How to Make Your Own Pet Bed Hammock

When you make a hammock for your pet, you give it a nice, comforting place to curl up and sleep. You can make a hammock for any smallish animal, from a pet rat to a small dog, and you can put a hammock in a rodent's cage, a cat's favorite corner or even in your car for your ferret or dog to curl up in while you run errands. In addition to keeping your pet comfortable, pet hammocks keep its hair off of your carpet and upholstery.

Things You'll Need

  • Fabric
  • Thread
  • Scissors
  • Iron
  • Sewing machine
  • 1/2-inch polyester cording
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose an appropriate fabric for your pet bed hammock. Terry cloth towels, felt, polyester blankets and soft canvas work well because of their durability and comfortableness. Lightweight cotton fabrics don't work as well because they wear at the edges, and animals that chew will be able to make holes in them very easily.

    • 2

      Wash the fabric, and let it air dry.

    • 3

      Cut the fabric into a rectangle that is sized specifically for your pet. If you're unsure, then lay your pet on the fabric and lift the fabric up by the corners. You want enough fabric so that your pet has 3 to 4 inches of space all around it. Add another inch to each side of the rectangle for your seam allowance, and cut out your rectangle.

    • 4

      Turn the rectangle over, and make a narrow hem all the way around the rectangle by folding in 1/2 inch on all sides. Then press the fold with your iron. Turn the folded edge over one more time, and press this new fold. You shouldn't be able to see any raw edges on your fabric.

    • 5

      Use straight pins every 3 to 4 inches all the way around the rectangle to hold your pressed hem in place while you sew. Stitch with your sewing machine close to the inside fold of your hem. Remove the straight pins.

    • 6

      Cut four straps from 1/2-inch-wide polyester cording. These straps will tie to the sides of the cage, the slats of chairs or whatever else you'd like to tie the hammock to. Each polyester cord should be twice as long as you want your tie to be. For example, if you want 16-inch ties, cut four 32-inch pieces of cording.

    • 7

      Fold each piece of cording in half, and pin the center point of the cording to one of the rectangle's corners. Repeat this with each of the other three corners. Use your sewing machine to stitch the center of the piece of cording to the rectangle's corner. This joint will receive a lot of stress, so go back and forth over the line of stitching with your sewing machine at least three or four times. Trim all threads, and attach your pet bed hammock where you want your pet to sleep.