Sewing Basics Part I

Part I:  Sewing with Fleece

This will be the beginning of a several part series to go over some general basics when sewing for your small pets.  This lesson will cover sewing with polyester fleece.  We will not be making anything specific in this lesson, but rather discussing some principles and techniques that you will need throughout your sewing journey to insure the safety of your pets.

For this discussion, I will be posting several examples of the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of sewing with fleece.

• Selecting your Fabric

While fleece may not be the easiest material to sew with, generally speaking, it is typically considered the best, most “fool proof” material to begin using when sewing for small pets.  This is because fleece is sturdy, slightly stretchy, non-woven fabric that will not fray when cut or torn.  When choosing your fleece, you will notice there are several brands or varieties.  The most commonly found are Anti-Pill, Blizzard, and Glacier.  When making a selection for your projects, it is not as important which brand you choose, as it is to asses the overall quality of each piece.  Your fabric should be nice and thick and not too stretchy.  If you pull the material with the direction of its stretch, it should not be so thin as to show light through the fibers.

• Machine Settings

All sewing for small pets should be done with a machine.  Even if you are very skilled with hand sewing, you will not be able to obtain the tension and small stitch length that is required for ultimate safety.  One of the main goals with pet-safe sewing is to ensure that the risk of entanglement by thread is reduced as MUCH as possible.  Serious to grave injuries can and do commonly occur where loose, uneven, or stray threads are present.  No one wants to see their pet injured or worse when the risk is easily preventable.

• Stitch length:  Your machine should be set to approximately 1.5 to 1.8mm.  If you have an analog machine, you can adjust your stitch dial to somewhere between 1 and 2.  You want your stitching to be fine and tight, but not TOO small.  If your setting is too small, your threads may bunch and clump, causing raised areas in the stitching which are also hazards.  Experiment with your individual machine to get the best results possible.  It may also be necessary to increase your stitch length a small amount when sewing multiple layers of fabric.  The thicker the fabric, the longer the stitch length.
• Tension:  For most machines, a tension setting between 4-6 is best for fleece.  This will again depend on your individual machine.  Adjust your settings so that the top and bottom threads pull evenly and lay neatly indented into your sewing.
• Needle Type:  For fleece, it is best to use sharp needles such as a denim/jeans needle, or a universal needle.  Rounded tip needles like stretch or ball point needles won’t sew as cleanly.

This slide is showing a nice, even line of tight stitching. When you sew your pieces together, you want the tension on your machine great enough so that the thread sets itself into the fabric as shown. There should be no bunching, loops of thread, uneven stitches, or clumps of stitching in the line.

Typically a setting of 1.5mm to 1.8mm stitch length is best when using fleece. The stitches should be small enough that you cannot easily slip the tip of a straight pin underneath them. This applies to both top-stitch and inner seaming. With nice, tight stitches like these, you will eliminate the risk of an animal snagging it’s nail on the thread and pulling loose the stitching.

Even when sewing your seams which will be hidden, you want to make sure to closely snip all end threads. Most small pets are burrowers and chewers, so there is a very real possibility that any item you place in the cage with them may be torn. Should this happen, your pet will still be safe until the piece can be removed.

When sewing any item for pets, you want to maintain an adequate seam allowance. A seam allowance of at least 5/8″ to 1/2″ is recommended. This ensures that as the item is put through the stress of use, your seams will not easily pull apart.

A seam allowance of 5/8″ is approximately equal to a 1cm seam allowance

This clump of stitching where the line was backstitched should be picked out and removed. Remember when you back stitch, you only need to go 3 stitches. Back stitch slowly in order to get a nice, clean finish at the beginning and end of each seam

This seam allowance is too small. When the item is put into use, stress on the seams could cause it to begin to pull apart.

These stitches are too large. They do not sink neatly into the fleece, and I can easily slip a straight pin underneath them. You want your stitches to be even smaller than this for ultimate safety.

Another large clump of stitching caused by improper back stitching. If this were on the outside of a pouch, it would be raised and cause a snagging hazard.

The tension on these stitches is too loose. When the seam is pulled apart, you can easily see the individual stitches. This could snag a nail and cause a hazard.