DIY Doggy Duvet Bed With a Vintage Tablecloth and Fleece

Hi guys! Today I am so excited to share one of my latest favorite projects with you for my pups. We go through at least a few dog beds a year in our house. Either they are not made well and the dogs burrow holes in the outside, or they don’t wash well and never go back to their original shape. So, after our last dog bed was torn to shreds, I thought I would make them a duvet style bed myself. I used some fleece I had and some scraps from a vintage tablecloth. Check it out:

Here’s What You Need:

*Fleece (1-2 yards)

*Upholstery Weight Fabric (for the sides)

*Long Upholstery Zipper

*Ruler and Marking Pen

*Scissors

*Straight Pins

*Sewing Machine and Coordinating Thread

*Old pillows, blankets, towels, etc…

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is decide how large you want your bed to be. I wanted mine fairly large so that both dogs could spread out on it. I made my top and bottom to be 24×33 including seam allowance. So I cut one top and one bottom piece of fleece in those dimensions. Then I needed to make my sides. I wanted the bed to be about 4″ thick so I made one of my long sides and the two short sides to be 5″ tall with seam allowance. My back side was going to have a zipper, so I needed to have two pieces for that side that would end up being 4″ when sewn. So that would be 2″ and 2″ plus seam allowance and seam allowance for the zipper for each strip, making them 3″ tall each. So for the strips I cut two for the back at 3″x33″, One for the front at 5″x33″, and two side pieces at 5″x24″.

I added a little cover to my zipper ends. I cut two pieces that were about 2×4. Then I folded the ends inabout a half inch and ironed them down towards the back. Then I folded it in half and pressed again. Then I inserted my zipper tape into the folded cover on both the top and bottom of the zipper. Then I stitched across the open end.

Once you have all your pieces cut you need to start with the zipper. Take the two skinny strips for your back side and lay them right sides together. Mark where you want your zipper to start and stop. Stitch a half inch seam across the marked side. Stitch a regular seam until you get to the first mark, then back stitch a few and stitch a basting seam all the way to the second mark, then stitch and backstitch with a regular stitch length back to the end.

Press open the seam allowance. Open your zipper a little. Place the zipper face down onto the middle of the seam in the fabric. Line up the zipper to the marks you made previously. Pin the zipper down to the fabric.

Now you are ready to sew your zipper. Put on your zipper foot. Stitch down one side of your zipper. When you get to the pull, drop the needle down, lift the foot up and skootch the pull past the presser foot. Put the foot back down, then continue sewing to the end of the zipper. Pivot with the needle down right above the metal stop. Then stitch across the bottom of the zipper. Then pivot again and stitch up the other side of the zipper, moving the pull as you did before, and stitch up to the top of the zipper and then across the top of the zipper above the start of it to get back to where you started. Then you need to remove your basting stitches to get to your zipper. Open the zipper about half way.

Now you are ready to make your sides. Stitch the front piece to one of the side pieces at the sides, making sure they are right sides together. Press open the seam, then stitch the other side to the front piece in the same manner. Press open the seam. Then Stitch the back piece with the zipper to one side and then the other side. You will now have a loop of fabric.

Now you want to stitch on the top and bottom. Pin the band you just made to the top fleece piece with right sides together. Line up the front and back and the sides to the long and short sides of the fleece piece. Now stitch all the way around the top piece with a half inch seam allowance, pivoting the needle about a half inch away from the corners and adjusting your fabric. Do the same thing with the bottom piece of fleece.

To finish off your bed, just stuff it with old pillows, blankets or towels, and let the dogs snuggle in.

I LOVe this bed, but what’s even greater is that my dogs and my cat adore this bed too! They love it and someone is on it at any given point of the day, that is if they aren’t in my bed. It was a fairly easy project to make, maybe a good one for an intermediate sewing student. The best thing about this bed is it is washable, and everything in it is washable or cheap enough to throw away. Stuff it with a comforter from the thrift store, or with old towels. It isn’t bulky to wash either since it is really just a pillow cover once all the stuff comes out of it. My dogs like to nest and burrow and the fleece fabric has held up really nicely. They love to snuggle together on this bed, and every once in a while I even see that our kitty Jack has joined them on the bed in his own little spot. I made mine large, but you can adjust the size to whatever you like.  So, if you have pets of your own, and you like to sew, give this pet bed a try. I think you will love it too! I’ll be back soon with more DIY fun. Until then….

Happy Crafting!