Lina and Vi: Burlap Dog Bed DIY

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Burlap Dog Bed DIY

DIY Burlap Dog Bed - Lina and Vi

One of the things I love about sewing is that you can truly create anything you want with a few pieces of fabric, thread, and a sewing machine. Today I'm going to share another burlap sewing DIY with you that is super easy and fun to make in one afternoon.

My husband and I are excited as we will be welcoming a new puppy in our home in a few short months. We've done a bit of shopping, but I knew I wanted to sew something for our new dog.  A few weeks ago, I came across a free pattern for a box cushion dog bed from JoAnn's. So, this weekend, I embarked on the adventure of sewing my first dog bed. You can find this pattern on the JoAnn's site here, but if you're not an intermediate seamstress, you may find that they have left out some important details that they believe you would know off the bat. Today I'm going to share an expanded version of this pattern so you can avoid some of the head scratching that I did to make this fun, practical bed for your dog or other animal.

dog bed DIY - lina and vi


Supplies:

2 yrds 54" home decor fabric, burlap, or anything else that is heavy-weight
3.5 lbs fiberfill
scissors
sewing machine and standard foot
pins
ruler
thread

*Note: I've omitted the instructions for the cording detail since I did not want this for my pup (to chew on most likely!). You can find pretty good details on how to create the covered piping detail in the original JoAnn's pattern.

Instructions:

1. Lay out your fabric. Cut two 25" by 35" pieces for the top and bottom. If you want to do to two different fabrics for the top and bottom as I did, you will cut one rectangle on each piece of fabric. NOTE: Our puppy will be about 35lbs full grown, so I shortened the bed as it was quite large when I originally cut the pieces. The dimensions used in the photo above are 25" by 30.5".

2. Cut two 5" by 35" pieces and two 5" by 25" pieces for the strip around the box cushion. NOTE: Remember to shorten these four rectangles if you decided to make a smaller bed as I did. I cut two 5" by 30.5" pieces and two 5" by 25" pieces.

3. Stitch the short 5" sides of the four rectangles cut in step 2 together using your sewing machine using a 5/8" allowance. Leave a 1/2" inch at the top and bottom of each of the four seams. You want to do this so that you can stitch the long sides of each of these rectangles to the large top and bottom pieces of the bed.

4. Once you have a rectangle formed from the four small pieces, pin one long side of the entire rectangle to one of the large 25" by 35" rectangles. Make sure that all of your raw edges are facing out at you and not into the rectangle. Sew the entire perimeter of the rectangles together using a 5/8" allowance.

5. Now you will pin the other long edge of the sewn rectangle to the last large 25" by 35" rectangle piece. Leave a 8" opening on one side for turning the bed right-side out. Stitch the perimeter using a 5/8" allowance.

6. You should now have a 3D rectangle that has all of the seam allowances facing you on the outside. Turn the bag right-side out through the 8" opening you have intentionally left open.

7. Fill with fiberfill with as much stuffing as you want for your pup. Then pin the opening closed and stitch it on your machine or by hand to close the bed. Basically it is one large pillow.

I loved how this bed turned out as I was able to use some scrap coffee burlap bags for the sides and bottom. The top is a faux white soft sherpa fabric I purchased from JoAnn's. I think our puppy will love laying on it, of course if she decides to not chew it up (at least the burlap is a natural fiber). I have a feeling that I will come home from work one day and I will see pieces of fluff all over the place, but it's worth it as she will have a bed to get familiar with as she gets comfortable in our home.

I recommend this pattern if you have an afternoon and are looking to sew something new for your pet. If you have questions, please leave me a comment. Enjoy!

Erica


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