Sep 29 2008
Tutorials
***At this time, sadly, I have no immediate plans for any new tutorials. My rats are still receiving a beautiful array of hammocks but, of late, most of my rat sewing as been done with my serger as I find myself extremely short of time due to some unfortunate turns in life. As serger sewing is completely different from sewing with a standard machine, I am not able to make patterns to post here from my current efforts.
I do hope to begin posting tutorials again at some point (perhaps this school year, as both of my children will be in school now), and will update this page if I am presented with the opportunity.***
Please be sure to read the Basic Sewing Tutorial before you move on to any of the others, especially if you are not already familiar with sewing. And don’t hesitate to stop back in for the basics if you catch me using some terminology you are not acquainted with in another tutorial! I try to keep things as simple as possible, but keeping things simple also includes using some very basic sewing terms instead of having to explain commonplace things in great detail in every tutorial (my goodness, they would get much too long)!
I should also mention that you are always welcome to contact me (by e-mail or by posting on my blog / here) if you are having trouble with any of the tutorials. It is hard to know if what I am explaining makes sense to people without feedback. If something is confusing you, it is probably also confusing someone else. My entire aim with this website is to make sewing for your pets as easy as possible, so please help me to help you!
Easy:
Moderate:
Advanced:
I saw the triangle tutorial… not sure if I’m ready to tackle that yet! I do have a question though. My girls love cubes, but they always make extra openings at the bottom so they can peek out. What can I make for them instead? Do you have any ideas for something with at least two openings but is still enclosed at the top? Maybe like a cube with openings at two of the corners? Any help would be appreciated!
Christy
Hmm.. I’ll have to give it a bit of thought. I mean, if you can make a cube then it is easy enough to cut / sew openings in more than once place, but I have a feeling you’re looking for something else.
When you say that they make extra openings at the bottom, do you mean on the actual *bottom* panel, or do you mean on the side panel but close to the bottom?
Well… they chew holes in the corners at the bottom and lay there with their noses sticking out. So I wanted to make something with a couple of openings, maybe like two of the corners cut off? I’m NOT good at describing this! lol If you make a cube and make openings at two opposite corners, would it hold up?
Sorry to be a pest…
Not a pest at all! While I haven’t made a cube like that myself and so I couldn’t say for sure, I do think that it would hold up. You would need to slip stitch the fabric closed (the same way you would close a regular opening), but so long as you did that I believe that the structure would remain sound.
I’ll have to do a little experimenting with it… I’ll let you know how (if) it turns out!
I’m really happy I found this site! You explain things in a way that I can understand, where as other sites have just confused the subject. I think that I’m actually ready to give this a try after reading your tutorials! Thanks!!
I’m so glad! And please, if you have any trouble don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll try my best to help you out.
i want to do a cube next and a round bed (my boyfriend bought me fabric!!!). only question is if i’m gonna put batting in between layers i get confused. is it pretty much the same thing with three layers? (that goes for all projects with batting).
i also am gonna do that double bunk b/c it looks like even i might be able to do that!
thanx for all your great instructions!!!
If you want to use batting what you will do is — lay down the fleece, with the right side facing up. Now put down your cotton layer, with the right side facing down (right sides together). The batting goes on top of the cotton (or under the fleece, just not between the two).
I definitely think you can do the double bunk! IMO, it’s one of the easiest ones after just a standard hammock.
When you finish, you should post some pictures! I’d love to see!
thanks. i do have a pic of sleep inside hammock i made last week… :-) (my first real project)
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm211/darkpixietink/20081109_0214.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm211/darkpixietink/20081109_0221.jpg
it’s pretty big cuz i have a four pound boy..he’s chunky!! (ferret)
for some reason that’s easiest to make for me so i’m gonna try that double bunk as soon as i can figure out what fabric to use.
i don’t know why batting confuses me, maybe it’s the confusion of turning three layers inside out. but i will try to do what you said, thank you!
That looks adorable, what a fantastic giraffe print! Good luck with the batting.
We are just about to get two new baby girl ratties and I just finished making the double bunk for them. I love it and it was so much fun. I can’t wait to see their cute little noses peeking out at me. This is the first of many I’m sure. I’d love to make the tunnel hammock and cube for them in the same material. Thank you so much for these patterns because I looked everywhere for good and easy patterns. Keep them comming!
