Dog Blankets and Beds

March is Create a Craft Month!  Yay!  If you're like me and enjoy making crafts, you don't need a special month for permission to make fun things!  But if you're normally not a crafter, I will attempt to persuade you with my easy and fun crafts this month!

 

Today, I'm going to tell you how I make cute dog blankets and beds for my dogs - no sewing skills required!  Begin with two colors or patterns of fleece.  How big you make the blanket depends on how big your dog is when she lays down and stretches out!  If you are making a bed instead of a blanket, remember that it will be puffier, so you may need to cut the fleece a bit bigger.  First cut just the general shape - round or rectangle - and the size you want to make the bed.  You will be cutting strips on the edges about an inch or two long, so figure this into your sizing.  I like to buy a printed fabric and then a plain fabric for the back that coordinates nicely with the color of the patterning on the front.

 

After you cut both pieces of fleece to the right size and shape, you will need to cut strips along all the edges.  I usually cut my strips an inch and a half long, and about 3/4 inch wide.  They don't have to be exact, but I like to cut them through both pieces of fleece, so the strips line up nicely with each other.  See the pictures to help guide you.  I have laid both pieces of fleece together and cut through both pieces to create the strips - one patterned strip on the top, with one matching plain strip on the bottom.  I did not show a very good picture of this, but at each corner, I cut out a little square, so the strips will line up.  When you try to cut straight strips on the corner, you will end up not having enough room.  Usually cutting out the little square of extra fabric will be enough to allow strips to be cut all the way around. 

 

 

 



 Now you can begin tying the strips together.  Using one plain and one patterned strip - that are directly on top and below each other - tie a square knot.  Tie all the strips until there are knots holding the two layers of blanket together.  If you are creating blankets, continue tying all the way around. 

 

 

 

If you are creating a bed, you will need to leave an opening not tied so you can put the stuffing inside.  You can stuff the inside with any bedding material, but Treasure prefers that fluffy poly filling from the craft store.  In fact, Treasure does not like dog beds normally - these fleecy fluffy beds are the only ones she likes! 

 

Stuff the bed as full as you'd like with stuffing and then finish up by tying the rest of the strips closed into knots.  Voila!  A fun and warm dog blanket or bed for your dog!  Treasure gives her tail wag of approval!