How to Make a Fabric Hammock

There are countless ways to create a hammock from the very simple sling style, to knotted rope and quilted slings. In our video, we outline how to make a simple sew hammock and a slightly more complex, quilted version. When making a fabric hammock, you want to be sure to choose a fabric that is strong enough to support human weight. We used a Sunbrella^® Shade Fabric, but a Sunbrella^® Marine Grade or Upholstery Fabric would also be a great choice. Another fantastic hammock choice is Sattler^® Marine Grade or Outdura^® Upholstery fabric.

Sewing the fabric sling is only one part of building the hammock — you’ll also need a way to hang and support it. In the video, we show you how to create a hammock harness. To make the harness you need to weave the support ropes and attach them to a wooden spreader bar. Then you can hang the hammock to a metal support frame or between two trees or sturdy posts.

This video also contains a section on how to make detachable pillows for your hammock. Since the hammock we made is sized for two people, we made a double pillow that runs the full width of the hammock when attached.