How to make a fleece tunnel?

[Princess Dustmop]

Hello!

Latte has discovered the wonder of burrowing, and we'd like to make her a fleece tunnel for her cage. I was hoping someone(s) could share a pattern, guide, or instructions for making a fleece tunnel.

I have fleece, Poly-fil, batting, various other fabrics, and most standard quilting supplies (and then some).

Thank you!

 

[Princess Dustmop]

I've seen some threads and pictures of fleece tunnels made by @Lavinia ... Lavinia, any chance you have instructions or tips you could share?

Are the ends stuffed to keep them open? Any tips for washability?

 

[RedLoredAmazon]

Watching this as my fleece tunnel construction needs major improvement. Here's a picture of first one I made out of some leftover scraps. The cotton fabric with the flowers was leftover from a nursing cover. I"ve been washing it every other day (only goes in the piggies' house for one day and gets swapped out for something different the next day) since January. It has come apart a bit but that is because I didn't sew the fleece on to the cotton fabric.

 

[Sparklepetal]

I believe you can use a long cable tie in the tunnel entrance to hold it open. I think when I've gone DIY that I searched on Pinterest and found a tutorial video. I still use some of my own makes, particularly cuddle cups and snuggle sacks, but the struggle with my sewing machine and the thick layers made me realise I'd rather pay for someone else to make tunnels! My girls love their corner tunnels from auntie Lavinia

 

[Bill & Ted]

You can sew in boning at the ends of the tunnel. I use a layer of Dacron sheet wadding which is sewn on the underneath side of the cotton part and then sew the boning onto the wadding
This is a good instruction on utube

minus the boning

 

[T-Rex]

Yes like @Bill & Ted I use boning to keep the ends open. I also years ago made some tunnels with strips of upholstery foam sewn into the edges to keep them open and they have held up extremely well, better than I expected when I did it randomly all those years ago!

 

[Swissgreys]

I use the same instruction video as Bill and Ted - it's brilliant, and I found if I used thick enough batting in the middle it didn't need any sort of boning.
However when i made canvas tunnels I used thin strips of foam cut off the end of an old yoga mat inside to keep them open.