Ferret Hammock Take II

*NOTE* After 24 hours of this hanging in my ferrets' cage, I have found that the shoelaces method is much better. My male ferret is a big guy and it stretches way down when he gets into it. It was a good thought, but didn't work well. This post still has more pics as far as the making of the hammock is concerned.

Yesterday I posted a semi-tutorial on making a ferret hammock using fabric, D-clips, and shoelaces.

Today I'll make one using fabric, D-clips, and thin elastic headbands.

Supplies:

• 2 pieces of fabric approximately 15" x 15" each. I used denim and old flannel.
• 4 elastic headbands. I am pretty sure I got mine from the Dollar Tree a long time ago. I want to say it was a 5-pack, but I can't be sure.
• 4 small D-clips (I got mine from Walmart for $0.97/pair)
• Sewing machine and thread
• Tape

Step 1: if you haven't already done so, cut your fabrics down into pieces about 15" x 15", or however big you want the hammock to be.

Step 2: with one piece of fabric laying face up, pin the headbands into the corners. Avoid getting the metal pieces into the corners. Then tape the headbands to the center to keep them in place.

Step 3: put your second piece of fabric on top, laying right side down and then pin into place.

Step 4: Sew around the outside edge, approximately 1/4" from the edge. Leave a hole big enough to get your hand through for turning it right side out. Also, pay close attention to the corners. I went over the corners multiple times to hold the elastic bands into place.

Step 5: Turn right side out and sew the edge where you left a hole.

Step 7: add D-clips and hang in cage.

The drawback to this is that you have no control over how low the hammock hangs. With the shoelace method I posted yesterday, you can still shorten the shoelaces or lengthen them to adjust the length.

It's not perfect, but it will do the job.

I'm trying to think of a way to make these no-sew...

Trying It Out- DIY Dryer Sheets

Last Saturday, I posted about Homemade Febreeze. While I was doing my search, I found out that a lot of people believe that fabric softener and dryer sheets can be toxic or carcinogenic. So, what are we supposed to do now? Make our own, that's what!

A while back I came across a recipe for homemade liquid fabric softener, and we tried it, but still had an issue with static in our clothes, even though I also use dryer balls. So, I went back to dryer sheets since they seem to be the only thing that keeps the static at bay.

The homemade liquid fabric softener calls for the use of conditioner and white vinegar... I really don't want the scent of vinegar in my dryer, even though I know it'll dissipate after a while. You can find the recipe here, at One Good Thing by Jillee: My Homemade Laundry Products “Cheat Sheet”

Apartment Therapy posted an all natural alternative, but I'm not sure how much help it would be for static: DIY Dryer Sheets

Other alternatives mentioned elsewhere were:

Aluminum foil balls

Natural wool balls

Avoid drying your synthetic fabrics with your natural fabrics

Spray a little white vinegar on your wet clothes in the dryer

Wash with baking soda and rinse with vinegar

Use plain old conditioner instead of adding the vinegar

Too many choices!

So, I decided to try a little something of my own. Plain conditioner was mentioned, but that wouldn't give your clothes a lot of scent. If you're like me and like some scent to your clothes (not too much, or I get a headache), then you like your fabric softener or dryer sheets to have a nice smell.

What I did:

• 1/2 Cup warm Water
• Purex Crystals (or Downy Unstoppables, or the Gain things...)
• 1 Cup Hair Conditioner (I had Garnier Fructis, two bottles of it, which I'm not currently using)
• Old fleece fabric (I had white)

I added the crystals to the water and mixed until dissolved:

Then I added the conditioner

Then I added the cloths (I had 9 already cut)

Then comes the messy part: squeezing the glop off the cloths and letting them dry. I tried drying them flat, but that was a fail:

So, I hung them on a hanger with clothes pins:

It took two days, but they were finally dry... very stiff, though. I wondered if they'd work. So I put a very fuzzy blanket in the washer. One of those cheaper blankets, maybe made of poly fibers, not fleece. Totally synthetic, I'm sure. If it came out static free, then I'd know they worked.

It did NOT come out static free. Boo! Thank goodness I had a regular dryer sheet left. This week's tryout is a FAIL.

Back to the drawing board...