Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Fleece What kind of fleece to buy?

RiverWalker

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 10, 2017
Posts
9
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
9
The pinned post about Fleece Types and Debates has no photos any more....
I'm having a hell of a time getting fleece "prepped and wicking" - I use vinegar, i use "nellies" laundry soda (which is what i used for all my cloth diapers for all my kids ((broken link removed))) But I've had no luck yet with the fleece I have on hand.

I feel like I need someone more informed than I to pick a fleece fabric. I don't care about colour or print or whatever - my concern is effectiveness. Please have a look at this on-line store... https://fabricville.com/en/fabrics/fleece-fabric.html and help me choose something!!!

Thanks!!!
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
Many of us here in the US get our fleece from JoAnn Fabrics (sold online as well). This store caries anti-pill, blizzard, and another fleece. I don't know if their blizzard fleece compares with your store's glacier or arctic fleece.

Blizzard is a tighter weave and much longer lasting than anti-pill in my experience. Plus, the anti-pill is softer and apparently feels like towel material to my cavies. We use towels for lap time and they know that it is permissible to poop and pee on the towels. It is pretty remarkable at how much cleaner their cage stays with the blizzard fleece and it also stands up better to repeat washing and bleaching. Unfortunately, there seems to be a much wider choice of anti-pill.......but then, you don't care so much about pattern.

I'm sure others will have their opinions as well. I find that the higher quality fleece lasts much better in the long run. My sewn liners are now at least six years old so I feel as though they have endured quite the test.
 

RiverWalker

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 10, 2017
Posts
9
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
9
shipping to Canada from jo-anns is prohibitive - and the options in fleece at overwhelming!
 

miniver

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Posts
586
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Messages
586
I love Fabricville. Their physical stores are called Fabricland. They have good deals in-store if you have one nearby. I actually like their fleece better than Joann's, who no longer ship to Canada.

My tips for Fabricville are this:
* Stick with "Anti-Pill" solids or prints.
* Avoid "Artic" fleece. It's a different texture and I can't get it to wick.
* "Igloo", "Junior" and "Mountain" anti-pill are good. I've seen them in the stores and have some of them myself.
* My favorite is "Nordic" fleece, a variety of anti-pill, but I don't any prints on-line.

Other than that, just pick what you like.
 

BeckieL

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Posts
142
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
142
I've used fleece from fabric stores that I purchased by the yard, and I also found some really cheap fleece blankets online (I found 50"x60" blankets at walmart for $2.98 each!!). Once I received the blankets I realized they are MUCH thinner, lower quality fleece than the fleece I purchased by the yard.

While all types of my fleece are wicking well at this point, I will say that the cheap fleece started wicking immediately. It took more washes to get the thicker fleece to start wicking well.

So I suggest going online - someplace to see if you can find some cheap fleece throws to try. Just make sure they are big enough to work for your cage (I use two 50x60 blankets that I trimmed to size to cover my 2x6 grid cage).
 

madelineelaine

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Posts
2,597
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
2,597
I HATE fabricland. I can never find anything good and it is SO expensive!

I'm not sure how far you are from a US border but I will literally drive to another country to go to Jo Ann fabric to stock up on fleece.

I actually went last week on my way back from vacationing in Florida and I bought over 20 different patterns for making hidies and things up.

The border patrol guy looked at me funny when he saw my back seat was full of fleece and gatorade bottles (because gatorade is only .88 cents in the US and here it's 2.50 for the same bottle).
 

RiverWalker

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 10, 2017
Posts
9
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
9
The US is about a 26 hour drive... in summer conditions. Assuming, no wild fires, no car accidents, no avalanches or rock slides.
 

miniver

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Posts
586
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Messages
586
I HATE fabricland. I can never find anything good and it is SO expensive!

The stores really are hit-or-miss. I have a great one near my house.

I find I spend more shopping on-line. One metre looks like enough in the store but I'll order three metres on-line. What if that's not enough! Ha, ha.
 

Beatrix187

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Posts
567
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
567
I just get ant-pill and blizzard fleece from Jo-Anns. Except that two of my fleeces would NEVER wick I probably had to wash them 20 times until they started to work, I'm pretty sure those were blizzard fleeces.
 

RiverWalker

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 10, 2017
Posts
9
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
9
I just get ant-pill and blizzard fleece from Jo-Anns. Except that two of my fleeces would NEVER wick I probably had to wash them 20 times until they started to work, I'm pretty sure those were blizzard fleeces.

I am not located in the US - and they do not ship to me. there are about 10 different kinds of anti pill in the local stores, and no such thing as blizzard fleece. https://fabricville.com/en/fabrics/fleece-fabric.html
 

madelineelaine

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Posts
2,597
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
2,597
The US is about a 26 hour drive... in summer conditions. Assuming, no wild fires, no car accidents, no avalanches or rock slides.

Well, scratch that then! I'm near Toronto so only about an hour and a half to Buffalo New York.
 

Beatrix187

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Posts
567
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
567
@RiverWalker I would probably get the anti-pill prints or anti-pill solids. The others don't look right for guinea pigs, except maybe the Fleece-prints.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

gpihgos
Replies
6
Views
662
SSLee
SSLee
Guinea_Pigs_Are_A_lifest
Replies
6
Views
662
gpihgos
gpihgos
vivian5
Replies
2
Views
908
Z
Top