Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Give your precious pets a place to kick up their paws—in Style! This DIY pet bed can even be made of recycled materials for all those eco-conscious owners (and animals) out there. Its no-sew technique makes this a fast and fuss-free project, and better yet, the last few steps can be done while cuddling up with your furry BFF on a lazy summer evening.
Materials:
2 squares of knit or fleece fabric—either new or from a blanket you no longer use. (The size depends on the desired size of your bed; we used a 1 yard by 1 yard square of fleece.)
rubber band
pillow stuffing
Tools:
fabric scissors white fabric pencil pins
Process:
1. Fold one square of fabric in half, and then in half again to make a smaller square. Pin the edges so that they stay in place.
2. Take the folded square, place the open edges in the top righthand corner, and with your white fabric pencil, trace an arc.
3. Cut all layers of fabric along the white line.
4. Unfold the circle, place it on the other square of fabric and trace the circle with the white fabric pencil. Cut along the white line so that you have two same-size circles.
5. Pin the two pieces together.
6. Cut fringes around the edges of the circles, cutting both pieces with each cut. Try to make each fringe equal in length and width. The fringes should be about ½ inch wide by 2 inches long.
7. Unpin the fabric. Take one circle, and in the center, gather a fistful of fabric. Wrap your rubber band around the bunch of fabric, creating a tuft about 3 inches long.
8. Place the tufted circle with the rubber band facing up, then place the other circle on top. Start tying the fringes from the two circles together in knots until you have about 10 fringes left un-knotted.
9. Stuff the bed with your old or new pillow stuffing, then knot the rest of the fringes together until the bed is completely sealed.
