DIY DOG BED

Make your own dog bed by following my simple DIY tutorial. I made this dog bed over the weekend in just two hours. My sewing machine rarely sees the light of day and I am by no means an expert, but I hope this DIY will inspire you to make your own dog bed. If I can do it, so can you!

I’m going to be completely honest with you, 99% of the time Frankie sleeps in bed with me. Hey don’t judge me! I live in Canada and Frankie provides very necessary warmth. During the day however, she does enjoy a good cat nap – or is it dog nap? Lately Frankie has been napping on an extra pillow insert I had laying around. I was going to donate but she claimed it as her own and who am I to argue with my 2 year old Pomeranian? But this weekend I finally decided enough is enough, Frankie is getting her own dog bed!

I had extra mud cloth fabric from another project and it ended up being perfect for this little dog bed. You can mix two fabrics like I have, but one will work just fine!

RELATED: MUD CLOTH – why its here to stay 

What you’ll need:

• At least two hours
• 1 1/2 to 2 yards of fabric (depending on the size of your dog)
• Poly fill
• Scissors
• Pins
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Large embroidery thread
• Scrap fabric

STEP 1 CUT YOUR FABRIC

Cut one rectangle 30″ x 40″, and a second rectangle (in a contrasting fabric if you wish) 14″ x 24″. Lay the large rectangle on the ground and place the small rectangle in the center. Make sure it is exactly in the middle. 

STEP 2 CUT LARGE RECTANGLE 

Draw a line from the corner of the small rectangle at right angles to the edge of the fabric on the large rectangle. Using the scissors, cut along this line. You will have cut out a square on the large rectangle. Repeat on all 4 corners.

STEP 3 SEW SIDES TOGETHER

Pin the cut edges right side together, sew in place. Repeat on all four sides. You will end up with a box that has no lid. Make sure to leave a 4″ gap on one side.

STEP 5 SEW HANDLE 

This step is completely optional. I like the look and functionality of a handle and I wanted to add a bit of pink so I just went with it. Cut a rectangle in a piece of scrap fabric 2 1/2″ x 10″. Sew the long side together. Fold right side out and press with an iron. Fold over 1″ on both ends, pin to outside of dog bed and sew in place.

STEP 6 SEW TOP 

Pin the small rectangle to the base, right sides together. Sew in place.

STEP 7 STUFF YOUR BED

Stuff your bed with poly fill. I used the poly fill that was inside that extra pillow insert I had. Sew the 4″ gap together by hand.

STEP 8 ADD TUFTING

Using your large needle, add tufting. You will essentially sew the front to the back by inserting the needle all the way through the center of the dog bed. Repeat as you wish depending on the size of dog bed you’ve made.

And that is it! Just 8 simple steps and you have a super cute dog bed your furry friend will love! I was nervous I would go through all that effort and Frankie would end up not using it. But she actually LOVES it. OK I might have placed her on the bed in this photo, but she loves it now I swear!