Frugal Pet Tip: No Sew Pet Bed
McCall's Dog Bed pattern |
Dexter would prefer to lay on top of a person - if he isn't laying on his bed on my computer desk (He is a little dog, a bichon).
You can make this no-sew pet bed!
This pet bed looks pretty simple to make and needs no sewing at all! Probably much cheaper than buying one, and you can wash it!
Making a fleece pet bed yourself allows you to fully customize the pet bed, and choose the cover, filling and style that suits you, and your dog or cat, best!
Photo credit: Making Ties, by Selbe Lynn |
You could buy the McCalls Dog Bed pattern, but it looks like all they did was:
1. Cut out a couple of ovals from anti-pill polyester fleece (Dog Print Fleece or Cat Print Fleece or Petmate Polar Fleece Pet Blanket), about 4-6 inches larger than the size you need.
(Anti-Pill is a treatment applied to garments primarily to resist the formation of little balls on the fabric's surface due to abrasion during wear.)
Photo credit: Tying Baby Blankets, byWVUMC |
3. Tie together one strip of fleece on one oval to a strip of fleece on the second oval - using an over-hand knot. Some prefer to double-knot.
4. Repeat all around the oval, leaving a space open to stuff.
5. Stuff with Polyester Fiberfill (Fairfield Poly-Fil Premium Polyester Fiber), wool, cotton or even cedar shavings.
6. Tie remaining fleece strips.
McCalls Dog Bed pattern |
Small: 26-inch diameter - 1 1/2 yards (1.40m) 60" wide (150 cm)
Medium: 36-inch diameter - 2 1/4 yards (2.10m) 60" wide (150 cm)
Large: 46-inch diameter - 2 /3/4 yards (2.55m) 60" wide (150 cm)
More Pet Bed patterns on Amazon!
More Frugal Dog Tips and Freebies:
Frugal Pet Tip: Make-Your-Own Dog Toys
-- This frugal tip is a great combination of a dog owner's scent and a dog's favourite toy!
Free Dog Breed Colouring Pages
-- This site has found tons of free dog breed coloring pages on the internet and sorted them out so that you can find so many coloring sheets of your favorite dog breed.
FREEBIE: Don't Leave Me in Here — It's Hot! fliers
-- Whenever you see a parked car with animals inside, place the "Don't Leave Me in Here — It's Hot!" flier under their windshield wiper.
FREEBIE: MyKitten Kit and Coupons
-- Give your new arrival the perfect start in life with the free Canadian Purina MyKitten program.
-- Looking for US coupons for Purina dog food, cat food, pet treats and litter?
How to Potty Train Your Dog
-- Are You Making Critical Mistakes in Your Dog's Potty Training?
FREEBIE: New Puppy/Kitten
-- Did you get a puppy or kitten for Christmas? A new puppy represents wonderment, innocence, unlimited energy, and unconditional love. But that puppy or kitten has needs, and will grow up, so let's find some puppy/kitten freebies!
FREEBIE: Pet Safety Pack
-- Alert people that pets are inside your home in the event of an emergency! Help keep your pets safe with a free pet safety pack from the ASPCA!
NOTE - If any of the above links are not working or the freebies or coupons no longer available, please post a blog comment below and I'll edit it!
Category: crafts, feature, frugal tips, pets, saving money
Hi!
I love your tutorial; it's clear and easy to understand. I'm concerned about the dog chewing on material (anti-pill polyester fleece) used to make the bed. Can you recommend anything that I could use to discourage that? Thank You
do you think you could throw the whole thing in the washer or do you need to make a cover separate to wash?
Personally, I would put the stuffing in an old pillowcase and sew it shut. Then stuff the fleece pillow with that. Then you could remove the fleece part and wash it separately. But if your washing machine is big enough you could throw the smaller ones in to be washed.
Sorry Knotty, I can't think of anything that would discourage chewing, unless you used some of those bitter products, but then the dog might not want to use the bed at all.
I love this idea, but because I don't have a pet I think I'm going to make one for my toddler, some place for him to take a nap if we're over visiting or just a comfy little place for him to sit and play. They look so fun if I could I'd make one big enough for myself lol!
If you make this as a cover so it can be washed, how do you get it off? Do you have to untie the ends until the opening is big enough to get the pillow out?