So.. what can you do with it? I see it at Jo-Ann’s all the time, and honestly wonder what the heck could possibly be done with it. This post lists everything that I could find, with tutorials!
Actually, I made this stocking with some faux fur for my fiance’s niece. I hope she loves it!
Yesterday, I wanted to make my kitty, Tobor, a pet bed. Why? Because during the night, he’s always sleeping on the floor, or on something hard like cardboard or books – and he doesn’t ever look too comfortable. During the day, he’s usually sleeping on the bed, and always seems irritated at night when he’s kicked off!
I looked up and printed about 7 different tutorials on making a pet bed. After reading through them, I didn’t find one tutorial that was easy to understand. None of them had step by step pictures to illustrate what they were talking about, and the wording was horrible.
I did make a previous bed for my previous kitty, Zula, by following an online tutorial, but it came out extremely tiny with really high walls. Fortunately though, Zula loved it! However, she did have to sleep with her arms out of it every time, just to give you an idea of how tiny it really is!
Zula and her Tiny Bed
Tobor, however, is a much bigger kitty, and didn’t fit into Zula’s old bed. He only stayed in it for 30 seconds, and never went near it again. It was WAY too tiny for this beefy boy!
Tobor in the tiny bed
Since I didn’t want to do the above tutorial again because it came out all weird and took a good 5 hours to figure out what the lady was talking about, and all of the new tutorials I found seemed beyond confusing with wording and pictures, I gave up on them and attempted to make Tobor’s bed on my own.
I also wanted to provide an easy to follow tutorial for anyone wanting to make their own. I’m not a tutorial expert or writer, but I gave this written tutorial my best shot. I hope it is easy to understand, and if not, let me know if you have any questions so I can answer them! Let’s go!
Materials:
1 Cat or Small Dog (You could make one for a big dog too – just add more fabric to your list!)
1/2 yard of fabric for the first side
1/2 yard of fabric for the reversible side
1/2 yard of fabric for the walls
12 oz. of Polyester Filling
Newspaper or other paper to make your pattern out of
Thread
Needle
Sewing Machine (or you could sew it by hand, but it’d take a long time!)
Scissors
Step 1:
This may sound silly, but I measured how long Tobor was when he’s in his sleeping position.
He loves to stretch out, so I cut a rectangle out of my paper that measured 24 inches by 18 inches.
I then folded the rectangle in half, and then folded it again in half the opposite way, so that all of the corners were in one place.
Then, I took my scissors and rounded the corners. When unfolding it, I had a perfectly even rounded pet bed pattern.
Step 2:
Pin this pattern to both the top and bottom fabric pieces, and cut them out.
Pin the pattern to the fabric
I had leftover fabric from my scratching post project and from Zula’s old bed, so I just used what I had already. Here are the two pieces cut out from the pattern:
Top and Bottom Pieces Cut Out
Step 3:
Cut a long piece of fabric for the walls that is 12 inches wide. My 24″ bed took a 72″ x 12″ strip, so you may have to sew some fabric together to be able to make the strip long enough.
Cut a 12 inch Wide Strip of Fabric
Step 4:
Fold the strip in half, lengthwise with the right sides facing out. A right side of the fabric means that it’s the side of the fabric with the design on it. If you have a solid colored fleece like I do, it doesn’t matter either way. Pin it along the edges so that it stays together and even.
Pin the edges together
Step 5:
Put one of your round pieces down with the right side facing up. Pin the wall all the way around the round piece.
Pin the wall to a round piece
Keep pinning!
If you notice that your strip is too long (which is much better than it being too short!), simply cut off the excess fabric. Make sure that you leave enough room to tuck some of the fabric into itself to hem up the wall.
I understand my wording can be really confusing here, so I thought I’d include some extra photos, and a video that attempts to show you what I mean.
Oh no! Too much fabric!
It's ok, just cut it off!
Be sure to leave a little excess to tuck the fabric in
...and pin it in place!
Step 6:
Make sure that the walls are facing inward towards the center.
Add your second round piece of fabric on top of it, right side down.
Then, pin it to the other two pieces that you’ve already pinned together. Make sure that you are using the same pins and not adding any more pins. All right sides should be facing each other.
Make sure that the wall is facing in towards the center
Place the second circular piece on top, with the right side facing down
Here it is, pinned!
It should look like this, from the side
Step 7:
Stitch around the pinned edges, making sure that you leave enough room (about 3-4 inches) in order to turn all of the fabric right side out after sewing.
Stitch around the pinned fabric
But make sure you leave enough room to flip it out!
This is what the opening should look like
Step 8:
Pull the walls and everything else through the opening. At this point, you should be getting super excited. lol.
Ta-da! Side 1!
Ta-da! Side 2!
Step 9:
Stuff the opening with polyfil until you’re satisfied with the fluffiness. Then, sew the opening shut by hand. I used a whip stitch.
Stuff the circles!
Circles are all stuffed and sealed
Step 10:
Now, stuff the walls. Push the first handfulls of fluff to the far side of the wall and work towards the opening on each half until you are satisfied with the amount of fluffiness that is in it.
Stuff the wall
Step 11:
Stitch the wall closed by hand. I used a whip stitch.
Stitch it up!
Step 12:
Finished! How awesome is it that it’s reversible and made from scraps?!
Tiger Side
Checkered Side
Stick your pet in it, and hope that they sleep in it! Luckily, Tobor likes his He fits!
Tobor irritated that I'm photographing him while he's trying to sleep
Finally getting some sleep
I hope this tutorial was easy to follow and understand. Let me know if you have any questions or comments!
Sweater no longer fits, has a tear, or out of style? Don’t throw it out! Here are some great links that I’ve collected that show what you can do with your old sweaters. Click on the photo to get the tutorial!
Hat and Scarf from Sweater Tutorial: Ruffles and Stuff
Sweater Capelet Wrap Refashion Tutorial: My Mama Made It
Kid’s Clothing Tutorials:
Sweater to Sweater Dress: Make it and Love it
Sweater Dress Revamp: Get Your Craft On
Make a Child's Skirt from an Adult Sweater: Crafting a Green World
Turn an Adult Sweater to Child Leggings: Crafting a Green World
How to Make a Wool Diaper Cover from a Wool Sweater: Sewing Dork
Home Decor Tutorials:
An Upcycled Sweater Project - Beverage Sleeve and Coasters: Tenth Muse Studios
DIY Sweater Pillows: Samster Mommy
How to Make a Stepping Stool: Indietutes
Pet Accessory Tutorials:
How to Make a Cat Bed from an Old Sweater: WikiHow
Halloween Tutorials:
Jack the Hoop-O-Lantern: Betz White
Ghost Halloween Decoration: Cut out and Keep
Christmas Tutorials:
Sweater Stocking: The Long Thread
Sweater Stocking: Martha Stewart
How to Make an Adorable Polar Bear Ornament Out of an Old Wool Sweater: Fun in the Making
The monster stepping stool is my ultimate fav’! I have this wooden stepping stool that I made a few years back that is just totally plain. Oh yeah, I’m makin’ it – watch out world!
If you know of ANY other examples or tutorials, please comment below so I can add them to this list. Thanks!
