Monday, January 17, 2011

Fleeced

One of my jobs this year in the early part of this year is to get my sewing room cleaned up.  Last year I thought I could sew my way out of it, instead of actually finding somewhere to store the bags and piles of fabric that didn't have any shelf space.
Didn't happen:( Seems I can buy it faster than I can sew it up. If you're a sewer you've probably heard the joke about your fabric stash making good insulation....
My sewing room is very well insulated.

These shelves are full of polar fleece.  Some of it has been there a very long time.  I used to make a lot of cute kids pullover jacket and hat sets, and full size pullovers for adults.  That was back in the day when fleece garments were mostly the pricey stuff available at Mountain Equipment Coop and the like. 

A lot of my fleece fabric was purchased from the now defunct Fanny's Fabrics.
I did my best to keep them in business.... but I guess it just wasn't enough. Maybe if I had a bigger sewing room...
They used to bring in a lot of remnants or mill ends, and the price was irresistible.  
These days though there are polar fleece garments everywhere, and a lot of it is extremely low priced, maybe not the best quality, but I just can't compete.
So there the fleece sits, collecting dust. My plan is to at get at least two of those shelves emptied out so I can put some of the more 'important' fabric there.



Luna finds some scraps on the floor pretty comfortable



I've gradually been cutting the oddball pieces into strips and braiding them to make dog tug toys.  Some just have a knot on the end, and some have a tennis ball.  I think I have to find some different balls though.  I got these for free, they are brand new, but they smell awful.  A real horrible burning rubber type smell.  They are probably cheap ones made in China.
Doesn't put Jake off though. A ball is a ball is a ball.


The end that doesn't have the knot has a twisted loop


That you can open up to make a handhold



The shelves are no where near empty yet.
Eighteen tug toys down, probably another hundred or two to go.




6 comments:

  1. Great post! Just yesterday I was thinking I should go to the craft store and buy some fleece to make dog toys! I've never made them before, so we'll see how they turn out LOL :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're doing brilliantly! What a good idea, making your own toys - they wouldn't last long in my house!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like you can make lots of dog toys..how about some dog coats..lots of people use them..not us..or liners for dog beds..or warm quilts for the car. I do not sew unless it is absolutely necessary..which is not often:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sweet tug toys! Those should sell really well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good job. They should sell well or great to give away as presents to your agility friends. I hate those stinky tennis balls, too, but my dogs don't seem to care!

    ReplyDelete

I love to get comments, so don't be shy!