~~~( :>
I’m so glad that the tutorials have been helpful for you! Make sure you post some pictures of your adorable baby girls once you get them. I’d love to see their little noses poking out too ^_^
Thank you for all of your wonderful ideas.
I have a disabled adult daughter with 4 big kids in a great big cage.
She rescued them from the local SPCA.
We have had ratties for years but never 4 at a time!
She has one store bought hammock which they love but with such a big cage, I want to make her a few more for Christmas so they will be nice and cozy this winter.
I don’t have a sewing machine at this time but I do sew and these look easy enough to do by hand.
Her house is a bit drafty so these will really help.
I will let you know how it goes- and again - thank you.
I could never afford to purchase anything online.
Thanks again!
I’m so glad! I hope that the tutorials help. I don’t think that any of them (except perhaps the triangle / cube) will be particularly difficult to do by hand, just time consuming.
If your hands get too tired sewing (I can’t sew by hand for long with my carpal tunnel, for example), then you could check out some of no sew hammocks! I haven’t used any of those tutorials myself, but I know some people who have and just love them.
Another easy and warm thing that some rats love (I know mine do) is just a box / bucket / sack / whatever filled with scraps of fleece! My boys could spend hours digging around in the box and they also love to pull the scraps into their hammocks for warm, snuggly goodness.
I’d love to see a picture of one of your hammocks after you get finished ^_^ And of your daughter’s rats!
Love your hammock tutorials - have already made the cube, tube & triangle! Am really getting the hammock making bug!
Would you please be able to tell me how to make a seamless double layer hammock with an opening down the middle - like a pocket hammock (if that makes sense?)?
Also, how would I make a ‘bunk bed’ hammock (ie flat rectangular hammock on top, with a ‘U’ shaped hang underneath)?
Thanks!
I’m not quite sure what you mean by a double bunk with a U shaped hang. Do you mean something like a double decker?
As for a pocket hammock — I haven’t made one that is entirely seamless yet. What I do is take a rectangular piece of cotton and fleece and make a standard hammock and turn it right side out. Then I put it down with the cotton side facing up and fold both ends toward the center. Stitch down both sides that aren’t folded. Turn it right side out and put in grommets.
Yep - like a ‘double decker’ (the version with ribbons to hang)…couldn’t think of the name!
Thanks again!
wow, i have 3 ratties and have been playing around with hand sewing, i have made some stuffs but cant wait to do more. Im getting a sewing machine in the next few days and cant wait to try out ur patterns, expecially the tube, honestly this site is great. thankyou for the easy instructions and i hope to see more patterns in the future. :)
This is such an awesome site! I got a sewing machine a few weeks ago, and your tutorials have been such a help! I am totally new to sewing, so still need lots of practice, but my rats are so far loving all their new hammocks & cubes. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
What a great site!! I love your tutorials I have purchased my material, some batting and am going to dive in tomorrow to make some cage goodies.
I enjoyed looking at all your cage set ups. I have some questions about the way you do your cages. First if you have explained this elsewhere I apologize now as I havnt finished reading. Anyway- I noticed that you have fleece on the bottom of the cage and a corner what appears to be a litter box. Do your rats use the litter box in the corner??? If so how did you get them to do that? I have heard of ways to train them to do it but just like to hear more peoples successes. Also how often do you take the fleece items out of your cage and wash them? Thanks !
Stephanie — you’ll have to show me some pictures once you get sewing, I’d love to see what you make!
My rats halfway use the litterbox in the corner. The majority of the poop in the cage ends up there. Basically, I just kept picking up their poop and moving it into the litterbox until they got the idea that I wanted poop to go there. Pee still goes everywhere and some poop ends up scattered.
Generally I do a complete cage cleaning every Saturday. Everything comes out, the cage gets scrubbed down, all toys get disinfected, etc. All new liners and hammocks go in. On Wednesday the liners come out and get washed, and then put back into the cage. My boys don’t tend to pee in their hammocks, so those usually stay in until Saturday. If a particular hammock has been extra marinated, it just gets washed along with the liners on Wednesday.
I also tend to do an early complete cleaning if someone is going to be meeting them for the first time. I’ve noticed that everyone finds them cuter if the cage is spotless.
Thank you so much for the info, I think I will try using a liner system too for a bit and see how that goes. I tend to need to change the bedding material on the bottom of the cage ever few days as it goes and that is pretty expensive and still so smelly.
