Make a holiday hammock with a colourful single quilt set, some boy scout knots and basic sewing! It’ll come in handy on glamping trips or in your yard when you’re hanging out for some R and R.
Hammocks are the summer fave as a perfect spot to lounge, read and just enjoy the outdoors. Some gentle swaying in a hammock could be the me-time you need during the hot and sometimes hectic summer months. You can rig one up between trees or hang it across the poles in your pergola. Pop a cushion behind your head and enjoy an hour of bliss.
Gather your supplies
- Single quilt cover set
- 3 metres fusible interfacing (medium weight)
- Extra strong sewing thread
- 3 metres 90mm wide curtain heading tape
- 2 metres 30mm wide polyester or jute webbing
- 15 metres 6mm macrame cord
- 6mm x 60mm stainless steel rings (2)
- 20 metres 6mm sash cord
- 24 carabiner clips
Check out this diagram for how to make a macrame hammock structure with ease.
How to make a macrame weave
You’ll also need
- Tape measure
- Fabric marker
- Scissors
- Iron
- Seam ripper
- Pins
- Sewing machine
- Heavy-duty needle
- 13 hook magnets (or scrap board and 13 screws and driver drill)
- Knitting needle Painter’s tape
Step 1
Use a tape measure, fabric marker and scissors to measure, mark and cut the medium-weight fusible interfacing to the same size as your quilt cover (about 210 x 140cm).
Step 2
Insert interfacing into the quilt cover so the adhesive side is flat and faces the back of the patterned side. Set iron to hot with no steam, then iron the quilt cover to fuse the interfacing.
Step 3
Measure and cut 2 lengths of curtain heading tape to 140cm. With a seam ripper, unpick the stitching on the pillowcase (from the quilt set). Cut half the pillowcase into 4 equal lengths, each about 140 x 12cm. Iron hems onto the fabric lengths to fit around one side of the heading tape, then pin in place. (You will need 2 fabric lengths for each piece of heading tape.) Use a sewing machine to sew the fabric edges onto the back of the heading tape.
Step 4
Cut 24 strips of webbing 20cm long. Fold in half, then iron flat. Place 12 equally spaced strips onto the back of one of the pieces of covered curtain tape. The webbings’ looped ends should overhang the edge by 40mm. Pin, then secure by sewing a rectangle on each strip. Backstitch both ends. Repeat with webbing on the other piece of curtain tape.
Step 5
Attach a curtain heading tape to each short end of the quilt cover, so the loops are face down and enclosed between the quilt cover and curtain heading tape. Pin, then sew to the quilt cover with four equally spaced straight lines with backstitched ends.
Step 6
Trim all loose ends of thread with scissors to tidy up your work.
Step 7
To make a jig to weave a clew, use 13 magnet hooks (or a scrap timber board, 13 screws and a drill). Set up a jig as shown in the Clew diagram. Thread the macrame cord under the ring then pull down to loop around the right end hook (or screw). Loop the cord back under the ring then pull down to loop the next screw or hook. Apply a light tension throughout the process, and continue until all the hooks (or screws) are looped back up to the ring. Attach a strip of painter’s tape to the left side of all loops.
Step 8
To make the clew, use a knitting needle as a regulator: weave needle under the taped side of the far left loop and over the untaped side. Continue to weave under all taped sides. Pass working ends of macrame cord through this space and pull tight.
Step 9
For the second weave, thread the knitting over the taped cord and under the untaped cord. Weave needle over all taped cords. Pass working ends of cord through this space. Pull to complete.
Step 10
Repeat Steps 8 and 9 while omitting the outer cord loops (weaving around 10 loops only). On the next weave, omit the next two outer loops and so on. When you have only the two centre loops remaining, tie a tight knot to secure.
Step 11
To attach the clew to the hammock, lay the clew on a flat surface and separate the 12 cord loops. Make a larkshead knot (see photo) on the end of each cord loop and attach a carabiner clip. Pull tight to ensure the cord has even tension, then clip the carabiner to the hammock’s webbing loops. Repeat steps to make and attach a clew at the hammock’s other end.
Step 12
Attach sash cord to each hammock ring with a bowline knot and tighten. Use this rope to hang your hammock.
