How to Sew a Cat Bed

Although you may think of a pet bed as something you would purchase for your dog, cats use pet beds as well. You can purchase small pet beds from your local pet store to use for your cat, but this can be expensive. You also do not have control over the color, pattern or material used. The other option is to make your own, using inexpensive materials you have chosen yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Scissors
  • Paper grocery bag
  • Terrycloth towels
  • Fabric scissors
  • Canvas
  • Straight pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Cotton batting
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure your cat from his nose to the base of his tail to determine the bed’s size. Once you have this measurement, add six inches to it for the stuffing of the bed.

    • 2

      Use scissors to cut open a paper grocery bag to make your template for the bed. Lay the cut-open bag flat on your work surface and trim the bag to match your length measurement. Fold your bag in half lengthwise. Use your scissors to trim off two corners that are not along the fold. You want those two corners rounded so that when you unfold your bag, it will be an oval shape. Unfold the bag.

    • 3

      Lay out a large terrycloth towel, in any color or pattern, on your work surface. Place your template on the towel. Use fabric scissors to cut the towel along the edge of the template. This will be the top of your bed’s base. Set aside the towel and discard the towel scraps.

    • 4

      Lay out a piece of canvas, in any color or pattern, on your work surface. Lay the template on top of the canvas and use your fabric scissors to cut out the canvas along the template. This will be the bottom of your bed’s base. Discard the canvas scraps.

    • 5

      Place your canvas and towel piece together, one on top of the other with the right sides facing out. Pin the edges of the fabrics together using straight pins. Sew along the edge of the pins with a sewing machine, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Leave a 3-inch opening. Remove the straight pins.

    • 6

      Use a tape measure to determine the circumference of the template. This is the measurement you will use to see how much fabric you need to create the sides of your cat’s bed.

    • 7

      Cut a second towel to the length of your circumference determined in the previous step. The towel should be 8 inches wide. If the length is longer than one towel, you can sew two towels together.

    • 8

      Fold your length of towel in half lengthwise to create a tube. Sew along the edge of the tube to secure it in place, using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Bring the ends of the tube together and sew them in place using your sewing machine, leaving a 2-inch opening to stuff the tube.

    • 9

      Use straight pins to attach the tube to the base of your bed. Stuff cotton batting into the center of the tube and the base of the bed through the two gaps. The amount of stuffing is up to you.

    • 10

      Sew up the open gaps and remove the pins to complete the bed.