Tea Towel Hammock

This is a really simple hammock to make if you have a little experience with a sewing machine, and gives a very neat looking result.

• A sewing machine
  

• Scissors
  

• A tea towel (or similar sized piece of material)
  

• Backing material of the same size or larger
  

• Thread
  

• Four 'D' rings
  

• Four clips to attach the hammock to the cage
  

1. Trim the turned edges from your tea towel, as you don't need these.

2. Draw out the sewing line onto the back of the tea towel, in a similar shape to the photo. This is the size your final hammock will be. The corner lengths will form the hanging tabs, so the distance between the two lines at about 5cm (2 inches) from the corner needs to be about the same as the width of the 'D' ring.
Example pattern:

3. Place the hammock onto the backing material and pin (or staple) in place. I used a double layer of black material to make a triple layer hammock, but the back panel from an old shirt may be large enough, or a piece of unwanted curtain. Don't trim the unwanted pieces off the tea towel yet, it's easier to do this later.

4. Stitch along the sewing lines you've drawn onto the tea towel. Leave 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) unsewn along one long edge so you can turn the hammock right way out. You don't need to seal up the ends of the corners as these are turned completely out, although you may find it quicker to keep stitching across the ends and then trim it off later.

5. Trim around the edges through all the layers about 6mm or 1/4" outside the stitching, and cut across the raw edges of the corners. It may help to leave a slightly deeper margin alongside the unstitched gap in the seam.

6. Pull the hammock right way out through the gap in the seam, so that the right side of the tea towel now shows. Pull the corner lengths right through so that the raw edges are showing. I found the assistance of a teen who enjoys fiddly jobs was useful here.

7. Top stitch around the edge of the hammock, all the way round. Be careful as you sew past the gap in the seam, making sure that the raw edges are sewn into the top stitching to seal it.

8. Add some quilting. By this, I just mean sewing back and forth across the hammock so it's not one large pocket, or if there's a nice picture on your tea towel you can sew around the edge of the picture. This is a major step in discouraging chewers.

9. Decide which side of the hammock will hang on top and which will be underneath. I like to turn the corners to the side that will be underneath, as I feel it will present less temptation to nibblers in the hammock. Pull each tab through a 'D' ring and zigzag the raw edge down onto the hammock, then sew the corner down securely.
To save cutting and restarting thread, it's possible to 'daisy chain' the corners together as you show.

10. Attach your hammock clips and hang your hammock.

11. Add rats. When hammock has been destroyed, repeat from step 1.

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