Quick & Easy Ferret Hammock -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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: --------- 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]