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.

 

 

 

Bucket Pouch Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to make a round, bucket-shaped pouch for your small critters.  This pouch is a favorite with sugar glider owners in particular as it can hold several gliders comfortably, and the open design qualifies it as an “open environment” pouch.  This allows your gliders to see you better as you reach in and check on them, which eases the stress response for many nocturnal pets.

You will need:

• 2 equal sized rectangular strips of fleece (one outer color and one inner color if you desire)
• 2 equal sized round pieces of fleece for the bottoms (one outer and one inner color)
• fleece strips for hanging if you wish to hang your pouch.

The formula for sizing the your pouch is as follows:  Find the diameter of your bottom using C=πd.  C is the circumference of your circle, which is determined by the length of your rectangular piece.  This will vary according to individual preference.  For this tutorial, a rectangle 22″ in length was used.  To find the diameter of the circle, divide your rectangle length (or C) by π (π≅3.14).  For this pouch, 22/π= approximately 7. so I made a circle with the diameter of 7″.  The height of your rectangle will be the height of the sides of your pouch.  For this pouch, I measured a rectangle of 22″ by 7″.  You may use different dimensions to make the pouch shorter or taller.

Start with 2 equal rectangles of fleece (shown are 7″ x 22″), 2 equal circles of fleece (shown are 7″ diameter circles), and fleece strips for hanging (here I used 3 strips, you could also use 4).

Fold the inner piece of fleece in half longways, with right sides together.

Stitch along the open short side, leaving a 1/2″ seam allowance. Backstitch at both ends. This will create a shallow “tube”

Pin your inner circle around the open end of the tube you’ve just created, right sides facing in.

Sew carefully around the edge of the circle, making sure to match the rounded edge to the straight edge of the tube.

Now one end of your tube will be covered.

Carefully clip notches into your seam allowance, making sure not to clip into the stitching. Clip all the way around the circular bottom, about 1/2″ to 3/4″ apart.

Repeat these steps with your outer fleece.

Reverse the inner piece so that it appears right side out.

Nest the inner layer inside the outer layer. You should be able to see the raw seams of both pieces.

If you will be adding strips for hanging, you will pin them in now. Fold each strip in half, and place in between the two layers, loop side down.

Pin in place with the raw edges matching.

Sew around the top edge of the pouch, leaving about 1.5″ open to turn the pouch. Backstitch on either side of the opening.

Turn the pouch right side out.

Tuck your inner layer into the outer layer. Tuck the raw edges of your turning hole under and prepare it for topstitching.

To finish, you may topstitch just the turning hole, or around the entire top of the pouch. Make sure your topstitch is neat, tight, and is a small stitch length. Trim all excess thread showing, and you’re done!

Critter Pouch Tutorial

This is a step-by-step pictorial on how to make a pouch with hidden seams for your small furry friends.  These pouches work great as sleeping pouches, cuddle sacks, lap sacks, or just about whatever for all sorts of snuggly buddies in your life.  I make them for my sugar gliders, but you can vary the size to make them for ratties, hedgies, guinea pigs, or even your pups if you enlarge it.  This design is very basic, so there are many possibilities if you tinker with it.  I highly suggest experimenting with the dimensions to see what works best for you!

You will need:

• 4 Fleece Squares of equal size (shown are 10″ x 10″ squares)
• 2 Fleece Strips if you wish to have a hanging pouch (shown are 4″ x 1″ strips)
• Sewing machine
• Good quality thread
• Fabric shears or Rotary blade and mat

Begin with 4 equal pieces of fleece. 2 for the inside of the pouch and 2 for the outside of the pouch. If you wish for your pouch to hang, you will also need 2 strips of fleece cut along the less-stretchy grain.

Take the 2 pieces for the inner layer of the pouch and place them together with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. Line them up so that all edges are even and together.

Sew along 3 sides of the fleece with a 1/2″ seam allowance

Optional steps for boxed corners: Open up the pouch and find one of the bottom corners with your fingers.

Optional steps for boxed corners: Pinch the corner together along the seam so that it forms a triangle at the bottom of the pouch. Match your bottom seam to your edge seam.

Optional steps for boxed corners: Flatten the corner and pin in place.

Optional steps for boxed corners: The pin should go through the seam on both sides. This will let you know that it is lined up properly.

Optional steps for boxed corners: Sew a seam perpendicular to the original seam about 1 inch from the tip of the corner. Sew farther back for a wider bottomed pouch.

Optional steps for boxed corners: Clip the excess corner off. Leave approximately 1/2″ of seam allowance.

Repeat the above steps with your outer fleece. You should now have 2 equal, single layer pouches.

Turn your inner layer right side out. Leave the outer layer wrong side out.

Nest the inner layer into the outer layer. The right sides should be facing each other, leaving the raw seams showing.

Now you will place your tabs (if used) in between the layers. Double over your tab with the right sides facing out, and place the raw edges against the top of the pouch so that the loop is facing down into the pouch. You may place them in whichever orientation you desire. I place my tabs against the side seams. Some like to place tabs along one side. Use whichever placement you find most useful.

Pin the tab to hold it in place. Remember to always remove your pins before sewing over them!

Sew around the top of the pouch at a 1/2″ seam allowance, leaving about a 1″ to 1.5″ gap in your sewing to turn the pouch. Make sure to backstitch on either side of your opening.

Begin turning your pouch through this opening.

When your pouch is turned, you will have one long piece that looks like this. Your tabs should also be to the outside if you added them. Go ahead and stuff the inside pouch into the outside and adjust it so that it sits properly.

Tuck the raw edges of your opening under so that it is neat and ready to close.

You may close the opening using a full topstitch around the whole pouch as shown here, or with just enough to securely close it. Close with machine stitch only for safety, and remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of your seam. Trim all extra threads as close as possible.

 

Lazy Day Sewing

It’s chilly and damp here in the Bluegrass today, so I spent my off time sewing up this cozy cowl neck raglan with my brand new Brother1034D Serger.  This sweatshirt fleece  from Hancock’s is very warm and fluffy and was a breeze to sew.  It doesn’t have a whole lot of stretch, but for a non-fitted pattern like the one I used, it was perfect.

This is a tunic length Women’s Raglan from Pattern’s for Pirates (pattern can be found here) with the optional cowl addition.  This is a great pattern for sewists with a basic knowledge but who are just learning the ins and outs of sewing clothing.  I also love this one as a great stand by for all sorts of different styles and fabrications.

If you are new to sewing or just new to sewing clothing, the P4P patterns are a good place to start.  The PDF patterns and tutorials are clear and easy to understand, and they also offer support through their blog and a facebook sewing group.

Happy sewing all!