2nd DIY Hammock - uneven end channels

**308Shooter** · 10-01-2017, 16:46

Just seeking some advice. When sewing the end channels on my hammock, the material seems to slip and by the end of the seam, they are completely uneven. I caught this in the middle of the first line of thread and evened up the end and ended up sewing over a crease. You can't see it since it's in the end channel.

Any suggestions on preventing this?

**jellyfish** · 10-01-2017, 16:49

This may help.

https://youtu.be/9SLxiowAgOg

**Flatliner** · 10-01-2017, 17:03

My limited experience says it's related to "pulling" on the fabric (by the user or dogs on the machine or some of both). I haven't ever seen it again since I started using a walking foot.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**jellyfish** · 10-01-2017, 17:03

Go slower
Adjust foot pressure
Use a nylon foot or a walking foot
Lift the foot and smooth the fabric every few inches
Use more pins
Sew slower
Slow
Slow
Slow

**kitsapcowboy** · 10-01-2017, 17:53

The stack of fabric layers can definitely shift on you if you're not careful. To combat this tendency, I use a 12" ruler (a soft, slightly flexible one) inside the channel to keep the inner layers taut and in position, and I slide it along as I sew the first of the three stitch rows (the one furthest inboard from the end of the hammock). I also make sure the starting edge of the channel is straight and square, and I use a piece of masking tape on the bed of sewing machine (see photo below) as a guide to help keep things precisely in line. Using all of these strategies -- which I pretty much just dreamed up over the course of repeated attempts at building different hammocks with sewn channels -- in concert has worked really well for me to date.

**evanphi** · 10-01-2017, 17:54

Make sure you keep a bit of tension on both ends as it goes through. Don't pull tight and certainly don't pull it through, but just enough to keep it nice and flat.