I made a regular hammock and also the bunk style too they turned out really good. Thank you so much for your great directions. I will share some photos later.
Thanks so much for the great tutorials! I finally dragged my mums old sewing machine out and started with the basics and have just completed a cube and a snuggle square, which my little girls love!
I have also made a few for my friends babys.
Thanks for taking the time to post all the pics and tips, makes it so easy!
Love all your pics of your cage, it looks so colorful and a lot of fun! :-)
I’ll try and post up some pics after my next clean :-)
Thanks again Missy.
Would there be any way of making a seamless cube with batting, as well as quilting the layers together? I’m really stumped on this one??? Thanks!
I don’t honestly know anything about quilting, so I’m afraid I can’t really answer that part of your question. As to making a seamless cube with batting — you would simply lay the batting against the right sides of the fabric, then when you turned things right side out, it would get turned inside.
i cant tell you how wonderful it was to find your site! thank u so much for posting all these tutorials….its a real help to people like me who like to diy….i have 12 nakies and am making them new things for their cages….and found the tute for the cube you posted….then saw all the others and i went crazy! lol! thanks so much!! i would love to see your blog updates posted more frequently….
Hi. I was wondering what type(s) of sewing machines you use? or which you would recommend?
Tish — I’m so glad that the tutorials have been helpful to you! I bet your nekkies are loving all of the wonderful things you are making for them.
Lydia — I have a Kenmore 17892 for my regular sewing machine. I also have a Brother 1034D serger and a JanomeCP 900 coverstitch machine. If you are looking to buy a sewing machine, I would honestly recommend picking up an older singer (pre 1970, preferably pre 1965) or an old Kenmore. You won’t beat the reliability that you get from one of those machines with anything made today without spending a lot of money (at least 700, probably more).
Just wanted to tell you that I bought a sewing machine! It is a Morse M-ZZ that I got for $25 at an antique store. It came with the cabinet and tons of accessories in the drawers. It is very well cared for and a bargain. I tried it out and it works great; I think it will be a good machine to learn to sew. I plan on making lots of new hammocks for my female ratties! Thank you for the great tutorials!
P.S. I saw a Singer 401a that looked great also; I may cave and buy it!
Thank you so much for these tutorials. I have made almost all of them. My rats really love they´re new accessories.
Hey! Just wanted to compliment you on your site. Your tutorials are absolutely awesome, and so much easier to follow than many others out there. I’ve tackled most of them, and I’m going to try the rest, as well! I’ve stumbled through a few of them, because it’s been hard for me to adjust the dimensions for smaller sizes (I’m sewing for mice) and still have enough maneuverability. I’m getting there, though! Thanks for spending the time to write all of this!
Ahah! I’ve been searching high and low for some good hammock and liner tutorials. Yours look fantastic. Thank you so much, Missy! I’ve never sewn a thing in my life, and you make it look so easy. :)
I do have a couple of questions if you don’t mind:
Have you had any experience with Martins Cages? I’d like to make some liners for mine (R-695) but haven’t decided what the best way of attaching them to the cage would be. I’m thinking grommets in the corners or some tiny office clips in strategic locations. Some people say they don’t anchor them down at all! Let me know if you have any insight on this matter.
Also, I read on your FN liner tutorial that you like to use cotton for one layer. How does this work with odor control? Do you notice a difference between cotton/fleece and pure fleece? I’m looking into flannel too, but I haven’t heard much about it.
Thanks again :)
Jill,
Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with Martins cages — I have only ever used a Ferret Nation. You could try checking out Kat’s Rat Mats for some inspiration on how to install them, though!
Sometimes I don’t bother to anchor down liners, myself. My boys don’t chew their hammocks, but they’ll nosh on anything on the floor that they can’t move. If I want the cage to look especially spiffy (like if people are coming over) then I’ll anchor my mats down, but I also have a shelf full of liners with no attachment points that I just toss up and straighten every now and then so they don’t go chew crazy.
I find that the cotton / fleece double layer works better for odor control than just plain fleece, but I wouldn’t say that it is a huge difference. For me, it is mainly an aesthetic difference to make my cages all matchy-matchy. I do have some plain fleece liners too, when it looks better with the hammocks.
