How to Easily Make a Dog Bed

At most retailers, a dog bed costs as much or more than a 50-pound bag of dog food; even a simple, rectangular shaped bed with no side support pillow begins at $15, and the prices go up from there. For just the cost of material and stuffing, you can easily make your own dog bed, with minimal sewing skills. You can even recycle old pillows of your own so that your dog has a comforting bed containing your scent.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • 2 square yards of cotton or fleece material
  • Safety pins
  • Sewing machine or needle
  • Thread
  • Stuffing material
  • Cedar chips (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure your dog to determine the best size to make his dog bed. Measure the dog from head to tail and add another 6 to 12 inches for the length of the dog bed. Use your dog's length for the width of the bed. To simplify the instructions from this point on, the remaining steps will guide you through making an easy dog bed for a beagle-sized dog.

    • 2

      Choose cotton or fleece material for the dog bed. You may want a color that does not easily show stains, a color that matches your dog's collar or some other type of material pattern that contains dog themes. Whatever colors or patterns you choose, make sure you get cotton or fleece material that easily withstands frequent use without wearing out too quickly or peeling into tiny lint balls.

    • 3

      Cut two rectangle panels from the chosen material in the lengths and width you need for your dog. For the beagle-sized dog, you should cut the material in a 27 by 15-inch rectangle. To make cutting lines on the fabric, use a washable fabric pen to mark the rectangle before cutting.

    • 4

      Align the two pieces of material with printed sides facing. Safety pin around all edges of the two panels to hold the pieces together. Set the safety pins in approximately 1 inch from the edge of the material to allow for the seam.

    • 5

      Sew the two panels together on three sides of the rectangle. Use either a sewing machine or sew the pieces together by hand. Once you have three sides of the dog bed sewn, sew three-fourths or approximately 11 inches of the remaining side.

    • 6

      Remove all safety pins from the material and turn the dog bed inside out through the small remaining hole in the bed. The printed sides of the material should now face outward.

    • 7

      Stuff the dog bed with your choice of stuffing materials; you may use straw, cotton pillow batting, shredded newspaper, corn shucks or plastic grocery bags. To help control fleas and ticks, you may consider mixing cedar chips into the stuffing mix, as the smell of cedar repels such pests.

    • 8

      Turn the remaining material over, tucking a seam inside the pillow. Sew the material together once all you finish stuffing the pillow. For best results, sew the remaining strip by hand instead of using a sewing machine.