I’m Bringing It Back!

Remember these guys? The stuffed animal hammocks of our youth? I loved mine and I think every kid’s bedroom in America had one too.

So where did they go? Is it just me, or is this just one of the few brilliant things that came out of the eighties like Popples?

I’m totally waiting for Popples to make their comeback. Forget my kids, I want one in every color!

Well, I’ve been cleaning my kids’ room.

Which made me crabby.

And got me thinking, “I need one of those stuffed animal net things that I had when I was a kid!”

So I went on a mission to find one, and guess what? Nowhere to be found (except ebay, which I wasn’t willing to pay for a “vintage” stuffed animal net. The eighties are vintage now? Really?

So, I got to thinkin’ and decided I could make my own. It took about one hour and the total cost was…drumroll please…

$1.00!

So here’s what I did. I got in my car and drove to DollarTree and I bought one of these:

Then I took it home, laid it out on the floor, and cut the bag on the side and bottom seams so I had one large rectangle.

Get the baby off of it.

Then, fold it back in half and make a diagonal line from the top right corner to the bottom left. Fold is on the lefthand side.

Now that I’m thinking about it, you probably don’t have to cut the bag open at all. Just make this diagonal cut. I set the drawstring cord aside for another project.

Since this fabric is mesh, stretchy, and full of holes, I made a double-fold around all three edges about a half inch wide, pinned them in place, and ran a zig-zag stitch over the top on my sewing machine.

This gave a nice clean edge and reinforced where I would be binding over the mesh.

For the binding, I used several yards of 1″ grosgrain ribbon that I had hanging around. The ribbon is made of strong nylon and can support the weight of all the junk I planned on throwing in it. I started on one side, folded the ribbon around the edge of the mesh (just like when binding a baby blanket), and sewed with a wide zig-zag stitch.

I made my way around the triangle. When I got to the corners I did this:

I pulled out a couple of inches of ribbon and formed a loop. Repinned the ribbon back to the edge, then pivoted my zig-zag stitch around the corner and continued on my merry way. The result was a loop on each corner that I would use to fasten to the wall. When you get back around, overlap the ribbon end, folding under the raw edge.

I happened to have little bunting hanging in my kids’ room from an earlier project. It was just the right length, so I stitched it over the long side to add a little flair.

This is the minimum amount of flair- I want to encourage you to express yourself by adding as much or as little flair as you would like.

It’s up to you (name that movie).

I attached it to the corner of the walls with finish nails. I added wainscoting trim to my girls’ bedroom last year and was able to pound a few finish nails right into the wood ledges. If you only have drywall to hang your hammock, I would use some small screw-in hooks with a wall anchor to keep it in there, or why not go for a stud? Then you can really load up on carnival prizes!

I’m happy to report that my kids have not used it as a hammock or tried hanging from it. They love that they get to keep their special stuffed animals and I love that I don’t have to pick them up off of the floor anymore.

Linked up and partying over here: