Loyal readers/stalkers may remember that my sweet, cutest-dog-until-the-end-of-eternity Flapjack already has a handmade dog bed. They may also remember that he once did this to my carpeting:

He basically did the same thing to the bed in his crate. So we’re going to start with a new bed, and toys while he’s locked up, because he obviously needs something to do other than dig.

You will need a thrift store or other unneeded pillow case, and a bunch of crap to stuff it with. If you are reworking some of your t-shirts, save the scraps for this type of thing. This is a great way to reuse holey socks, stained undershirts, or other fabric that is too messed up for the thrift store.

Plaid pillow case

Stuff it with all that crap you’ve been saving (you can even store scraps in the pillow case while you’re hoarding them up), and make it nice and fluffy. Then pin it shut like so: 
Sew that beast shut, and BOOM dog bed! I even wrapped Flapjack’s in another thifted pillow case so I can wash it:

What if you don’t have a dog, or all your dogs already have beds? Make them anyway and donate to your local shelter or pet rescue organization. Dogs can be destructive, as my sweet angel pie has shown, so they need that stuff constantly.

All the supplies: Approximately 10 T-Shirts, Pins, Rotary Cutter, Scissors, Piping (96 inches),  Cutting Mat & Ruler,  22 inch zipper, Fabric (1 yard, 44 inches wide for outside) (1/2 yard for piping/cording) and Muslin (1 yard, 33 inch wide)

Sewing completed!

I’ve never shown my showing machine before.. Here’s the beauty!

Up close picture of the zipper – I chose a brown zipper for this project.

Up close pictures of the piping/cording – The corners were tough!

Muslin sack for inside the bed to hold the T-Shirts.

Inserting the T-Shirts into the Muslin sack.

The bed is stuffed and ready for use!

Dixie on her *new* bed!

I do not think she was prepared for pictures today, maybe another day.

Another picture of Dixie on the *new* bed!! Check out that piping/cording!  Happy Sewing! Kady

Our first homemade “Modern” dog bed

Second, outdoor fabric with grippers on bottom to prevent mid-travel sliding in the crate

Third, only store bought bed from Florida – LOVED the fabric

However, spending $300 on a dog bed seems a bit excessive. I just thought that I needed to break down and learn how to make one.

I know these are super easy to do, but I am pretty much just lazy when it comes to organizing my craft experiments. Luckily, I work with a mini-Martha Stewart so Kristen was able to help me figure it out…and provide the fabric! She had several yards of black and white striped fabric that I could use. Very Tim Burton-esq.

For the Ch’en bed:

First: I got two standard pillows and then sewed them together length wise.

Then I measured out on the fabric the size that the top of the bed would be. For me, it was about 24” by 40”

Next: I measured out another piece the same width, but added a few extra inches length wise so I could make the back be like a pillow sham, open and easily accessible to take out the pillows to wash.

Then: I cut the longer piece in half. Measured and inch in and ironed the, what will be, the hem.

Afterwards, I laid the two smaller pieces on top of the top piece of fabric, outside fabric facing in and then started to sew away!

Last: Flipped that bad boy inside out and shoved the sewn pillows in and voila!!

A perfect little Ch’en bed.

He’s all ready to watch some Edward Scissorhands now!

He’s already laying on some of my homemade pillows, so I’m sure he’ll love any bed I make him.

These are old mattress covers that have been in my garage. We used them for padding things while we moved, and for covering plants when it frezzes (before all my plants died because I’m terrible with them). So these were laying around, useless. They are all lightly padded, so I could fold them into the shape I needed, but it would still be cushiony for my sweet precious baby, Flapjack.

You can see the dismal blankie he’s been stuck with up until now. I measured the width and depth of the crate so I could make the bed fit. I left a few extra inches at the front for his food bowl.

I folded the matress pads as evenly as possible into the right size. I tried to make sure the bed was an even thickness all the way around. I used 2 full size mattress pads, because that’s what I have on hand. My sis, Beans, used an old sleeping bag once, and her dog loved it. My mother’s dogs stole her yoga matt, so she just let them have it.

I used a big huge needle, like the kind for crocheting, and I used crocheting yarn, and I ended up needing pliers to pull the needle through. I would stab the needle through as far as possible, and use the pliers to pull it all the way out. I used the really simple tie method to attach all this stuff to itself. You can do this in lazy quilting also. You just sew down, then up, very close together, then tie a knot. Leave the ends dangling, an inch or so, then move onto the next spot. I made sure all the dangling ends are on the bottom, so Flapjack doesn’t try to eat them or anything. Somehow this whole process made me forget to take pictures.

Once the bed was done, it fit snuggly into the crate, and I have to actually wedge his food bowl between the crate and the bed. This is actually a good thing, because it prevents him from flinging his food all over the place, which is what he has been doing. So far it’s working great. I wrapped him blankie around it, so I won’t have to wash the whole bed, just the blankie.

You can use whatever stuff you have laying around the house for this. For small dogs you can even just stuff a pillow case, sew it shut, and throw it on the floor. You can also get great stuff for this at thrift stores. If you plan on having the bed on a floor, rather than in a crate, you can use an old rug for the bottom to keep it from sliding around, and to make it more durable. You could sew a ton of old towels together. The possibilities for recycling are endless!