Oh, Samson. Our dear four-year-old mutt had surgery in February to remove a benign tumor from his neck. During his recovery, I decided to make a new cover for his dog bed as something special (mostly to make myself feel better -- he, of course, had no clue) and I realized I had never shared his bed tutorial here! It was a very simple DIY and, way back when, the first time I ever sewed a zipper.
Oh yes, and in some of these pictures you can see the stitches on the side of his neck. Just so you know.
I used:
- A piece of foam cut to 20" by 32" (I got a piece of Tempurpedic foam from our local Freecycle)
- A yard of outdoor weight fabric
- A 22" zipper
- Pins and a sewing machine
I am a big fan of Joann Fabrics' outdoor fabric selection, and it's usually on sale.
- Wash and dry your fabric.
- Fold your fabric in half (wrong sides facing out) so it matches the shape of your foam.
- Pin and sew around two sides (one short, one long) with a 1/2" seam allowance.
- Pin and sew the zipper onto the final side. Use these instructions and photos if it's your first time.
- Turn the cover right side out and wrestle the foam in!
This is the third cover I've made for his bed. It's nice to have different patterns to choose from to switch it up occasionally, and if you have a dog, you know it's crucial to be able to remove the cover and throw it in the washing machine whenever you need to.
Special thanks to all the dog food that helped keep him attentive for these photos ;)
