Buying a finished product is, of course, easier. But if you sew a bedding with your own hands, this is an opportunity to take into account all the characteristics of your pet, from anatomy to character and habits. It's easy, even if you've never picked up a needle. And it's cheaper, even if you don't use old things. And a healthy, sound sleep for your four-legged friend will be the best gratitude for creative work done with love.
General Tips
1. To find out the approximate size of the bedding, measure the dog's height from the front foot to the top of the head and the length from the nose to the tail. A close-fitting size is not the best solution; your pet will partially sleep on the floor or completely ignore the new thing;
2. Before you make your dog's bedding, think about how you will clean your pet's sleeping area. The fabric must be machine washable or of such a texture that adhering wool and settling dust can be easily removed from the surface. Keep in mind that aggressive chemicals should not be used to clean bedding - dogs have a very delicate sense of smell;
3. Think about where the mattress will be placed. The choice of product shape depends on this;
4. Before lying down, many dogs trample and dig up the bedding. Therefore, the fabric must be wear-resistant and dense. The threads must also be strong;
5. It is advisable not to use long ribbons and ribbons, bows, beads, etc. as decoration. With a high probability, your pet will chew the beauty on the first day. For aesthetic appeal, you can decorate the perimeter with a durable, non-dangling edging or sew an applique of pieces of fabric to the bedding.
We take into account all the little things
The bedding is not only a bed in which the dog sleeps, but also a “command post”. Here she can simply lie, watching her charges from the side, so the owners should take into account every little detail. For example:
- Bed dimensions. All pets, like their owners, have favorite sleeping positions. This means that you need to take into account not only the height and weight categories, but also the position in which your shaggy friend most often sleeps. For those who like to curl up, a round product, equipped with sides for greater convenience, or an oval one is suitable. For those who stretch, it is better to sew a large mattress - square or rectangular. It is not recommended to sew the bedding end-to-end: after familiarizing yourself with the new cramped “upholstered furniture,” the dog will simply find it completely unsuitable.
- Quality of material. The main characteristics are unpretentiousness and wear resistance. The fabric should be easy to clean and able to withstand machine washing and dog claws. The best materials are corduroy, linen, furniture matting, denim, teak, cotton, fleece. It is better to choose non-staining colors; for some models you can sew pillowcases at the same time.
- Choice of filler. There are more requirements here. It must be hygienic, durable, warm, comfortable, hypoallergenic. Among the worthy candidates are coconut fiber, buckwheat husks, and furniture foam rubber, whose density is higher than 30-35 kg/m3. The first is preferable, as it does not require serious washing, a hot rinse or shower is sufficient.
- Depends on the nature and degree of hairiness. Heat-loving “melancholic” breeds love thick mattresses and high sides. Dogs of the “plug in every barrel” type are low fences that do not interfere with observing everyone and everything. Increased wooliness is the reason for the refusal of warm fur bedding.
Option 1, the simplest
It's easier to just throw an old blanket to the dog. You will need two pieces of fabric: the top is nice, soft and cozy, the bottom is denser, since the bottom rubs against the floor. To hold the two pieces together, stitch along the edges and across them several times (diamonds or waves). To prevent the edges from fraying, cover them with a edging made of a strip of durable material. No pattern, no complex calculations or manipulations - why reinvent the wheel when your pet needs a banal mattress?
How to make a dog bed with soft faux fur sides
What do you need
- A piece of faux fur 200 × 150 cm;
- tape measure;
- remnant;
- pencil;
- scissors;
- piece of tarpaulin 70 × 70 cm;
- pins;
- sewing machine;
- 1.5 kg of padding polyester or holofiber;
- threads;
- sewing needle.
