A Reading by CallumOutdoor & Water-Repellent Cushions
A rainbow-stripe outdoor cushion in two parts that turns a narrow hammock into a reading seat
Callum answers three questions from the backyard first, then reads a striped seat-and-back pad in a cream canvas hammock at sunset and shows how a narrow bed becomes a proper seat.
SaveThe quick answer
A hammock pad works best in two parts: a seat section that lies in the hammock's belly and a raised back that props against its curve. Measure the usable bed length between the spreader ropes, not the whole hammock, choose water-resistant outdoor fabric, and bring the pad indoors for the off-season.
Three questions off the garden path
- A common question
Is your outdoor fabric actually waterproof, or only water-repellent?
The workshop's answerIt is water resistant: it handles rain showers and spills well. For long off-season stretches the workshop still recommends storing the cushions indoors, as with any outdoor textile.
- A common question
Can both the seat cushion and the backrest get ties?
The workshop's answerYes. Ties can go on seat cushions and on backrests, normally for a small extra charge, and depending on the order they are sometimes added free. You can say where they go; on one set of chair pads they were inset 4.5 in (11.5 cm) from the back corners to meet the chair braces.
- A common question
Can I see a mock-up of my cushion in the stripe I picked before I order?
The workshop's answerYes. The workshop makes mock-ups of your cushion in the chosen fabric before you order, for example an outdoor stripe with blue piping, corduroy with bolsters, or a sofa cover shown in two candidate colors.
Now, the reading
A narrow bed, made generous
A hammock is the narrowest bed in the yard. It is also the one everybody wants at six in the evening.
This pad turns it into a seat. It is made in two parts: a seat section lying in the belly of the cream canvas, and a separate raised back propped against the curve behind it. One long flat pad would slide to the middle and fold. Two parts follow the shape, and suddenly there is room to sit up, read and still swing.
That is the trick with small spaces outdoors, friend. You don't add width. You give each part of the space one job. The low part holds your hips, the high part holds your back, and the canvas does the rest.
The stripe is outdoor acrylic in white, cornflower blue, orange, sunflower yellow, sage and gray, boxed with self piping. Against plain canvas it reads strong. Against the garden it reads as part of the planting: foxgloves and roses behind pick up the warm stripes, the lawn picks up the sage. Low sun behind the old fruit trees backlights the edges and warms every color a shade.
The rope looped around the trunk matters too. It tells you where to measure. Where would you hang yours? More weather-ready pieces live among our outdoor cushions, and the stripe's cloth sits on the outdoor acrylic shelf.
Pinned by Callum
Start at the raised back, drop to the seat in the hammock's belly, then follow the rope to the tree and out to the flowers.
- Raised back section
A separate back panel props up against the hammock's curve so you can sit and read.
- Seat section
The seat part lies in the hammock's belly and stops the pad sliding to the middle.
- Rope suspension
Measure the usable bed length between the spreader ropes, not the full hammock.
- Canvas hammock
Plain cream canvas lets the multi-color stripes stand out.
- Garden flowers
Foxgloves and roses echo the pink and orange in the stripe.
- Raised back sectionA separate back panel props up against the hammock's curve so you can sit and read.
- Seat sectionThe seat part lies in the hammock's belly and stops the pad sliding to the middle.
- Rope suspensionMeasure the usable bed length between the spreader ropes, not the full hammock.
- Canvas hammockPlain cream canvas lets the multi-color stripes stand out.
- Garden flowersFoxgloves and roses echo the pink and orange in the stripe.
Fitting a pad to a hammock in five steps
Measure between the spreader ropes
Take the usable bed length from rope to rope, not the whole hammock tip to tip. The gathered ends can't hold a cushion.
Measure the width where you lie
Canvas narrows as it curves. Take the width across the middle of the bed with the hammock hanging, not spread flat on the lawn.
Mark where you sit up
Sit in it the way you read. Where your hips land is where the seat section ends and the raised back begins.
Ask for a mock-up
A multi-color stripe looks different on a finished pad than on a swatch. The workshop will mock up your cushion in the stripe before you order.
Plan for the weather
The fabric is water resistant, not waterproof. Leave it out through showers, and bring it in for the off-season.
A backyard bench, the wrong fabric and the backrest question
A buyer wrote to the workshop about a bench they had built for their backyard. Their first question was whether the fabric from our bolster bench line could live outdoors. It can't, so the workshop sent them to the outdoor line. Rain doesn't negotiate.
Then came the plan: a custom bench with seat cushions and backrests, the backs running roughly 71 x 16 in (180 x 40 cm) and 84 x 16 in (213 x 40 cm). The buyer compared our quote with cheaper stock sizes, which is fair. What settled it was a decision about the backs: they chose backrests foam-filled like the seats, so the whole bench sat the same.
Make those two decisions first, an outdoor-rated fabric and foam backs or pillow backs, and compare prices after. The water-repellent versus waterproof pattern sorts out the first one.
On the cutting table: the sunset hammock pad
| Piece | Two-part outdoor cushion: seat plus raised back |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Outdoor acrylic, multi-color stripe |
| Colors | White, cornflower blue, orange, sunflower yellow, sage, gray |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box |
| Weather | Water resistant; store indoors off-season |
| Measure | Usable bed length between the spreader ropes |
| Fastening | Ties available on seat and back |
| Best for | A hammock or hanging bed in the backyard |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — Callum
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
A hammock cushion made as one flat pad slides to the middle; cut it in two parts, a seat and a raised back, and it follows the curve.
Callum
Questions buyers ask next
Can a hammock cushion stay outside all summer long?
Through showers, yes: the outdoor fabric is water resistant and handles rain and spills well. For long off-season stretches, bring it indoors. Water resistant is not the same as waterproof, so it should not spend the winter outside.
Why does a multi-color stripe suit a plain canvas hammock?
Plain cream canvas is a quiet background, so a bright stripe stands out without competing with anything. In a garden, the warm stripes also echo nearby flowers, which makes the pad look chosen for the spot.
What makes a narrow outdoor seat feel bigger than it is?
Give each part one job instead of adding width. In a hammock, a low seat section holds your hips and a raised back holds your shoulders, so the same narrow canvas works as a seat, a lounger and a reading spot.
Fair winds — Callum
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