Tuesday 20 February 2018

Joey Pouches for Wildlife ~ Easy Sew Scrapbusting

Late last year, I sewed my first ever item for an animal - joey pouches for injured Australian wildlife. These little pouches were super easy to sew, and making them has used up some of my flannelette stash.

Sewing joey pouches to help injured Australian wildlife ~ Threading My Way

Joeys are often thought to be the young of kangaroos, and they are, BUT all baby marsupials are referred to as joeys. Marsupials are mammals that carry their babies in a pouch outside their bodies.

Sorry to all the cat and dog lovers out there - I am not an animal person. The only pets I've ever owned were guinea pigs, and that was a very short phase when I had them in one of my classrooms. I did own chooks for a while there, too, but only for the eggs. I most definitely didn't see them as an animal to interact with.

Ha, ha... I know I'm in the minority!!!

Whilst I wouldn't necessarily want to hold, or even touch baby marsupials, I do think they are cute, not to mention an integral part of our natural environment. And I do believe it is vitally important that we look after our wildlife.

Sewing joey pouches to help injured Australian wildlife ~ Threading My Way

So when Sewing for Charity Australia put out the call for joey pouches in support of Wildcare Australia (Facebook), I jumped at the chance to help. The pouches are simple rectangles with the French seams on the outside, so the little joeys can't chew on them. I made the 6" x 8" size, suitable for gliders that have been orphaned.

I'd love to show you some cute pictures of joeys in pouches, but you'll have to follow the links.

There are a lot of wildlife organisations within Australia that look after injured and orphaned joeys. Many of them rely on donations of sewn and knitted items to help in looking after the animals. Each organisation has different requirements so it is probably best to contact them before sewing anything to ascertain the specifics of the design and whether they have a need at the moment.


Tell me what items you have sewn items for animals, whether they be pets or wildlife?

... Pam

Edited to add: 
This post has received a lot of attention with the 2019 / 2020 bushfires in Australia. Two years ago I made the pouches above according to the specifications for the group that I was sewing for. Please note that many organisations prefer pouches with rounded corners, not square as mine are.

Due to the extremely wonderful generosity of sewists worldwide, some animal rescue organisations now have enough stock to last a while. It is best to contact the organisation directly before beginning to sew, to ascertain their current needs.





8 comments:

  1. What a great idea! So simple but so helpful! I am an animal lover, but I haven't even sewn or made anything for animals!! xx

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  2. I've made a lot of cage quilts for the animal shelter - it breaks my heart to think about the animals spending so much time in hard cold cages - I hope the quilts gave them comfort :) Oh - when my kitty Zoomer was still alive, we used to go to a fantastic vet's clinic here in town. They knew him by name when we went in (he was ill for quite a while), and the staff were just awesome. I made zipper bags with cat fabrics, for each member of the staff - I can't remember what had been going on with Z, but whatever it was, I was very appreciative of the care he got, and the zippies were my way of saying thank you :)

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  3. You and me both are in that minority Pam! I have never come across anything like these, just goes to show there is no end to the good that a stitcher can do :)

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  4. I love animals but I have only sewn fleece blankets for our assorted cats, mainly to keep the fur off the furniture or bed!!

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  5. I did some research and one of the things they all say is that the bottom of the bag needs to be rounded, and to be careful if using new materials that it's lint free as animals suck on the lining. Also they prefer natural materials as manmade don't breathe. Keep up the good work!

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    1. Thanks so much for the updated information and for taking the time to comment.

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  6. Fabric Notes:

    Liners should be 100% natural fibres – no polyester, synthetics or fabrics that have plastic or glitter. Breathability and softness are the priority. Flannelette, light cotton or jersey is recommended. NO WOOL PLEASE.

    Outer pouches can be anything from light fabrics for summer to warmer fleeces and wool for winter. Fabric pouches rather than crochet/knit pouches are preferred. Just found this.

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