How to do
Using soap, mark two rectangles 110 × 65 cm and two circles with a diameter of 70 cm on the back side of the faux fur.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Cut the fabric along the resulting lines.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
All that remains is to prepare the bottom. Lay out the tarpaulin and place the finished fur circle on top. Trace it with a pencil.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Cut out the future bottom of the bed with scissors.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Using a sewing machine, sew two fur rectangles together along the short side. You will get a strip 220 cm long.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Fold the fur rectangle in half, right side out, and pin its two edges to the tarp around the entire circle.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Using a machine, sew together three layers of joined fabric.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
The seam should be inside the fur circle - this will make the bed look neater. Fill the resulting sleeve evenly with filler.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Sew the edges of the border. It's faster and more convenient to work with your hands here.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Let's make a pillow. Fold the fur circles facing inward and pin them together around the perimeter.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Using a machine, sew two circles. Leave a small hole and turn the future pillow out through it.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Loosely fill the workpiece with filler. Sew the hole by hand.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Place the pillow inside the bed.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
Distribute the filling over the pillow and side to make your pet comfortable.
Frame: Darina Sweet / YouTube
What other options are there?
Such a bed can be filled with scraps, as in this master class:
Option 2, warmer and softer
The steps are the same, but you need to lay the top and bottom layers with insulation. Woolen fabric or an old blanket, batting, sheet padding polyester, grandfather's overcoat or grandmother's padded jacket will do (these are indestructible things that are simply a sin to throw away!). If you want something softer, but not too warm, use old bed linen and towels. We also sew all the layers together.
Batting and padding polyester are collected during sewing, so the pieces should be slightly larger than the outer parts. The excess needs to be trimmed off at the very end, when it’s time to fold the edges.
It is not recommended to wash such a mattress too often, although delicate washing does not damage the product in any way. But if you are sewing a bedding for a large dog or for a pet that has a habit of jumping onto the mattress immediately after going outside, it is better to stock up on zippered covers. Or buy a water-repellent material for the top layer of the mattress, which can be easily cleaned with a damp sponge.
Modernization
Many owners know the pleasant feeling of stepping on a mat and riding it across the room! The dog can also get injured - it will take a running jump or jump up sharply when it smells an inviting sandwich. Such somersaults often end in fractures and dislocations, not to mention bruises and other minor things. We'll tell you how to sew a bedding so that you won't end up riding a magic carpet.
You will need:
- a rug or piece of carpet with a rubber backing;
- tailor's Velcro (contact tape, Velcro) with medium-hard tabs. Small soft paws will not hold the bedding;
- a piece of carpet or rubber-backed mat.
We sew the part of the Velcro that catches along the perimeter of the mattress, from the bottom side. And a few pieces in the center to make it hold more securely. We press the bedding onto the rubberized mat, the pile of which replaces the second part of the Velcro - ready! The mattress can be removed for washing, the rug can be knocked out. Velcro is easy to replace if, over time, hair and dust reduce its grip.
Option 3, in the car
The main purpose of such bedding is protection from moisture (on the road, a dog can vomit, many drool from excitement, some leak urine from fear). And cleaning out clumps of wool from the interior is also not the most pleasant experience. Since car mats must be as dirt-resistant as possible, they are made only from high-quality nylon, modern waterproof tarpaulin or polyester. Do not save on purchasing the selected material.
1. For non-shedding, generally neat dogs: the canvas is the width of the chair or chairs and the length from the top of the back almost to the floor. We sew a secure strap to the top of the canvas to secure the bedding to the back. It turns out like this:
2. However, the back of the front seat is not protected. To close it too, we take the fabric twice as long and sew on a second belt to attach it to the front seat. The bottom can be laid directly on the floor or made stretched (like a hammock, but the fabric should not sag - this is dangerous).
3. The bedding, closed on the sides, completely protects the car, although it is more difficult to sew it with your own hands. But the seats are completely safe - shedding fur or unpleasant liquids will remain behind the high “walls”. To simplify the task, first sew the cover as in the photo above. Then measure the distance from one edge of the mat to the other. You need two values, at the bottom and at the top. You will get a rectangular or trapezoidal pattern for the sides of the dog bed, along which you need to cut two solid pieces of material. We sew the bottom of the sides to the base, and on the sides we sew zippers with a lock (protection against arbitrary unfastening). To prevent the side walls from sagging, sew straps in the center for attaching to the passenger's ceiling handles.
