I bought a Bridge Hammock kit from http://www.makeyourgear.com/kits-and...e-hammock-kit/ to make my first bridge hammock. Actually I've never even seen a bridge hammock in person so this was a leap of faith for me.
- Hexon 1.6 - Forest Green fabric
- 7/64 Green Amsteel
- .748 Spreader Bars
- and the rest of the kit
I bought some sewing clips to use which was much easier than pinning the fabric https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Created a 1/4 pattern using a roll of brown wrapping paper from the dollar store. Used the Catenary Curve PDF Creator v2 from http://wunderwuzi.net/catenary/. Creating the pattern and cutting the fabric was the most time consuming part of the process. I wanted to get the measurements exact and because I was using a 1/4 pattern I had two folds to contend with.
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I haven't sewn anything in a while so I just took my time and followed the video tutorials https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...Bridge-Hammock They are very easy to understand and gave me the confidence that this would be doable for a first hammock project.
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I finished it in about 3 hours and took it to the local park for a test hang. I was a bit nervous about the fabric and the webbing. The cat cut is tight as a drum when you get in the hammock but the stitching seems to hold up and I don't expect any problems there. I was surprised when I created the pattern just how much a 6" cat cut is but that's what the pattern said to do.
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I did notice a tiny hole that I believe I poked in the fabric with my scissors when I was trimming threads where my bobbin ran out It doesn't seem to have gotten any bigger but I'm thinking I need to patch it or put some Tenacious Tape on it just in case.
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The Hexon 1.6 feels really good on the skin. I don't have a lot of extra room between the endcaps. I'm 5' 11" and I have an inch or two to spare but when I'm centered it's fine. I ordered the .748 spreader bars but they are probably overkill and I may order a set of the .665 later if I decide to shave some grams. You really get a good view in a bridge and don't have that annoying wall of fabric (or even worse, have the fabric flop in your face). I also never felt like I would tip out of the hammock even when I leaned way out.
I'm looking forward to taking it out soon and putting it to a real test. My next project is going to be saddle bags for storage. I have enough green fabric left over that I think I can make two small ones. After that, I need to create an under quilt and I'm working of my own pattern for that.
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