Sewing Liners - Fleece & U-haul pads

[SeeSpotSit]

Just finished (finally) sewing only the loft liners for my niece's piggie cage. I still have the main floor liners to sew. Basically, I sewed fleece to one layer of U-haul pad and then all she needs to do is lay down a pre-cut layer of U-haul pad and then lay down the liner. She's only 9 so I'm trying to make her process easier so that the cage stays clean...which, as of now, is a little more of a challenge. My reason for this post is to tip my hat to those of you who make this stuff..especially for a living. This is taking me forever, AND the machines HATE the fleece/U-haul material. I will more than likely be purchasing this stuff in the future!

[lissie]

Wow! They look great! I was just thinking of getting the fleece like your 2nd one.

[JadeRenee]

haha. I gave my hand at sewing my own liners this past weekend and it turned into an all day affair. I hadn't sewn anything with a machine since I was in junior high, over 15 years ago! It took me hours just to figure out the stupid sewing machine again. Yours look way nicer than mine! I ended up just doing a layer of fleece, uhaul, then another of fleece and pinning them together and then just trying to sew the edges and a little bit of the middle for them to stay together. I ended up having to trim them because of course I can't cut worth crap and the layers were all different sizes, haha. Everyone elses' I've seen look so much fancier than mine! But they get the job done, and my boys don't seem to mind the crappy job.

Those look awesome! I really like the designs too

[Lawcatt509]

Wow thats Awesome. You did a great job I do mines by hand and so far so good and usualy takes me hours by hand.Wish I had a sewing machine I bet I would be done in no time.But till than I will have to stick to Hand sewing. Again kudos to you on a job well done : )

[mommazilla]

Those look spectacular! If you hadn't had such a hard time, I think you'd have a new job. Heck, I bet this forum alone could keep you in business

[Inle_Rabbit]

They look wonderful! Good job! I love the colors. I need to revamp my fleece stashes since my cage has grown. =/

[pinky]

I layer my uhaul pad with two layers of fleece on top of it and stitch around three sides and about 2/3 of the fourth side. I trim off the excess fabric close to the seams and corners. Then I flip it inside out so the uhaul pad is inside and fleece is on the outside. I finish off the opening and stitch around the outside. I stitch across the middle to hold it all together nicely. This way, I can use both sides of the fleece pads.

[SeeSpotSit]

Thanks everyone! I thought about trying to figure out how to make a real enclosed liner with both pieces of U-haul pad but wanted to be sure it cleans/dries well and quickly. Plus this way, if she wants to just change the top liner when it's not too bad she might not need to change the bottom U-haul piece. I also thought afterward, that I may have wanted to actually cut some of the corner fleece off instead of folding all of it like I would in my un-sewn cage now...but maybe the bulkier heavier corners will end up being a good thing...deterring burrowing

@Lawcatt509 - I actually borrowed a (very old) sewing machine from a friend who bought it used at a thrift store. It stopped working well so I borrowed my neighbor's newer sewing machine (that ended up not being able to sew the fleece at all!). SO...I went back to the ANCIENT machine and now it's working great and did both of those pieces I posted. It's a mystery but the moral of the story is, I think an older used sewing machine is the way to go anyway and it wouldn't be too expensive at a thrift store.

[spy9doc]

Pinky.......sounds as though our methods are similar. I don't add a contrasting color to the fleece enclosure, but make both sides the same. I find it a bit easier in the long run. Hopefully, tomorrow I will take pics of the new cage and all the liners I made.

[boofp]

Those are awesome.

[Raine59]

Wow, your liners look great and very professional-looking. Just yesterday I made up a new liner with 2 layers of U-haul pad in between 2 layers of fleece (different pattern on each side) and I'm going to try flipping it halfway through the week to see if it will help keep the cage a little cleaner looking. I think it will be easier having everything in once piece and I hope it works.

[mufasa]

That's amazing! You did a great job. I admire people who can sew or are otherwise talented with crafts. I was looking at the Uhaul pads yesterday because we were at our storage unit at Uhaul, and I just shook my head at the thought of actually making the liners. I had a hard enough time cutting fleece strips halfway straight to make forests for the piggies.

It takes a lot of talent to sew up those creations. I look at the creations on this site in awe. I might have to chum up to my neighbor, who made me a fleece blanket for Christmas, and see if she's willing to make some piggy accessories.

[SeeSpotSit]

They're done! 2 sets of main floor and loft liners. Wow...my hands hurt. What a wimp! But now I want some for myself...seems so convenient

[JadeRenee]

They look great! And they are super convenient! I'm planning on making myself another set this weekend. Maybe I'll try and do mine a bit fancier this time, since everyone elses' I've seen look so nice, haha.

[squeekangel]

Hi! Its great to see some examples of home made liners, I have been looking for ideas for a while now. These look great! One thing though..I am in the UK, the U haul material, we don't have, can anyone tell me what it compares to in the UK? Thanks

[PeeweesPiggyPalace]

Great job! They are sometimes tough to make.. I make mine to fit over the edges of the coroplast.. I have borrowers ;-) and chewers.. Lol what is your next project..?

[lissie]

Hi! Its great to see some examples of home made liners, I have been looking for ideas for a while now. These look great! One thing though..I am in the UK, the U haul material, we don't have, can anyone tell me what it compares to in the UK? Thanks

Someone found a similar product as the uhaul pad. I'm not sure if they're the same.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ternitive.html

[xXMaggieXx]

Hi! Its great to see some examples of home made liners, I have been looking for ideas for a while now. These look great! One thing though..I am in the UK, the U haul material, we don't have, can anyone tell me what it compares to in the UK? Thanks

Maybe you could use mattress pads? I use them in my cage

[NarwhalsRock]

I went to my local U Haul (just a couple doors down!) and the guy gave it to me for free! I told him that it was for guinea pigs, and he went out back and got me one from a giant pile! Hooray!

[CanadianComforts]

Those look great. I am, some day soon, going to be making some new liners. Mine from over a year ago need to be replaced, that and I am sick of looking at them LOL. I have the fleece and the uhaul, just need to time. :/ To busy making items for other people LOL.