Quick & Easy Ferret Hammock
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I replace my ferret Pepita's hammocks regularly...she likes to paw at them
so they don't last very long.  She made quite a nest out of a store-bought
one, pulling all the faux sheerling apart.  ;) The easiest hammock of all
to make is to take a square of fleece, cut diagonally on each corner, and
use those cuts to tie it to the top of the cage.  This is EASY and
requires no sewing at all.  But with winter coming, here's one that I've
made a couple of times that she loves just as well (if not more)...and
it's extra warm and comfy.  :)
 
Materials:
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1 fabric remnant of fleece (these are usually long and skinny, which is
just what you need!)
 
Heavy-duty sewing machine (it needs to be able to sew through four layers
of fleece)
 
Needle with large eye
 
Ric-rac
 
 
Steps:
------
Take the remnant and fold it in half, then in half again (you should have
a shape now that resembles a square).
 
Sew along both sides of "raw" material (where you can see four layers of
fleece), along the left and right, leaving the middle part unsewn.
 
Here's the tricky part!  Turn the hammock *completely* inside out, so
that there are no exposed seams.  You can leave it this way so that your
fuzzies can discover that there are two extra openings inside to go in, or
sew the inside shut (there will be one exposed seam this way).  It doesn't
make much sense on paper/computer screen, but when you make it you'll know
what I mean. ;)
 
Next, thread the ric-rac through the needle, and put it through the fleece
in each corner.  I use this to tie the hammock to the cage.  It's a bit
hard and usually requires the use of plyers to get the ric-rac through
the fleece.  Be careful when you do this part.
 
Hammocks should hold more than one ferret -- and it only requires 2-3
seams!  This craft takes only about 10 minutes to do.  You'll have the
hardest time with choosing what fabric you want...not making it. ;)
 
Let me know what your fuzzies think!
 
Melissa
 
http://barnaby.loveslife.com
[Posted in FML issue 3575]