If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this picture:
This is my other dog, Lucky. I took this stuffing out of an old pillow to use in a new cushion. The leftovers were in the floor and this is what I found when I came back into my studio! He likes to nap there while I’m working. His little toenails and collar get hung up in the stuffing and he winds up dragging it around behind him. I decided to make it his official bed! Why is it a “multipurpose” dog bed? Keep reading to find out!
Multipurpose Dog Bed
Old bed pillows are a great resource for stuffing! I never want to donate a bed pillow because it really absorbs all kinds of personal things. I equate it to donating old underwear, but maybe that’s just me! Anyway, here’s what I used to make the dog bed.
Materials Used:
- Old bed pillow – you can cut open the outer cover and remove the stuffing or just leave it in. Either way will work for this kind of project.
- Old blanket or fleece – This was actually a yard of fleece I bought once intending to make a dog bed. Go figure! This is 36″ x 60″, which is one yard of fleece.
Making the Dog Bed
Lay out the blanket or fabric on a flat surface and lay the stuffing on it. Fold over one end and overlap the stuffing enough to cover and sew a seam. Make sure to pin one corner or mark it so you know where the fold needs to be. Hmm, that selvage edge needs to go!
Remove the stuffing and pin down the edges. I left the excess hanging out on one end and cut off the selvage edge. Since this is fleece, I am just going to sew down the sides and leave the seam exposed. The fleece will not ravel and it makes this super easy! As you can see, I turned the selvage edge into a chew toy. I just knotted it in the center and continued knotting it until I got to the end. I pinned this to one end so it would be attached in the seam.
Make sure to leave one end open for inserting the stuffing. I forgot to do this and had to break out the seam ripper!
Sew down the remaining seam after you insert the stuffing. Be sure not to over stuff as this can make it difficult to sew close with a machine. Now, Lucky has a dog bed with a blanket and chew toy attached! This would be great for traveling!
Lucky really enjoys his new bed! I think I will add an extra strip of fleece to the blanket portion to make it a little longer. If you have a larger dog, you could use two pillows and a larger blanket.
Y’all have a great day and come back Friday to see what I’m up to next!
