First DIY hammock first time sewing

[bearito]

With wide eyes and white knuckles I gripped the 1.6oz hyperd, hanging on for dear life as my hopes of a cleanly sewn gathered end were ripped up in front of me like a wood chipper eating a branch. It felt far too late to rip the seams now. The fabric seemed to have a force of its own, pulling and tangling wildly, and I was carried on the winds of nihilistic freedom until I had sewn...something. But what? The lines of the stitching were uneven, drunkenly meandering an uncertain path. The ripstop, twisted by panicked hands desperately attempting to correct mistakes even as they were locked in place by the unforgiving pistons of a diabolical machine. YouTube had lied to me.

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[poor_jalopy]

crooked seems are like a badge of honor. When in doubt or challenged by others looking down on you, tell them that your kid made it for you. All the sweet aww's will make the snobbiness dissipate.

[ofuros]

As with learning anything new skill, practice makes perfect... I'm not worried about wavy stitching, just as long as it holds my weight when I hang. Trust your triple stitching.

I'm on my 3rd DIY 'isolation blues' hammock...it's definitely better looking than the 1st. Little mistakes are kept to a minimum, adjustments made & written down for next time, I know how many material layers will stop the machine in its tracks, I can even predict fairly regularly when the bobbin thread is going to run out...

You stepped out of your comfort zone & had a go...well done !

[Tato Spud]

Your creative writing skills are excellent! Made me laugh. But I suspect your first story may not have been quite this good, so it goes with practice...
"YouTube lied to me"

I'm trying to hand sew a small peak bag. I'll also use the line, "Don't laugh, my kid made it for me."

Enjoy hanging in your own work.

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[bearito]

Thanks! I've had more practice slinging words than ripstop, that's for sure. I was shooting for an 11 foot hammock and ended up with 9.6 feet ��. Oh well, gives me an excuse to make another. I'm going to test it out tonight.

[MAD777]

Enjoyable read, at your expense. Sounds like you have a good attitude! Crooked stitches are fine.
Practice on smaller scraps. This thin Nylon is a different beast. It takes some time to get the hang (pun intended) of it. Controlling large sheets of the stuff is a challenge, but going slow at first is the secret. With time, you learn what to watch out for.
Keep it up!

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[Crazytown3]

Way to tackle that project! I'm sorry to say, but you are in to it now though with DIY stuff.

Crooked/wavy stitching is your branding. Anyone can sew straight lines (I think), but my gear has my own special wave stitch that you will not find anywhere else.

[bearito]

Second hammock came out better. Royal purple, yellow thread, 10'3". It's for my wife so it's probably a great length, but I was shooting for 11' and I have no idea how I lost so much length.

[P-Dub]

Good on ya for keeping at it!

Check out Jellyfish's DIY vids -- great ideas for working with these slippery fabrics!

[OneClick]

I did my first back in January with the same fabric. I swear one of my lines crossed into the other! Some sloppy spots for sure, but it's been on 7 trips so far and I love it.

It's a good feeling!