Sewing technique 1x5 cage liner

[Black piggies]

So I have to make 1x5 cage liners as I've widened the cage. I'm thinking of getting mattress protectors and fleece and cutting and sewing to the right size.

It's probably 30 years since I sewed anything. I remember 2 different techniques. One where you continuously double back on yourself and one where you have a continuous sewn line, in and out.

Any recommendations from the sewers out there please? I want to bypass the botched attempts stage

 

[Mikknu]

So I have to make 1x5 cage liners as I've widened the cage. I'm thinking of getting mattress protectors and fleece and cutting and sewing to the right size.

It's probably 30 years since I sewed anything. I remember 2 different techniques. One where you continuously double back on yourself and one where you have a continuous sewn line, in and out.

Any recommendations from the sewers out there please? I want to bypass the botched attempts stage

Oh, do you have a sewing machine? If so, your life will be much easier. If not, I can help! Were you wanting to sandwich the mattress protector between two layers of fleece, or fleece attached to mattress protector, or fleece-mattress protector-waterproof layer? All of these will need something just a little bit different. The same fo if you want edges that go up the side of the cage to cover coroplast/prevent hay from getting out.

Would you prefer it as flat as possible(all the fabric pulled taut and sewn down the middle usually), or would you want something that's a bit more puffy and malleable(sewn around the edges and turned inside out)?

 

[Black piggies]

Thanks for replying @Mikknu

What a lot of options lol. I have no machine. I was thinking a flat 1x5 size with fleece top and bottom and mattress protector or towel in the middle. The main challenge is the shape and I guess needing to sew bits of the inner bit together to get the right size. Hay is now in the hay loft so no need for higher sides.

 

[Black piggies]

Sewn down the middle sounds a good idea.

 

[Mikknu]

Alright, that makes this a little easier. If you're going with something super bulky like a towel, be careful not to pull your fleece too tight, or it will bend. If you're going to turn thing inside out, it's best to leave a little excess for the fleece on all sides and sew along the edge of your absorbent pad. When you turn it inside out, you won't see the extra!

I almost always turn what I sew inside out. I prefer not seeing seam lines, but that's not for everybody! It is a lot of extra work, especially with something huge like a 1x5, and you need to know the ladder stitch in order to make things look pretty.

My personal advice it to turn it inside out. You end up with slightly more rounded corners that look like this:

And, it can be a bit puffy if you don't sew the middle down. However, I think it's the safest. All the stitching is hidden, so no piggies can bite or chew at it, and it reduces strain on the stitching as well.

To begin, cut your 1x5 measurements. Measure the bottom of your cage, and add 2 cm to each side. for example, a 35cmx23cm measurement will come out about 33x21 cm when turned inside out. For the fleece specifically, cut just a little bit on the wider side, to leave that edge that I mentioned to ensure you don't make it too tight.

Using TONS of pins and whatever you've got to hold it together, arrange them with the absorbent layer on the bottom, one of the fleece layers GOOD SIDE FACING YOU, and the final fleece layer BAD SIDE FACING YOU, GOOD SIDE facing the good side of the other fleece. Fleece likes to stretch, try not to let it do it too much. It will also bunch.

Your knots don't matter too much because they'll be hidden, but do make them nice, big, and strong!

To make a 1x5 with hand sewing, you'll have to start and stop repeatedly. It will take a very long time. You may want to consider making 5 1x1's on the larger side instead.

I would highly recommend using a back stitch or a running stitch. They're very beginner friendly, and if you draw a line on your fabric around the edge where you want your seam to be, they typically yield some high quality results. I used the back stitch for my beginner projects, and was able to pull and tug on them with all my strength(though it isn't much xD) without give.



One you've sewn around 3 of the side and a little of the fourth(I would recommend the short end, not the long), pull the piece inside out. It's like turning a giant sock inside out basically. Shove the rest of the material through the hole, and keep pulling and pushing until it gets all the way inside out. For a 1x5, I'd recommend a rather large hole to pull through, maybe about 15-20 cm. Wider if you're using a towel.

You'll notice the bunch and puffiness I mentioned while pulling it inside out. Getting rid of this will be the final stage. For now, using what's known as the ladder stitch to tie the ends off nicely. It can be a bit tricky around the corners, but it doesn't need to look perfect! The guinea pigs won't mind.


