Tutorial - Sleep inside hammock for a ferret, rat, chinchilla, cat...

Well, Ive been having tonnes of fun gradually building up Maxs new bedding set (Almost out of fabric!) and today it was a sleep inside hammock and a cube =D

And without further ado..

Tutorial for a sleep inside hammock! Great for ferrets, rats, chinchillas, cats - whatever needs a nice cosy bed =D These can be hung in a cage or on a frame, or just placed on the floor~

You will need -
 - A material for the exterior. Anything can be used, preferably non-fraying and tightly woven (I like quilting cottons~) Ensure that there are no loops or anything else that any little nails could be caught on.
 - Fleece (Non-pill is best)
 - A material for the straps (or you could just cut it from the pattern material) or eyelets.
 - Thread
- A sewing machine, or needle if you wish to hand sew
 - Exceedingly unhelpful yet totally adorable bird is optional.

 I will be describing how to do 3 slight variations - One with straight edges, one with decorational edging (like what I made) and one using the fleece as edging.

1. First off cut 2 rectangles. If you are making a hammock with straight or decorational edges, then cut a rectangle how ever wide you want it (plus seam) by double the lenght (Plus seam). So mine is 30cm by 60cm., which will make a 29 x 29 hammock.

If you are making a hammock with the fleece creating a decorational edge, then instead cut the fleece material about 2" longer, and the outer fabric 2" shorter.

2. If you are making a decorated edge hammock skip to 3. For the other types, just sew the short edges of the two rectangles together, right sides together.

3. If you did the previous step, skip ahead to 5. If you are wanting to make a decorational edge, then cut 2 strips of fabric however wide by about 4cm. Then sew these, one to each short end of one of the rectangles, right sides together.

Ignore the black stuff on my sewing machine. I had a sticky note there as a guide a while back, and it left sticky stuff :/

4. Do the same for the other rectangle.

You should end up with this -

You can then fold it in half and iron the edge flat.






5. Turn your hammock right side out and find the centre of the long edges. Then bring both short edges to the center of the rectangle,pinning the center in place. Then add your strips of fabric (Or dont, if your using eyelets) so as that they are inbetween the outer frabric pieces, the loop facing inwards.

Pin in place. Then sew. I recommend doubling over the part where the two halves meet, for added durability.

Fold inside out and wallah!

Maki approves!

So I hope you liked my tutorial! Feel free to ask questions and send me links to any you make! And please link to here if you do use my tutorial and please do not use any of the information or photos without my permission =D