How to Build a Hammock From Bed Sheets

Knotted Sheet Hammock

• 1

  Locate two trees at least 6 inches in diameter and spaced up to 15 feet apart.

• 2

  Begin with an 8 foot section of rope. You may require a longer rope for larger trees and those spaced farther apart. Double the length of rope, create a half hitch knot, and tighten the knot near the loose ends of the rope. Grasp the sides of the loop, bring one loop side around the trunk of the tree and pass it through the center of the loop side held in your other hand. This will leave the knot on the back side of the tree and a single loop of rope on the front side. Repeat on the second tree with a second length of rope.

• 3

  Attach your hammock to the rope without tying additional line by making a lark’s head knot. Reach up through the loop to grasp both sides of the rope that form the loop, then flip the loop end -- which at this point sits on the back of your hand -- up over your hand, forming a double loop.

• 4

  Gather the fabric of your sheet together, twist it over itself and form a single knot at the head end. Repeat at the foot end of the sheet. Push the knotted sheet sideways through the double loop, and pull downward to secure the rope against the tree and around the knotted fabric.

Folded Sheet Hammock

• 5

  String a rope between two trees, using a bowline knot or fisherman’s bend knot to secure it at each end, approximately 6 feet off the ground. You can use any knot that secures the rope without allowing it to slip if you are unfamiliar with knot tying. Stretch the rope nearly taut, leaving a little slack. Repeat with a second rope, tying it just above and abutting the first rope, spanning the distance between both trees.

• 6

  Stand near the center point of the ropes, facing them. Hang your sheet width-wise over the top rope, passing one third of the fabric over the rope. Wrap the remainder of the sheet beneath both ropes, then up and over the bottom rope. Drape one third of your fabric over the bottom rope.

• 7

  Hold the sheet where the portion draped over the bottom rope now lies flush with the top rope, lift and shake the material to help flatten the folds. Once complete, the three layers will stack atop one another. Sit or lie on the hammock. Your body weight will keep the material in place.