Note that the thread goes on top in the ladder stitch. This is an important distinction from the invisible stitch, where the visible parts are the small sections betwen 2 and 3, 4 and 5, and so on. Here's a video on the ladder stitch:

You should end up with something looking very similar to the celestial potty pads I made. In order to more firmly attach the top layer of fleece to the absorbent layer and the bottom, use an invisible stitch or a running stitch to run across the middle of the potty pad. Be careful not to bunch your fabric, or you won't be able to get rid of it! Again, pins are your best friend. I wouldn't recommend horizontally, but I've seen people do crosses, concentric squares, circles, vertical bars, anything that floats their fancy. A decorative design will flatten the fabric down just as much as a simple line, but in a different shape.

I've attached a few more images of basic stitches below. Do your best, and don't over work your hand! A long, sharp needle will also be a good friend to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I can try and post pictures too if you'd like. And if you want a SUPER flat one, the easiest way I found to do that is this:

Fleece bad side facing you, absorbent layer, fleece good side facing you. Make sure you have excess fleece, at least 1 cm, extending off of the absorbent layer. Use the back stitch to go all around the liner, with about .63-.31 cm seam allowance from the edge of the absorbent layer to your stitches. Be careful, as you must work your hardest to keep your stitches straight for both ways, or you can get some wonky lines and dips, although that's more of an aesthetic thing. Using either a ladder stitch or a running stitch, sew the excess edges of your fleece liner together. The finish will either look like slightly puffed edges around the liner, or a flat edge with visible stitches. Trim any excess fleece you don't want(You can make the seam as close or as far to the absorbent pad as you'd like, as long as it sels away access to the absorbent layer), and viola! You're done.

I hope this all helps!

 

[Black piggies]

Alright, that makes this a little easier. If you're going with something super bulky like a towel, be careful not to pull your fleece too tight, or it will bend. If you're going to turn thing inside out, it's best to leave a little excess for the fleece on all sides and sew along the edge of your absorbent pad. When you turn it inside out, you won't see the extra!

I almost always turn what I sew inside out. I prefer not seeing seam lines, but that's not for everybody! It is a lot of extra work, especially with something huge like a 1x5, and you need to know the ladder stitch in order to make things look pretty.

My personal advice it to turn it inside out. You end up with slightly more rounded corners that look like this:
View attachment 135185
And, it can be a bit puffy if you don't sew the middle down. However, I think it's the safest. All the stitching is hidden, so no piggies can bite or chew at it, and it reduces strain on the stitching as well.

To begin, cut your 1x5 measurements. Measure the bottom of your cage, and add 2 cm to each side. for example, a 35cmx23cm measurement will come out about 33x21 cm when turned inside out. For the fleece specifically, cut just a little bit on the wider side, to leave that edge that I mentioned to ensure you don't make it too tight.

Using TONS of pins and whatever you've got to hold it together, arrange them with the absorbent layer on the bottom, one of the fleece layers GOOD SIDE FACING YOU, and the final fleece layer BAD SIDE FACING YOU, GOOD SIDE facing the good side of the other fleece. Fleece likes to stretch, try not to let it do it too much. It will also bunch.

Your knots don't matter too much because they'll be hidden, but do make them nice, big, and strong!

To make a 1x5 with hand sewing, you'll have to start and stop repeatedly. It will take a very long time. You may want to consider making 5 1x1's on the larger side instead.

I would highly recommend using a back stitch or a running stitch. They're very beginner friendly, and if you draw a line on your fabric around the edge where you want your seam to be, they typically yield some high quality results. I used the back stitch for my beginner projects, and was able to pull and tug on them with all my strength(though it isn't much xD) without give.

View attachment 135186

One you've sewn around 3 of the side and a little of the fourth(I would recommend the short end, not the long), pull the piece inside out. It's like turning a giant sock inside out basically. Shove the rest of the material through the hole, and keep pulling and pushing until it gets all the way inside out. For a 1x5, I'd recommend a rather large hole to pull through, maybe about 15-20 cm. Wider if you're using a towel.

You'll notice the bunch and puffiness I mentioned while pulling it inside out. Getting rid of this will be the final stage. For now, using what's known as the ladder stitch to tie the ends off nicely. It can be a bit tricky around the corners, but it doesn't need to look perfect! The guinea pigs won't mind.

