Hey hedgie friends! Recently someone posted in a DIY cage thread and asked how to make a cozy tunnel, so I commented with written instructions. There are very few tutorials on how to make these, and as such I had to come up with this pattern through trial and error myself. Therefore, I thought that it would be useful to everyone if I had a picture tutorial to show how to sew one! So without further ado...
1. Cut a rectangle of fabric (the decorative outside) by 17 inches x 22 inches.
2. Do the same with a piece of fleece.
3. Again with cotton batting.
4. Next, place the fabric wrong side down on top of the cotton batting.
5. Fold the long sides together (the 22 inch side) so that the edges of the cotton fabric and batting meet. The cotton fabric should now be on the inside, and the batting on the outside.
CONTINUED....
HHC is giving me grief with my uploads so I will have to do this in several posts.
6. Sew a straight line down the long side on top of the cotton batting.
7. Then turn inside out so that the batting is inside and the fabric is outside.
8. It should look like this.
9. Now sew the fleece down the long side as well, just like you did with the fabric/batting. (no pic for this)
10. Place the fleece inside of the fabric/cotton batting tunnel.
11. Make sure that the seams of both are touching and are NOT showing on the finished inside of the tunnel. Otherwise your hedgehog will have access to the seams.
12. Next you will fold the opening of the tunnel by tucking the fabric under, and the fleece under, so that the seams will be hidden. (Pictures 1-4)
13. Do this on both openings (I like to pin them in place so it is easier to sew. I stabbed that poor giraffe right through the jugular...), and sew around the openings, making sure not to accidently sew the openings shut. (Pictures 5-7)
Ta da! You're finished! Now you have a cozy tunnel. I hope this will be helpful to those of you who sew and like making things for your dear hedgies. =] If you don't know how to sew, I do sell these tunnels in my Etsy shop (link in my signature). Other people on Etsy also make and sell them, so feel free to check them out too as there are many talented folks on that site!
If you have any questions about this tutorial, I'd be happy to answer them! Happy sewing! ^_^
ps Try to ignore the fuzziness of my photos and the largeness of my hands.
This is great! Ive been working on a bunch of things for Kenzi & have been playing with the idea of making her a tunnel. Never thought about putting cotton batting in between the fabric layers. Will be hitting the fabric store this weekend!
Hey SmellyHedgie! You can find cotton batting (or rather poly-fil batting, which is the kind I use, I just call it cotton batting since that's what I grew up calling it) at pretty much any craft store. It will most likely be next to the craft foam and poly-fil stuffing. I get mine at Hobby Lobby, but like I said, poly-fil batting is carried pretty much everywhere. =]
lilsurfergrlsp, you could always check sites like Amazon or Ebay to see if there are any cheaper machines out there. You won't need an expensive one, just one that can sew things. =]
Just to chime in, I just bought a nice Brother sewing machine last week on amazon for 80-ish bucks. Used to be around 150 or so, so hopefully the deal is still going. XD
So I made one tonight out of some remnants I found at Hobby Lobby! I'm still pretty new to sewing but I found it pretty easy! Mine just isn't as neat as yours..
I haven't seen Aether here in a few months. But I have shopped at her Etsy shop, she sells a quality product. I can't wait to get this info to my new household sewer!
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