Flannel works just as well as cotton, and I have a lot of flannel / fleece liners, too! Flannel is so much cheaper sometimes, and they have tons of adorable prints available.
I experimented a time or two with plain flannel liners (no fleece backing), but that didn’t work out so well, so I wouldn’t suggest that route ^_^
Thank you for your clear and thorough explanation! very usefull. At the moment i’m making the double bunk, which looks great. Before i made some of your seemless patterns. From those, i created a pattern for a cheese wedge shape, a triangle that fits right in the corner. With 2 equal sides of 30 cm, a long side of about 38 and height of 10 cm. I made 2 holes in it, one on top in 1 corner, and one on the long side on the other corner. My cutties just love it! It was kind of difficult to sow the corners, with all those layers. Maybe jeansfabric and fleece was just a bit too thick :) My next design will be a seemingless wheelshaped cylinder. Wonder if thats easier to stich for the machine, although i think it will be more difficult to make with the turning around and such. Thanks again! Hope you get your life sorted soon and come back with more great patterns!
Oh, if you’re back on the patterns, could you describe how to make a hole in a tube? So that a tube as an exit/entry in the middle too? I find that my rats knibble less if there’s a hole in the middle. Never found the trick how to make a nice and neat hole. Thank you
Esther,
If you have any pictures, I’d love to see what you’ve been working on!
As to making a nice, neat hole.. it is really just an exercise in patience. Use something as a template to make sure that your hole is actually round, and trace it onto the fabric. Cut out both layers. If you have more than two layers, I would suggest trimming the additional layers (the ones on the very inside) smaller than the outside layers so that they won’t get in the way while you slip stitch.
If you’re really having a lot of trouble with circles, you can try notching the fabric. By this, I mean.. cut out the circle, and then every little bit around (I can’t tell you exactly how far.. half inch, inch? Just whatever works for you and the size of your circle) make a little snip. This way, you only have a small area that you need to fold under at a time, and the rest of the fabric isn’t fighting with you.
I’ve included a little picture on the left (isn’t my photoshop skill AMAZING?!) in case my description doesn’t make enough sense.
pics of the triangle/ cheesewedge
the hole on top
[IMG]http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x139/meisjeemma/IMG_2751.jpg[/IMG]
the hole on the long side
[IMG]http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x139/meisjeemma/IMG_2777.jpg[/IMG]
I found that my rats to knibble less if i make 2 holes in a ‘cube’. With just one entry the always feel its necessary to make some extra holes. The triangle fits just right in the corner or a cage, dont have pics of that (my camera is low on batteries).
With the fabrics i made a triangle (haha, look at the great stiches around my holes)
[IMG]http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x139/meisjeemma/IMG_2758.jpg[/IMG]
I’m charging batteries so will take some pics when making the next wheel. The one i made is an absolute hit! Its about 30 cm diameter, and about 12 cm height. When the rats are in the wheel, the wheel gets out of shape, into a round ball on the bottom, they love it! Rats going back to their womb :D The top of the wheel i reversed the fleece and cotton, meaning they can lay on top of the wheel on the fleece, while the whole inside is fleece too (cotton on the outside except for the top round where it’s on the inside). The stichless sowing is ab fab, i think it saves a great deal against the knibbling (besides it looks nicer too). Pics to be followed..
All pics and explanation of the wheel/cake/cylinder shaped hammock can be found in here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24825&id=1646327562&l=914c248605
Hope you can access it. When making such a pie, consider reversing cotton and fleece on the top, so that it’s soft on the top too. In the example on the link above, the black on the top is just as soft as fleece.
omg r u serious
*_*
rat hammock ??
wow
Hi, I love your tutorials!!!
But I was wondering if you could make one for a round bed like this, http://www.justforfuzzies.com/store/Bedding/ferret_bedding/highround.jpg
Kayley — I am happy that you are enjoying the tutorials!
Unfortunately, I am not making any new patterns at this time. You could use the snuggle square pattern though, and just cut a circle rather than a square (there are brief instructions given for measuring for a circle rather than a square).
Hi, thank you for the amazing tutorials
I made the reversible triangle this week and amazed at how you figured out how to do this, it’s like magic!
I have posted about it on my blog and included a link to the tutorial, hope this is ok ^_^
Applecore — I like the colors that you used, it looks so funky and fun! That little flowered headband in the same post is adorable as well. Glad you’re enjoying the tutorials!