How to Make Hammocks
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1-4 hours
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Intermediate
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- 0-100
An outdoor hammock conjures up warm days on a beach vacation. With this idea in mind, bring that feeling of relaxation to your yard with a hammock that suits your particular needs. There are a variety of materials you can use and options for how to put it together too. While hammocks can be found all over the internet and perhaps in a local store, creating your own DIY hammock will save you money and you may even be able to make it with supplies you already have on hand.
This article features two techniques for making an outdoor hammock to put in your own yard. The first technique is a bit more complex, featuring grommets and ropes to keep it hanging in the air, while the second method is more simplistic and perfect for the traveling relaxer.
The Grommet Method
Step 1 - Sew Ends
Begin this DIY by adding grommets to your fabric, but first you'll want to reinforce it. Along the shortest edge of your fabric, fold once and sew in a line, reinforcing its strength. Use strong thread and sew at least two rows of stitches. Hammock hold a lot of weight and you don't want the seam to pop open.
Step 2 - Punch Holes
Starting an inch from the folded and sewn edge, use a fabric hole punch tool to poke a series of evenly-spaced holes, and place grommets in the spaces created. You can use any size of grommet that you prefer, but make sure they are large enough for the rope you select.
Step 3 - Repeat for Other End
Repeat this process on the opposite end of the fabric.
Step 4 - Add Rope for Hanging
Now that your holes are secured, it's time to add rope elements that will let the project suspend in the air. After tying a knot in one end, weave your rope in an over-and-under pattern, leaving slack in every other set. It's this slack which will be bound together and hung at the completion of the project.
Step 5 - Gather and Hang
After doing the above step on the other side of your fabric, bunch the excess rope from every other grommet, and bind them using a carabiner or an o-ring. Your hammock is now ready for relaxation.
The Bungee Cord Method
This second method of crafting an outdoor hammock mirrors the first in that it is sewn. However, it utilizes a drawstring method, making it is both easier to create and easier to take on the go.
Step 1 - Sew the Fabric
Take two large pieces of fabric and sew them together back-to-back along their edges to make seams. For a professional look, turn it inside out after sewing, as one would if making a pillowcase, hiding the excess material. Sew along the final edge.
A fun alternative—if each fabric is a different color, the inside and outside of the hammock will be different, adding a cool design element to the project.
Step 2 - Reinforce
Here we will reinforce the seam. It's always smart for safety purposes to reinforce the seams to ensure they won't break or loosen under weight. In this case, sew along the edges once more. Again, be sure you are using a high-quality thread.
Step 3 - Create End Seams
At each end, fold an inch of fabric and once again sew along the seams. This will form a channel in which your elastic cord will travel through. Reinforce all seams.
Step 4 - Feed the Elastic
As mentioned, run your elastic through each end's channel and tie it with a knot. If you're having a hard time getting the cord to progress through the opening, push a safety pin through the end of the cord and close it. This provides a target for your fingers and makes it easier to move the cord along.
To relax in your new hammock, simply fasten each end to a tall standing (and sturdy) object, relax, and relish your creativity.
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![Dawn Hammon]()
Dawn Hammon has thrived in freelance writing and editor roles for nearly a decade. She has lived, worked, and attended school in Oregon for many years. Dawn currently spends her days convincing her children she is still smarter than them while creating new experiences with her husband of 24 years.  Her multiple interests have led her to frequently undergo home improvement projects. She enjoys sharing the hard-earned knowledge that comes with it with the audience of DoItYourself.com. Dawn and her sister make up a power-tool loving duo that teaches classes to local women with the goal of empowering them to tackle their fears and become comfortable with power tools. Tapping into her enthusiasm for saving money and devotion to sustainable practices, Dawn has recently launched a passion project aimed at connecting eco-friendly products and socially-responsible companies with consumers interested in making conscientious purchases, better informing themselves about products on the market, and taking a stand in favor of helping to save the planet. When she is not providing stellar online content for local, national, and international businesses or trolling the internet for organic cotton clothing, you might find her backpacking nearby hills and valleys, traveling to remote parts of the globe, or expanding her vocabulary in a competitive game of Scrabble. Dawn holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, which these days she mostly uses to provide therapy for her kids and spouse. Most recently, I worked for a small local professional organizing and estate sale company for four years where I learned a ton about organizing and/or disposing of just about anything. She was raised in a tool-oriented, hands-on, DIY family. Her dad worked in the floor covering business and owned local floor covering businesses, so of course selling floor covering was one of her first jobs. Her brother was a contractor for about 30 years and site supervisor for Habitat for Humanity. I worked with him often, building decks, painting houses, framing in buildings, etc. With her sister, she holds power tool classes to empower women who are scared or have never used them. Not quite homesteaders, she did grow up with a farm, tractors, motorcycles, expansive gardens, hay fields, barns, and lots of repairs to do. Plus she and her family preserved foods, raised cattle and pigs, chopped and hauled firewood, and performed regular maintenance on two households, outbuildings, fencing, etc. As an adult, she has owned two houses. The first one she personally ripped out a galley kitchen and opened it up to the living area, plus updated every door, floor covering, and piece of trim in the place. In her current home, she's tackled everything from installing real hardwood flooring to revamping the landscape.![H.R. Helm]()
H.R. Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. He has been DIY since childhood and is now a septuagenarian. He is experienced in wood and metal construction, having designed and built several houses and metal buildings. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. He also builds custom tools for metal working. Invention prototypes are another of his many accomplishments. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. H.R. enjoys making jams and jellies during fruit season along with cooking meals. He is committed to outdoor cooking in a Bar-B-Q pit he welded together several years ago. He maintains fruit and nut trees along with helping his wife with a vegetable garden. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Employment/Education Highlights ASE Certified Master Auto Technician Certified Welder Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company Bus Driver/Substitute Teacher Inventor with two patents (weight training – anti-rollback for manual wheelchair) BS in Industrial Technology
