4- way tunnel tutorial
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 12:58 pm
Start by cutting 8 pieces of cotton, and 8 pieces of fleece in this shape:
Each piece is 20cm wide, 17cm high along the straight sides, 25cm high at the point, and the diagonal sides are 13cm long. I have a stencil made from stiff board to trace around. Makes it easier.
I've done 2 different pieces of cotton, and 2 different colours fleece to make things clearer to follow. You also need 5 little bits of cord or something to make loops to hang it up.
Start by putting 2 pieces of cotton on each other, with the wrong sides facing outwards. Sew them together along one of the diagonal edges.
Do this with another 2 of the pieces of cotton. If you're using 2 different patterns, make sure you're positioning them correctly so that when you join them to the first 2, the same patterns will be opposite each other. (ok that will make sense when you see the photo!).
See what I mean? Right, now you need to line those pieces up back to back, and sew them together.Remember to include the loop for hanging it up in the centre.
When you've sewn them together you should have this:
Repeat this with the other 4 pieces of cotton, this time without the loop in the middle.
Now line up the 2 pieces you've made (back to back), and sew them together. Don't sew the ends of the tunnels!
You now have something which looks like a spider tunnel, only without the fleece inner! Turn it the right way round.
Now repeat all of that with the fleece, only this time you don't need a loop, and you don't need to turn it around when you're done. It can stay inside out.
Now push the inside out fleece spider tunnel into the right-way-round cotton spider tunnel. It takes a bit of pulling and pushing, but you land up with something which looks like this:
At the end of each tunnel, fold the fleece and cotton ends inwards, and pin them. Don't forget to pin a loop in the middel of the top of each tunnel end.
Sew around the end of each tunnel like this:
You can do a double line of stitching if you want. My sewing machine doesn't like lots of layers, so I felt once was enough!
When you've done all 4, it should look like this:
Now, by hand, put a couple of stiches in along the seam in the middle, to keep the fleece up against the cotton. This keeps the tunnel open for your ratties.
Well done! You've just made something new for your rats to pee in and chew on!
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Each piece is 20cm wide, 17cm high along the straight sides, 25cm high at the point, and the diagonal sides are 13cm long. I have a stencil made from stiff board to trace around. Makes it easier.
I've done 2 different pieces of cotton, and 2 different colours fleece to make things clearer to follow. You also need 5 little bits of cord or something to make loops to hang it up. Start by putting 2 pieces of cotton on each other, with the wrong sides facing outwards. Sew them together along one of the diagonal edges.
Do this with another 2 of the pieces of cotton. If you're using 2 different patterns, make sure you're positioning them correctly so that when you join them to the first 2, the same patterns will be opposite each other. (ok that will make sense when you see the photo!).
See what I mean? Right, now you need to line those pieces up back to back, and sew them together.Remember to include the loop for hanging it up in the centre.
When you've sewn them together you should have this:
Repeat this with the other 4 pieces of cotton, this time without the loop in the middle.
Now line up the 2 pieces you've made (back to back), and sew them together. Don't sew the ends of the tunnels!
You now have something which looks like a spider tunnel, only without the fleece inner! Turn it the right way round.
Now repeat all of that with the fleece, only this time you don't need a loop, and you don't need to turn it around when you're done. It can stay inside out.
Now push the inside out fleece spider tunnel into the right-way-round cotton spider tunnel. It takes a bit of pulling and pushing, but you land up with something which looks like this:
At the end of each tunnel, fold the fleece and cotton ends inwards, and pin them. Don't forget to pin a loop in the middel of the top of each tunnel end.
Sew around the end of each tunnel like this:
You can do a double line of stitching if you want. My sewing machine doesn't like lots of layers, so I felt once was enough!
When you've done all 4, it should look like this:
Now, by hand, put a couple of stiches in along the seam in the middle, to keep the fleece up against the cotton. This keeps the tunnel open for your ratties.
Well done! You've just made something new for your rats to pee in and chew on!
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