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Fleece Fleece Flippers DIY

Abbyp137

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Hi,

I'm thinking of making my own fleece flippers, but was thinking of sewing the Uhaul and the fleece together on three sides. I noticed that they are sold as separate pieces that you would need to assemble each time. By sewing them together, it would save time assembling the flippers, and would save a load of laundry since I wouldn't have to wash the Uhaul separately. Are there any potential issues in making them this way?
 

ItsaZoo

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I sewed some using pieces of cotton terry cloth towels sandwiched between fleece. The lightweight kitchen towels are fine. The ones I made using old bath towels take forever in the dryer. I usually end up leaving them in the dryer for a second cycle. So if Uhaul blankets are heavy and absorbent, they might need more drying time after washing. I might experiment with a microfiber towel inside and see if it’s absorbent. I also thought about using dish drying mats. I use those by our cat’s litter box to catch the litter from her feet. They would be a mess with hay, but covered in fleece they might work well.
 

LittleSqueakers

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I made my own fleece flippers several years back, but I don't remember a whole lot about how I did it. I was just sort of winging it the whole way.

I would say that the main potential issue of sewing the thing together on three sides would be getting the inner UHaul padding properly washed and then properly dried. Those UHaul pads are crazy absorbent. (I've used them to mop up various rooms in my house when various home appliances overflowed/leaked.) And they are also incredibly heavy when wet. I feel like to get them really clean and then properly dry, you almost have to let them come apart. I would pull them apart and kind of arrange them in my top-load washer so that the lighter fleece and the heavier UHaul would kind of balance. Then, I'd dry them in the same mix, because I found that drying a load of all UHaul took forever; took less time to dry them mixed together.

But then again, lots of people have liners that are fleece and UHaul sewn together, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem?
 

SSLee

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@ItsaZoo, I have peed pads made up of two microfiber towels encased in fleece and use them under my GuineaDad liner's pocket. I've only had the pads for about 3 weeks and so far it is working out well to keep that section of the fleece clean longer. I'm also planning to try the dish drying mats from the Dollar Store to see if that is another option.
 

ItsaZoo

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That’s what I was thinking of trying. The Dollar Store variety is just the right size and I have fleece pieces to use up. Have you tried using the fluffy white polishing cloths in the car care section? Lacey loves those - really soft and snuggly. And the stacking plastic bins make great hideys if you flip them over - both sides have an exit. Lacey drags those around with her and rearranges so she can take a run or two and then grab a snack and hide.
 

SSLee

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Initially I was using just the microfiber towels but one of my pigs, Birdy, was catching her toe nails on the thread at the edge of the towel. So I asked my sister to help me sew the peed pads and I have since clipped Birdy's nails. I have several fluffy towels from Daiso which the piggies love. But because I am concerned about the stitching on the edge, I have not let them use the towels since the peed pads were sewn. I don't know how to use a sewing machine so I was thinking of throwing a piece of fleece over the fluffy towels.

I have several of the stacking plastic bins which are unused. I'm going overseas in Nov for two weeks and my brother and family will be taking care of them. It turns out the last two days, day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving, my brother and family will be away also. So, now I need to find a supplemental hay holder and am thinking of using the stacking plastic bins. I just hope the girls won't jump in and pee and poop on the hay. I am hoping to find another family member come in and check on the girls for the last two days.
 

ItsaZoo

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I know what you mean about the stitching on the edges of the towels. They use a serger sewing machine and if the stitches aren’t really tight together the piggies get their nails caught. Some of the microfiber towels catch on everything, too.

I tried using the bins for hay but Lacey jumps in and tips them over. I have used a paper lunch bag and that worked pretty well. I cut a big square on one side close to the bottom, filled the bag with hay and used a spring clip to hold it up against the side of the cage. I figured with paper Lacey wouldn’t be able to get caught like they can with fabric hay bags. You never know what kind of trouble piggies get into.
 

SSLee

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Thanks for the paper bag suggestion and I will give that a trial run. I was also thinking of stuffing hay into paper towel and/or toilet paper rolls. I'm really worried that I will not find any other family member to help out the last two days. My siblings and I have fallen into the habit of scheduling vacation during Thanksgiving week, since we will need to use fewer vacation days.
 
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