View attachment 135187
Note that the thread goes on top in the ladder stitch. This is an important distinction from the invisible stitch, where the visible parts are the small sections betwen 2 and 3, 4 and 5, and so on. Here's a video on the ladder stitch:

You should end up with something looking very similar to the celestial potty pads I made. In order to more firmly attach the top layer of fleece to the absorbent layer and the bottom, use an invisible stitch or a running stitch to run across the middle of the potty pad. Be careful not to bunch your fabric, or you won't be able to get rid of it! Again, pins are your best friend. I wouldn't recommend horizontally, but I've seen people do crosses, concentric squares, circles, vertical bars, anything that floats their fancy. A decorative design will flatten the fabric down just as much as a simple line, but in a different shape.

I've attached a few more images of basic stitches below. Do your best, and don't over work your hand! A long, sharp needle will also be a good friend to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I can try and post pictures too if you'd like. And if you want a SUPER flat one, the easiest way I found to do that is this:

Fleece bad side facing you, absorbent layer, fleece good side facing you. Make sure you have excess fleece, at least 1 cm, extending off of the absorbent layer. Use the back stitch to go all around the liner, with about .63-.31 cm seam allowance from the edge of the absorbent layer to your stitches. Be careful, as you must work your hardest to keep your stitches straight for both ways, or you can get some wonky lines and dips, although that's more of an aesthetic thing. Using either a ladder stitch or a running stitch, sew the excess edges of your fleece liner together. The finish will either look like slightly puffed edges around the liner, or a flat edge with visible stitches. Trim any excess fleece you don't want(You can make the seam as close or as far to the absorbent pad as you'd like, as long as it sels away access to the absorbent layer), and viola! You're done.

I hope this all helps!

View attachment 135188View attachment 135189View attachment 135190

Thank you that's a huge amount of helpful information!

I love your pieces.

My first thought is that my parents are visiting and my Mum can sew Maybe it could be a good thing to do if I have to do coronavirus 14 day self isolation!

What do you think about small, hand held sewing machines?

I think your idea of doing several smaller ones is really good.

 

[Mikknu]

Thank you that's a huge amount of helpful information!

I love your pieces.

My first thought is that my parents are visiting and my Mum can sew Maybe it could be a good thing to do if I have to do coronavirus 14 day self isolation!

What do you think about small, hand held sewing machines?

I think your idea of doing several smaller ones is really good.

Thank you for the compliment ^-^ I tried my best. They aren't perfect, but I like them.

The thing with small handheld sewing machines is that you're very limited on what you can do. Before I go on, if you can find one, that's awesome! Sewing machines almost always decrease your time dramatically, no matter what. Hand sewing is a very time consuming hobby, but I am definitely very partial to embroidery. If I could get away with embroidering things in the cage, I would...

Small hand sewing machines simply can't handle very thick materials. Even my actual sewing machine struggled at the time with 2 layers of uhaul and 2 layers of fleece. It might have real issues with a towel or densely padded mattress protector. I'd for sure look into the height of the needle in any handheld machine, as well as how far you can go. A handheld can only sew edges. It can't go across a whole pad.

If you do get a 2 week vacation, it might be something to do indeed xD I'd adore a 2 week vacation tbh, if I could afford it.

Edit: In my cage, I used 1x1 liners for the top part of my half loft. You can see them in my cage pictures thread over in the Guinea Pig Chat, though I never posted official pictures of them in the DIY chat.

 

[Black piggies]

I had another look at the pics, kinda looks like an amazing planetarium, but I can't work out whats what. But I think I'll go for 1x2.5 sizes. Good idea thanks.

Thanks re the sewing machine. I'll hold off buying a small one.

 

[Mikknu]

I had another look at the pics, kinda looks like an amazing planetarium, but I can't work out whats what. But I think I'll go for 1x2.5 sizes. Good idea thanks.

Thanks re the sewing machine. I'll hold off buying a small one.

Ooh, the Piggy Planetarium? That sounds like a cool name! I'm glad you like my idea though.

Here. I drew on some old pictures and attached the one with the clearest view so you can look at thickness as well. These are double lined with Uhaul, so if you use something really fluffy and large, yours might end up a bit thicker.

 

[Black piggies]

Many thanks! I think I'd be better starting small and building up

 

[Mikknu]

It's no problem! I'm really glad I could help, even though it isn't piggy related at all xD

Let me know how it goes! Post updates here or in the DIY thread. I'd never turn down pictures of cute fleece and even cuter piggies.

And of course, if you've got any questions, feel free to ask! If you're having difficulty with a stitch, I can try and post a picture series or something to help illustrate a little better how to do this.