This tutorial will teach you how to make a cube that is seamless both on the inside and outside. Unfortunately, you need to be able to view YouTube (so if you are viewing this from work and it is blocked, for example, then you are in trouble here) to follow completely through this tutorial as some things are too difficult to explain in words.
If you have previously made my seamless triangle, this tutorial will probably be easier for you as you will already have a good grasp on the mechanics behind it.
What you will need to sew this hammock (all measurements given in inches):
- Standard sewing apparatus (sewing machine, scissors, thread, measuring device, etc)
- Six square pieces of cotton (I am using 7" x 7")
- Six square pieces of fleece (also 7" x 7")
- Four lengths of ribbon (I used 5" per)
Start by cutting your fabrics. You can see from the picture that I am using red fleece and two different cotton prints. You can use all the same, or even a different print for every panel! Just have fun with it.
Place a square of fleece down on your work surface, with the right side facing up. Place another fleece square on top of it, right side down (so right sides touching). Now add a cotton square on top, right side facing up. Put another cotton square on that, right side down (right sides of cotton touching). So you'll have.. four layers of fabric. Pin up just one side and sew it shut. Make sure that you get ALL four layers of fabric when you're sewing or else you'll have gaps later. All be sure to sew all the way to the edges. Trim your seam.
Now (as seen in the picture below), open up what you've sewn so that you have two panels (with the fleece facing down, and the cotton facing up).
Now take a new square of fleece and place it on your work surface, with the right side facing up. Place the fleece of on of your sewn panels down on top of it (so you'll have two fleeces touching, and one cotton). Add another cotton square with the right side facing down. Pin up the side with the free edges and sew it, then trim the seam. The picture below shows how to stack the cloth.
Open out the fabric into three panels (as you did previously when you sewed the first two panels together). Repeat this with one more square of both fleece and cotton. Once you've opened it all out you'll see that you now have four panels.
What you need to do now is to connect the panel on the far right with the panel on the far left. This Video will show you how to get it all set up. Once you have it pinned as per the video, just sew up that edge, trim the seams and turn it right side out! The picture below will help you to do that.
Now choose which of the panels in your "cube" you'd like to be the back. Take a new square of fleece and put it inside the cube and line it up with the fleece of your back panel (right sides together). Now take a new square of cotton (whichever piece you'd like to be the top) and line it up with the cotton (right sides together) of the back panel. You, once again, are dealing with four layers of fabric here. Pin the edges together and sew across (just on the top, not on what would be the bottom of the cube). Once it is sewn you can trim the edges (be careful that you only cut above where you have stitching) and open it up. You can see now (in the last portion of this picture) that you have four sides of a cube and part of the top!
Next you need to add some ribbons. You will want a total of four ribbons -- two each on the two side panels. Take a length of ribbon and fold it in half (with the shiny / nice side facing out, if it isn't double-sided ribbon). Line the raw edge of the ribbon up with the raw edge of the fabric. The image below will help to show you where to put the ribbons. You can see that there are four, two each on two opposing panels! Stitch them in place quickly (by hand or machine, it doesn't matter) so that they don't slip later when you are working.
Now you're ready to attach the top panel to the rest of the sides! This Video will show you how to attach the top! Use the method shown in the video to attach two more sides (so a total of three sides of the top will now be sewn down to the rest of the cube). You are now left with just one open part on the top!
The picture below should be helpful while I talk you through sewing down the last part of the top. Press the fleeces together (so you'll have two layers of fleece and the cotton of the top [NOT the side] panel). Pin these together, it'll help you keep track of them. Now turn the whole thing inside out through the cotton of the side panel. Line up the edge of the cotton of the side panel with the edges that you pinned together. You can see, in the last portion of the picture below, how the one side is pinned shut and the other is left open. Stitch across the pinned edge and trim the seam. Now turn it back right side out through the opening (where my hand is, in the last portion of the picture) and you will have a cube that would be complete if it weren't missing a bottom.
Follow the instructions given for attaching the top panel to sew the bottom panel on. Stop once you have three sides of the bottom sewn on. At this point you will want to make a mark on the panel that you've decided on as the front of the cube. Make the mark about where you would like to cut the entrance and make sure you make the mark both on the cotton side and on the fleece side!
This Video will show you how to prepare to sew the cube closed. Once you've viewed the video and you have it all pinned, you will want to sew across the pinned edge. Make sure, however, that you leave a space unsewn because you need to turn things back right side out! I generally like to leave my space in the middle and use my machine to sew both ends.. mostly because I find it harder to slip-stitch corners.
Aaaanywaaay.. now that you have sewn across the last panel (leaving a space to turn!) you can trim your seams. Turn the fabric right side out through your hole (just like you do any normal hammock, except now you have four layers). I like to put my fingers between the two fleece layers and turn it right side out that way, so that it looks like a fleece cube. I do it this way because fleece is easier to slip-stitch closed than cotton, and also because the fleece will be on the inside so it won't be as visible if you aren't good at slip-stitching.
In the image below, you can see (now that I've turned things right side out) that I have fleece on the outsides, and my cottons are both on the inside with their right sides facing each other. Pin the cotton portion together and hand sew them together. After you've done that, roll the fleece inwards and slip stitch it closed.
Cut a hole where you marked on your fabric (this is going to be the entrance that your rats use) and turn the cube right-side out through it. Shape the hole and cut it to your desired size (you can see here that I've used a square, but you can also make a circle, triangle, or any shape you'd like really). Slip stitch the raw edges of the fabric closed and you're done!
All that is left to do is reap the benefits of a well-sewn hammock!