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Bedding Finally! finished my first Cage Liner!

magikof7

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Hi All!

Well I finally Finished one cage liner today . It was a lot of fiddling and taking it apart a couple of times. It has been awhile since I have had out my Machine and it's funny how you forget the simplest things!

I got out some grid paper and used that to design my pattern I wanted and figure out the measurements.

I used Flannel print and a solid print for the top. there is a 3 inch black border around the print in the center and then I attached the side wall piece and, gave it a biased tape edge. I think it turned out pretty good. I need to make some adjustments to the measurements. Now the next one for Shadow will be fast.
I'm going to sew up matching accessories like a hanging house and some other things.
I still haven't got the ramp finished for their second level Kitchen area. I need to cover it and give it some sides with Coroplast. Anyway, Here are some Pics of Tornado in his newly made up cage.



This is not a great pic but you can see the biased tape edge.
 

magikof7

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Sorry for the sideways pics! they are not that way on photobucket. I have no clue how to fix that. :)
 

longlostcurls

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Oh how I wish I could sew. Looks good. It looks more like stripes than flannel to me but I'm on my iPhone so I can't really see the pics too good. Cute piggy too
 

magikof7

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Thank you. :)

It is Flannel that has In the black stripes, sets of Eyes and cobwebs. It is hard to see in these pics. I will have to get a better pic. I will post more when I finish the accessories.
 

longlostcurls

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Oh yeah I see the red flannel on the side
 

CavyPpl

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what did you use for the absorbing part of the liner
 

magikof7

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I used a thick Fleece and under that I put Pee Pads down on the coraplast. so Just 2 layers, I can still Stitch Filler in it if I end up needing to. I can just pick apart my invisible stitch I used to close up the end after turning it right side out and either add filling or sew on another layer of fleece.
 

sdpiggylvr

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It looks great! I'd like to know how well the liner works, as the best system I've found is fleece on top (wicks away moisture), plus two layers of absorbent material underneath, like towels, Zorb, mattress pads, or UHaul pads.

Also, how did you do the side walls? I've been dying to figure that out for myself, but it looks complicated!
 

longlostcurls

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I really want to learn how to make my own cage liners. Maybe not with the towels and bottom sewn together but at least to make the fleece fit the cage perfectly so as of next month I will be taking a Beginners Sewing class with the local community education centre. So hopefully this class will be enough guidance to teach me how to properly sew a fleece liner for the cage. I do however have to purchase a sewing machine for the class, I'm not too sure how I will be able to carry this on my bike to class. I guess I will work it out. I will update you all on whether I completed it. I do not want to sew them all together as that seems like it may be too bulky for my washer so I will just put down my towels and newspaper as I have been doing all this time.
 

sdpiggylvr

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You can cut the fleece to the size of your cage, and add 3-4 inches to each side. First put the towels/absorbent material in, then add the fleece. The extra inches on all sides will make it easier for you to fold the edges under for a nice, clean look.
 

longlostcurls

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I have found someone that can rent a sewing machine to me for a few days. Does anyone know if there are any tutorials on youtube or another site that show how to make liner? I do know the basics of sewing but I do need some assistance when it comes to how big to actually cut it and what not
 

magikof7

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Thank you sdpigglvr, It is working very well. Pee soaks right through the flannel and into the fleece. It seems to dry fairly quickly ontop. The puppy pee pads underneath soak it up out of the fleece. When I change him out It isn't necessary to wash the coroplast. I do anyway but I have the peed pads run up the sides a bit as well for the corners.
Right Now there is only 1 piggy in each cage so I don't need the extra absorbancy. I also worry that if his Surface is too soft it will not be good for his Body Structure long term, especially while they are still growing.
The side walls were easy Once I figured out how to attach everything together. I cut 4- 9 inch wide peices of black Flannel.(My Side walls are 4 inches) I made a half inch seam on the finished edge and then sewed Biased tape over the edge to give it a nice finish and a bit of weight so it Hangs better. then I sewed all the pieces together Before I attatched them to the main piece for the cage bottom. the corners are tricky! there is a thread on the forum with Pics that helped with the sewing of the corners. I need to make more of these so I can take pics of the stages and put it on the forum if it will help. it will take me up to a week to get it up though. I used grid paper and drew out my designs before I started cutting and sewing. working without a pattern is tough so I found the grid paper helped immensly. It isn't complicated it just takes Patience and some fiddling.

For those of you just starting with sewing. Fabric is forgiving but Cutting Isnt! lol. Make sure you have measured properly because once it is cut it is hard to add pieces later. Fleece is very forgiving. it is easily pulled to give you and extra inch or 2 if you need. but you have to be careful not to twist it out of shape if you have to stretch it a lot to make it work if you have made a mistake in cutting. Start with something small to get the feel. make some wee pads for under your piggy houses. it really isnt as complicated as it looks. and definately much easier than buying a pattern for a shirt or sweater and starting with that. there are no small pieces or odd shapes. everything is square for pig liners and it makes things much easier.

When I measured my Coroplast box, I measured from the Inside.

I spent all day yesterday sewing a matching house. I am not happy with the corners. Working with Piping and trying to sew through all that material was not fun on my machine. The entrance is a little big but once he is full grown I will be glad for it. I am now sewing a "piggy forest" its a square of fleece and flannel with strips of fabric sewn to it to hang down in the cage. I may put it in front of his new house to help with the size of the entrance. it left it a bit Open. and we all know how our piggies like to hide.

This house is 8 inches tall by 10 inches Wide. The opening is 5.5 inches wide and 4 inches tall.
 

lissie

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Your cage liner and house look very nice!
 

KiwiCavyAdorer

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My Mother is an ace when it comes to sewing machines, does wonders with piping and fiddly corners.... I bet I shall be trading off many hours of smocking embroidery (for her exclusive orders) on my next vacation over,..... for piggie liners and hidey's with piping - it makes for such a nice finish! Good idea to make and take the pictures for those learning.

Looking forward to see what else you come up with!
 

logansmomma1228

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Wow that is really awesome! I just love the little house! Man I wish I could sew! I'm glad to know that puppy pads work good, I almost got some yesterday but I wasn't too sure about them.
 

magikof7

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Thank you everyone!

I think with the next house instead of using one long line of piping I might Cut it for each side on the top and bottom. I did that with the sides and it worked well.

I will get that next liner done this week and post the pics with How to Pointers in a new thread. It really isnt hard to sew! Like anything else it is just a bit of Practice. I haven't had my machine out in years and I took this liner apart a couple times. :)
 

OllieandFriends

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Your cage liner and house look great! I love the fleece you used too. I wish I could sew so I could make something for my piggies.
 
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