven't bought the batting yet, maybe consider using fleece for your insulation instead of batting, since fleece washes well and only needs minimal sewing to keep the layers together, so it can be sewn to just one layer of your flannel lining (i.e., reversible blanket showing fleece on one side and flannel on the other). Run some shock cord through the ends with line locks and you'll have an easy UQ that doubles as a couch quilt. JoAnn is practically giving fleece away this time of year, on sale or coupon. Make a fleece & flannel top quilt, too! If you want more warmth, maybe a Costco down throw instead of fleece, and cover it with your flannel for a nicer feel.
Don't forget to pre-wash your cotton flannel before cutting it to the size you want, since it almost certainly will shrink.

So the indoor hammock is complete and I learned quite a lot. Firstly the quilt blender material seems to work just fine. The flannel however was probably a poor choice. During the first test the flannel tore Luckily not along any of the quilt lines. I think It would have been better to just double the blender material up instead. However after repairing the tear by adding in more of the blender material it seems to hold my weight quite well. The quilt batting was a huge pain to add in and I think in future iterations I will just add an underquilt as many of you suggested. The batting I used is quite sturdy and in its specifications allowed for quilting every 10" I went a but closer than that. I triple stitched the hems and quadruple stitched the gathered end channels as well. I also used 1/8th amsteel in the hopes that the larger diameter would help distribute the weight along the channels. I took a long nap in it today and it was quite comfy with no calf ridge or other problems so far. You definitely feel the warmth difference with the batting and it also makes the hammock quite cushy. So overall I think this project can be considered a success. I also made a costco diy underquilt while I was at it. This is the new Eddie Bauer version and it seems to work great as well. As I sleep in the hammock more I will update this thread with any problems or changes.

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Your new system looks good! For what it's worth after the deed is done, I just came across this older thread: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-of-my-hammock Note that the recommendation there is to sew the insulation only to the slightly wider bottom layer of a double-layer hammock, not through both layers except at the side edges. For an indoor hammock it can be even easier: You could just sew a comforter (e.g., a Costco throw or whatever else you like) to the sides of any hammock, run shock cord through channels sewn in the ends of the comforter to snug up the gaps, and be done. But unless you really want a winter-dedicated hammock, IMO one good all-season hammock and a separate UQ is more versatile & easier to care for, and just attach & remove the UQ as needed. (In my house I also hang a length of fleece fabric under my Costco down UQ for a little added warmth and to protect it from naughty kitty claws. I probably should just sew the fleece and the UQ together as one piece to hang.)