Hammock Gift Set

My good friend just had a birthday.

She recently bought a hammock she's really excited about.  So I thought it would be a good idea to supply her with some handy accessories.  Her hammock is burgundy, so I found outdoor fabric that I thought might work.

I drew chalk lines to represent the top of the hammock to give an idea how these work.  I wish I had a hammock to try these out first!

First off the pillowcases.

Most hammock pillows you can buy are tube/ cylinder shaped.  I decided if I want to take a nap, I'd rather have a real pillow, and her hammock was wide enough for two standard pillows, so I went with real pillowcases.

To make sure they won't fly off or slide down under your bum when you adjust, I added the ties to attach it to the ropes.

In the gift I also included two plastic pillowcases to go inside to help protect the actual pillow from the elements, even though the fabric is made for the outdoors, it's not waterproof.

Now for the tote.  I thought of the things one would want to do in a hammock--nap, read, write, snack, etc.  So I designed a tote with one main large pocket for notebooks/ books/ magazines/ journals/ etc.  

Then on the front I sewed smaller pockets for pens, stash the i-pod, cell phone, a snickers candy bar, sunglasses, etc.  The contrasting pocket tops are just homemade double fold bias tape.

The main weight of the tote is suspended by a loop on the top, which has a buckle to go through the ring or directly through frame, depending on her hardware.  This should also make the tote height adjustable, in case you want to hang it high right next to the ring, or have it right above your head.

Next I added 3 tabs to help secure the tote as it lays across the ropes of the hammock.

One in the back and center, using velcro to secure it around a rope so the tote can't swing side to side on top of the ropes.

Then I added 2 more stretchy tabs in the side seams to help keep it in place from rolling side to side.

So hopefully it will work and make time in the hammock more convenient.  I know I've had a stack of things on the ground next to a hammock to read or work on and reach over to get something, but dump myself right out on my face.  Then your hammock is twisted upside down with your one foot still stuck in the net and your skirt flipped up over your shoulders...oh and your hammock is in your front yard and you live on a semi-busy street.  And you still wear granny panties even though you're in high school because you hate wedgies, and you're hoping whoever just drove by didn't notice you tangled with your butt in the air showing everyone your underwear.

Oddly, most of my embarrassing moments from jr. high and high school involved underwear somehow--wearing a sports bra as a necklace accidentally, losing my panties completely, etc.

Anyway, having the tote above will hopefully keep her stuff organized and easier to reach.

The best part, is the whole set is washable in case a bird poops on it or something!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLY!

{She doesn't look at this blog, so this won't be a spoiler}