Beds with a house
A house-bed for a dog is not at all the same as a house for a dog. Just a house - it is for play or serious matters, for example, for a puppy with a litter. A dog needs a bed with a house in other very specific cases.
Houses-beds for dogs
A dog of northern origin, sledding or herding, needs a durable home kennel, on the left in Fig. Her closest ancestors (possibly her parents) lived in monstrous conditions: they were fed from hand to mouth, they had to spend the night in the snow at -40 and below. Their owners beat them to death for the slightest offense; the sick or exhausted were abandoned to their fate, in the tundra, which was very angry and short-lived. The owners themselves could have eaten it. Amundsen's expedition to Antarctica only reached the South Pole and returned back in full force and good health, because along the way he abandoned the sleigh that had been freed from its luggage, and the sled dogs that were freed from them... ate! This caused great indignation in the world at the time, but the Norwegian polar explorers were only surprised: how could this be? What's wrong with that? These are dogs! They are not only draft power, but also food!
Note: Northern peoples do not eat hunting dogs. Training a hunting dog takes a lot of hard work and requires a lot of experience, and a hunting dog is too valuable.
These horrors are firmly ingrained into the northern canine gene pool. This is why huskies and Russian reindeer huskies respond so warmly to care and do not forgive evil. And if the owner has endowed him with a reliable shelter worth a lot of work, he will not abandon him, he will not eat him, and he must reciprocate in full. Dog logic is simple and extremely rational.
The puppy also needs a bed with a shelter house (in the center in the picture) or a cradle bed, see below. For similar reasons: he is still small. If you don’t like it, they can throw you out or give it to someone bad. And they made the house - everything took root! You can sleep peacefully.
The miniature adult lap dog has settled in quite well and knows that she is loved. But she is too small, they could accidentally step on the sleeping one. Therefore, she also needs a house over the bed, but not a soft embroidered one, like a puppy, but something stronger (on the right in the picture), so that if something happens, she has time to wake up and jump out. The sensitivity in sleep and the reaction of all dogs are quite wild, this is the instinct of self-preservation at work.
Crib house
A bed with a house for a puppy or miniature dog can be completely sewn soft. These creatures are too small and light to excite and feel the “return” of the sex to their movements and even pampering.
Patterns and sewing patterns for a dog bed-cradle are shown in the figure:
Patterns and sewing patterns for a dog bed-cradle
Due to the fact that it is all zippered, you can take this bed with you to the dacha and on long trips. The sizes are designed to be suitable not only for young animals and small animals, but also for an adult medium-sized dog.
How to make another version of a dog bed house with a cradle, see the video below:
Video: dog cradle house
A house is like a house
The best material that allows you to make a beautiful house-bed for a dog simply, quickly, very inexpensively and without any complicated work, incl. sewing - ordinary packaging cardboard. It will gain the required strength and rigidity if the workpieces made from it are impregnated on both sides with a water-polymer emulsion or PVA diluted 3-4 times with clean water and dried. In addition, dogs do not chew cardboard impregnated with polyvinyl acetate.
The development drawings and appearance of a cardboard house-bed for a dog are shown in the figure:
Drawings of a dog bed made of cardboard
The roof along the ridge is glued together using strips of fabric and PVA; The front and back are folding with zippers. The underside of the floor is covered with burlap, and all other surfaces are first covered with foam rubber or padding polyester 4-6 mm thick, and then with fabric. Pasting is done from the outside in: the outer surfaces are covered first with filler, and then with textiles with a fold (only the folds of the cardboard are glued). After this, the inside of the house is covered with filler, not reaching the edges 1.5-2 cm, and with fabric over it, without turning outward. For hygiene purposes, a pillow stuffed with coconut fiber is placed inside. That's all.
For more information on how to make a dog bed with a house, see the video below.
