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DIY Pet Bed from Old Sweaters

Life Hack: Making a Cozy Pet Bed from Old Sweaters

Dalmation and orange tabby cat resting on DIY pet bed

If you have a pet then you are familiar with the fact that they like to sleep on your clothes. You can try to bribe them off of your clothes by getting a brand new, super-soft pet bed. However, likely, they will pretty quickly turn it into an unusable pile of fabric and go back to curling up in the bed of your clothes.

Having to get rid of dogs’ or cats’ hair of your clothing can be downright annoying.

You can offer them various pet bed alternatives to your clothes, but did you ever give a thought to why they love sleeping on our clothes? Let’s look into it for a moment.

Why Do Animals Love Sleeping on Your Clothes?

Happy dalmation lying on a DIY Pet Bed

Mainly, they do it because they love us.

The most important sense for animals is smell; they use it to find food, to recognize other animals, their humans, and so on. Therefore, curling up in your favorite sweater or hoodie is a way for them to be close to you even when you aren’t around.

Also, they feel secure and safe while sleeping in your clothes. 

Another reason is that they want to leave their scent on us, showing we are their humans.

Now when we know this, it is clear that there is no point in wasting money on often overpriced pet beds. The good news is that you can make a pet bed they will undoubtedly adore yourself.

We, at All Pets Expert, have some ideas on how to make a cozy soft pet bed, and want to share this with you today.

How to Make a Cool Pet Bed

Orange tabby cat sleeping on a fuzzy DIY Pet Bed

Many pet parents are wondering how to make a pet bed. Thus we decided to offer some tips and show you that it is not at all complicated.

You will need an old sweater, sewing pins, a pillow, wadding (stuffing), yarn, and a yarn needle. You can use another piece of clothing as well, but in our experience, pet beds made from sweaters turned out to be the most comfortable.

Let’s look at some steps to make a favorite pet bed for your beloved furry friend.

  • First, you need to choose a sweater or sweatshirt. It is essential to think about the size of your four-legged companion. Smaller jerseys will do for a cat or a little dog like a French bulldog, for example. However, if you have a golden retriever or a dog of similar size, you need a large size male piece of clothing.
  • Once you have found an ideal item, flip it inside out and mark with chalk or a marker the parts you want to cut. Keep in mind that you will have to sew after; thus, it is essential to leave about half of inch more. 
  • Use the sewing pins to pin the front and the back of the sweater. It helps you to know where you want to close the hole. Then sew along the neckline, making sure that the stitches are as straight as possible.
  • When this part is done, put the sweater on a flat surface with arms spread on sides. Use the pins, chalk, or a marker to make a line across the sweater to connect the arms. Following that make a seam (as straight as possible) across the chest.
  • Now you can start filling the sleeves.  Start by putting the stuffing from the side towards another one. It is crucial to make sure that you put enough filling for it to be soft and comfortable. On the other hand, you have to pay attention not to overfill it. If you overfill, the stitching can break and everything can fall out.
  • Depending on the style of the pet bed you prefer, you can overlap the stuffed sleeves or tuck them into each other. When you decide on the design and find the place for the sleeves, sew them together, so the filling doesn’t fall out. 
  • The next step is to stuff the pillow into the central part of the sweater. The most important thing here is that the pad fits well.  Pin the edges where you want to close and make fine stitching at the bottom of the sweater.
  • Following this, take the stuffed sleeves and pin them to the base. Making the borders with sleeves doesn’t only make the pet bed look more beautiful. They are also vital because they will prevent your pet from sliding off the pet bed. Attach the sleeves by sewing them all along the base.
  • Give your pet her or his brand new bed and enjoy the sight of them curling up in there.

Conclusion

Here we are at the end of our little guide about making an excellent pet bed. We do hope you enjoyed reading as much as we did writing it. 

If you have other ideas on how to make things for our four-legged friends, please contact us. We are always delighted to hear from you.

Don’t forget to revisit us because we have lots of interesting articles about different DIY crafts.  If you like to share your bed with your furry friend, you might be interested in reading about pet steps for bed.

Author’s Bio: Rae-Rae is a veterinarian, dog whisperer, and a blogger. She writes about different topics related to pet care. In her free time, Rae-Rae travels and reads detectives. 

Orange Tabby cat and Dalmation hanging out on their DIY Pet Bed