Sew-Easy Dog Bed

Last Sunday, my family welcomed a new puppy into our home. Blue is our first dog, and he is pretty dang adorable. He is a Bernese Mountain Dog, which means one day he will be 100 pounds, but for now I wanted to make him a cute little puppy bed. Needlework on James St. North in Hamilton (iloveneedlework.com) recently acquired some swoon-worthy Japanese fabrics that I couldn't wait to find an excuse to buy, and it just so happens that the cotton-linen blend is the perfect weight for this project...lucky me! I always find that if you start with fabric you love, it is much easier to be motivated to sew. This is a TRULY EASY project that any Tom, Dick or Harriet with a sewing machine can pull off in a cinch.

For this project you will need:

• 1-2 yards of medium- to heavyweight fabric, depending on the size of your pooch
• 1 spool of coordinating thread
• Stuffing for bed (fiberfill, a large floor pillow or store-bought cushion-style dog bed)
• Buttons or zipper (optional)

To start, cut two identical rectangles of fabric, big enough to fit your dog (and/or cover your cushion). Fold over the hem an inch or so on one end of each rectangle and iron. Then sew down the hem (just a straight stitch all the way across the top of the hem as pictured). 

Next, pin right sides together (turned over hem will show on outside). 

Using a straight stitch, sew all around three sides of the cushion cover, leaving a 3/4 " seam. Flip inside out and insert your filler. If you don't care about being able to remove the cover, you can simply hand sew (slipstitch) the opening closed and you are done! Go pour yourself that mojito! However, if you have some skills in the sewing department, you will most likely want to make the cover removable (hence, washable). I used the automatic button-hole mechanism on my sewing machine to make three equally-spaced-apart button hones in the hem of one of the fabric pieces, then sewed buttons on the underside of the opposite hem.

Like a true novice, I didn't predict that my puppy would LOVE chewing on those little wooden choking hazards, so I recommend installing a zipper if you have the know-how...or just give the pillow to your cat. Meow!