One More Ferret Hammock- No Sew

I made one more hammock...it took all of ten minutes. I used a piece of fleece (left over from the No-Sew Blanket), a pair of shoelaces, and four small D-clips. You could use any fabric that will not fray easily.

Step 1: Cut your fabric to the size you want for the hammock. Mine ended up about 14" x 26" because I wanted to fold it in half for extra strength.

Step 2: If you cut yours so you can fold it, do so.

Step 3: Cut a small hole in each corner, about to the size that will fit the tip of your pinky into.

Step 4: Cut two shoelaces (approximately 45" or less) in half. Then tie one shoelace into each corner with a knot.

Step 5: Put a knot at the other end so you have a loop to attach to the D-clip.

Step 6: Attach D-Clips and hang. I couldn't hang mine because my ferrets were sleeping in the two that are currently hanging and I didn't want to disturb them.

Precautions: Use a washable material, one that you feel confident you can soak to remove odor if necessary. I would also watch the stretch factor of your fabric. You don't want your poor ferret to end up on the floor of the cage because the fabric stretched so far.

Tip: This could be a fun and easy project for any kid who can use a pair of scissors and tie a knot.

This should be the end of the ferret hammocks for a while, I promise!

No-Sew Blanket Tutorial

Boo wanted a new cuddle blanket, since her current one is getting too small for her (not to mention stained and beat up).

I was kinda pressed for time since I was in the middle of the semester, so I came up with an idea that didn't require using the sewing machine. This way I could work on it while watching TV.

I got a new phone and the picture quality isn't great... I thought it would take great pics, but I'm not seeing it. I hope it's something to do with the settings.

I used a fleece-like material, but it's thin. Like pajama material. You could probably use any type of fabric, preferably a knit to avoid fraying.

I wish I could tell you how much fabric I used yardage wise, but I didn't think to check how much of each I had before I started cutting.

Materials:

• Fabric (how much depends on how big you want it. Mine is about 4' x 4')
• Scissors
• 12" x 12" piece of cardboard
• Marker
• Fabric marker (pencil, crayon, or whatever is washable)

Start by cutting out your squares: I cut mine 16" x 16", but wish I had gone 18" x 18" to allow more tying room. I cut 16 squares; 8 of each color.

Then mark your cardboard in 1" increments all the way around.



Place the cardboard centered on a square of fabric and mark all the way around as shown:

You can barely see that there is an inner square all the way around; this tells me where to stop cutting.

Then, cut strips all the way around, taking off the corners completely. Be sure to stop at the inner square line.

You can cut multiple pieces at one time. I was able to cut four at a time, but I had used a thinner fabric.

Then, tie them all together, knotting them.

There are many ways to do this, the easiest would probably be to tie your squares into rows, then tie your rows together.

Then wash, cold water, and don't put it in the dryer.

You'll need a second person to help you stretch the seams while it's wet, then you can lay it flat to dry.

Dog Toys Tutorial

On Friday, December 28th, One Good Thing by Jillee posted More Creative Ways to Recycle Old T-Shirts! (http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/12/more-creative-ways-to-recycle-old-t-shirts.html) In that post, she showed how to make a dog rope with old T-shirts... Well, this intrigued me since dog toys can get so expensive, and the dogs just chew them up!

Milo used to have a "Wubba" made by Kong:

All he has left now is the ball that was inside the body. I will say that the ball (a squeaky ball) is still in perfect condition, considering that the outside of the thing was totally destroyed.

So, I decided to take Jillee's idea and see if I could incorporate his ball into it.

Supplies:

• Dog ball, or toy.
• 3 Old T-shirts (one of them long-sleeved)
• Scissors

Step one:

Step 2:

Step 3:

I cut the hem off first and tossed those pieces aside.

Step 4:

You don't have to use three colors, you can make it all one color. I'm sure your dog won't really care. Also, this one came out a little thin, so if you want to use more strips you probably can. Just remember, the more fabric you use, the more difficult it is to tie the knots.

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Step 8:

Step 9:

Step 10:

Done!! It's not store-bought pretty, but he's just gonna chew it to pieces anyway. I can make another whenever this one has given up.