Making a pattern and sewing dog beds

As soon as a dog appears in the house, the owners begin to think about where it will sleep. The question arises of how to sew a bed for dogs, whether it is worth doing or it is easier to buy a ready-made one in the store. It is not so difficult, any novice craftswoman can handle the matter.

What should a good dog bed be like?

Pets love to lie on a sofa or in a chair. This is not always convenient for owners, as claw marks and fur remain on the furniture. It quickly becomes unusable. To prevent this from happening, the dog is trained to its own place - a bed - from the moment it appears in the house.

A good lounger should be:

• made of soft but dense fabric;
• larger than the dog itself by 15-20 cm;
• have small sides up to 10-12 cm high (dogs like to watch their owners, high sides can interfere with this, the dog will not want to use the bed).

The service life of a leather lounger is several times shorter than that of a similar design made from another fabric, such as denim.

Model selection

The model of a dog's sleeping place depends on:

• the size of the dog;
• personal skills of the seamstress (a square lounger without sides is easier to sew than a round one with sides).

A dog bed can be:

• round without sides;
• round with sides, like a basket;
• square or rectangular (with or without sides);
• in the shape of a house;
• in the form of a blanket, a rug, one edge of which is not stitched so that the dog can climb inside.

Small dogs prefer houses, big ones love freedom, a large and soft pillow is enough for them.

Necessary materials and tools

To pattern and sew the bed you will need:

• any fabric of a suitable class (type) for the base;
• fabric for the cover (it makes sense to sew the cover in advance, it can be removed and washed, the lifespan of the lounger will increase);
• filler (foam rubber or silicone);

For sewing you also need scissors, threads, an awl, needles and paper for making a pattern for the bed (optional). Not everyone knows how to sew a bed for a dog, but learning is always easy and quick if you have the right materials.

Selection of material

Natural lint-free fabrics are best suited for making dog beds with your own hands using a pattern. These can be ticking, jeans, raincoat fabrics. The material for making the cover - pillowcases - is chosen no less carefully. Smooth-haired pets love fur bedding.

If the apartment is cool and the floor is cold, fleece, cashmere or wool are used to sew a blanket for the bed. To keep the dog warm when sleeping on it in the summer, cotton and linen are used for pillowcases.

Features of the material for large dogs

The fabric should dry quickly, be resistant to digging and attempts to tear it into shreds, and not become electrified. It is best to choose:

• velveteen;
• flock;
• matting.

The color of the material does not matter.

Sunbed with sides: step-by-step sewing instructions

A difficult to make type of lounger. You will need any waterproof fabric or jeans, holofiber or foam rubber for filling the pillow, a zipper. Then follow the instructions:

1. A large piece of fabric is laid out on the floor and a basin is placed on it, tracing its contours with chalk so that a circle is formed (two more circles are cut out of waterproof fabric, they are needed for the pillow).
2. The bottom of the lounger is cut out of fabric.
3. The jeans are cut along the seams, each leg is divided into 2 halves (long rectangles of equal width are cut out, they will be used to sew the sides).
4. Sew the two halves of the jeans together from the inside out and turn them over to the front.
5. Lay out the finished sides and mark with chalk the location of the vertical seams needed to give the product rigidity and maintain its shape (every 20 cm, remembering to fill the space with foam rubber before sewing).
6. The bottom is sewn to the sides, with the seams facing inward.
7. Circles of waterproof fabric are sewn together, leaving space for filling with foam rubber, and turned inside out.

The pillow is placed on the bottom of the bed, and the pet is invited to try it out. You can leave a hole in the side of the pillow, inserting a zipper there. As soon as the fabric gets dirty, the foam rubber is removed, and the pillowcase is washed.

How to Make a Dog Bed from an Old Sweater

The house is not complete without old things. A beautiful dog bed can be made from a large unnecessary sweater. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Take a sweater and place a piece of soft fabric or foam rubber inside it.
2. The neck is rolled into a sausage shape.
3. The sleeves are folded inward (the sides will also be folded at the same time) and tied in a knot, hiding the ends in the holes that appear on the sides.
4. The bottom of the sweater is folded up and hidden behind the sleeves, and the same is done with the corners.

Any clothing with long sleeves, even a jacket, is suitable for sewing a bed.

Sweatshirt lounger

To make a sleeping place for a medium-sized dog from a sweatshirt, you will:

1. Turn inside out.
2. The collar is sewn up, leaving a small opening.
3. The sleeves are sewn to the sides, but not all the way to the end, and are filled with foam rubber.
4. They give the sides their shape.
5. A pillow is placed in the center.
6. Any fabric is thrown on top as a blanket.

The simplest lounger is ready.

The advantages of a homemade sunbed house

Small dogs prefer beds in the form of a house. It can be made from a regular cardboard box covered with fabric. The advantages of making it yourself are as follows:

• cheapness (the price of a ready-made bed is 3-4 times higher than the cost of fabric purchased for a homemade bed);
• Dogs love warmth and comfort, they sometimes want privacy just like people, a dog house provides this in full.

The dog will definitely not freeze, even if you take the house out to the loggia or veranda. The small house can easily be converted into a carrier.

Foam lounger

Suitable for large dogs. Enough:

1. Cut two identical pieces of fabric.
2. Sew on three sides (the seam is done on the wrong side), turn over.
3. Sew the zipper to the edges of the remaining open hole.
4. Fill the resulting bag with foam rubber.

The zipper is fastened and the bed is given over to the dog.

Striped carpet cover

You can sew them together from scraps or knit them. To make a striped rug:

1. Take several pieces of fabric of different colors.
2. Cut into strips 5-7 cm wide.
3. The strips are sewn together, alternating colors.

The finished rug is folded in half, filled with filler and stitched. A zipper can be sewn into one side so that the foam rubber can be removed from time to time and the lounger can be washed.

Unusual decor of cozy dog ​​beds

On the fabric from which the bed is made, you can embroider images of animals, for example, the pet itself. The sides are sometimes decorated with:

• ribbons;
• buttons;
• rivets;
• frills;
• colored fabric (patchwork).

The crib itself can be made in an unusual shape, in the form of a paw, a slipper, a flower, a bone.

Bed care

The dog bed should be cleaned and beaten regularly. The bedspread and pillowcase should be washed at least once every 2 weeks. In winter, the pet's sleeping place is taken outside and rolled out in the snow. If the dog comes from the street, it is washed first, and only then allowed to the bed. The bedding, including foam rubber, should be changed every few years.

Useful tips

If the owner does not know how to sew a bed for a dog, it is better to ask for recommendations from specialists. So:

• Round beds for large dogs must have sides;
• the side for the oval-shaped lounger is sewn separately, attached to the main product at the end;
• a cover is required, preferably several to replace it;
• if the sleeping bag is filled with sheepskin, then it is essential to air it out in the snow in winter;
• Insects start to appear in straw and hay, they need to be changed frequently;
• The bed is regularly shaken to make it more comfortable for the dog to sleep.

The puppy can use the sleeping bag as a diaper, so it will have to be supervised. The bed is always sewn to the size of an adult dog.

You can sew a dog bed if you have basic cutting and sewing skills, you don't have to be a master. It's not hard at all. If you have an old sweater, you won't have to sew anything, you can make a sleeping bag out of it by simply rolling up the sleeves in a special way. Experts advise regularly cleaning and airing blankets and the place where the dog sleeps.