Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc. - Working with the City of New York to promote dog and cat adoption and spay and neuter programs to make New York a no-kill city.

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Cage Comforters: Small Quilts Changing the Lives of Shelter Animals

Cage comforters are simple, small quilts placed in the cages of shelter animals. Not only do they make the cage a more comfortable place to be, but they also can help to increase an animal's chances of adoption. How? They reduce the stress animals feel while in a cage and they allow potential adopters to more easily see the animals as part of their homes and lives.

Anyone who can thread a needle can create a cage comforter, and help get a Little New Yorker adopted!

If you are a home economics teacher, or other professional who works with people for whom a sewing project would be useful, you might consider starting a cage comforter project (a terrific opportunity to learn and help at the same time). If you are starting a cage comforter project and would like us to mail information about the Mayor's Alliance and animal issues in NYC for your group, please feel free to contact us at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org or call (212) 252-2350.

Rational Animal: Mother's Comfort Project Pet Bed Sewing Event

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Noon–4:00 p.m.

Flirt Brooklyn, 303 3rd Avenue (between 1st and Carroll), Park Slope, Brooklyn

The Mother's Comfort Project creates comforting homemade beds for animals awaiting their forever homes in city shelters. When animals have their own bed to comfort them, they rest better, get sick less, and are more adoptable sooner. Join Rational Animal for another afternoon of pet bed sewing and socializing. Novices to experts all welcomed! We are hosting a four-hour session, but please feel free to come early or late and stay however long you'd like. Please RSVP, as space is limited.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Courtney Kistler at ckistler@rational-animal.org or (419) 261-0223, or visit the Rational Animal web site.

How to Make a Cage Comforter

Size of Finished Comforter:

14x20" or 12x18" (sizes don't have to be exact)

Materials

Fabric for Outside of the Comforter:

•	Cotton, fleece, and poly blends work well for outside
•	Fabric needs to be washable in hot/warm water (for washing at shelter)
•	Ideally with no color fade at warm to hot temperatures in the machine

Padding for Inside the Comforter

•	A little poly fill or other padding for padding inside
•	Innards from old comforters/pillows/mattress pads work well; padding doesn't need to be thick — just enough for the pet to have a little cushion)

Tip: Good inexpensive sources of materials include thrift store comforters, crib bumpers (great source for cheap poly fill), flannel sheets, quilts, baby/receiving blankets, old pajama bottoms, table cloths, or bathrobes. Please wash materials before sewing.

Construction

Construction: Feel free to try your own method, but "pillowcase-style" often works best:

1)	Cut two pieces of material to use as top and bottom of the outside of the comforter
2)	Place the two pieces of fabric one on top of the other
3)	Make sure the "wrong" side of both pieces of fabric are facing out
4)	Sew 3 sides together
5)	Turn inside out so that the "right" side of fabric is facing out
6)	Insert a bit of cotton batting or fluffy material
7)	Fold over and sew the fourth seam
8)	Secure the poly fill by sewing an inner seam (like quilting) around all 4 sides and/or sewing a middle seam with the machine (this is so that the filling doesn't bunch up when washed).

Send Us Your Comforter(s)

What to do with the finished cage comforter(s)? When you are done, please send it/them to:

Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

440 Ninth Avenue

8th floor, Suite 9

New York, NY 10001

If you plan to make several or many cage comforters, please feel free to wait until you have completed several or a stack (whatever is comfortable for you) before mailing.

Questions

Questions? Please contact us at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org or call (212) 252-2350.