You may remember when Harry ripped his bed to shreds. That nice orange chevron print donut bed that he cherished, he ripped open and tossed its entrails all over our living room. Despite the inner area of the donut being deflated, we continued to let Harry use his flat bed until we replaced it with something better. Then, Harry went to town on the outer section of his bed. And then Harry no longer had a bed to sleep in.
It was a confusing period of time for Harry. The bed was his observation deck; the spot from which he watched TV and watched me cook dinner simultaneously. Early mornings, Harry would awkwardly sit with his butt pressed against the wall because his bed used to be there. He even took to squeezing his entire body onto the doormat just to get off the floor.
Long ago, before Harry had received his first bed, I had vowed to make one. Buying his first as a groupon offer was an easy solution. Once shredded, it was up to me to make him something with (hopefully) staying power. Recently, one of my favorite blogs, Design Sponge, posted a tutorial for a dog bed that seemed as if it were designed for the most beginner of beginner sewers, me!
It was a confusing period of time for Harry. The bed was his observation deck; the spot from which he watched TV and watched me cook dinner simultaneously. Early mornings, Harry would awkwardly sit with his butt pressed against the wall because his bed used to be there. He even took to squeezing his entire body onto the doormat just to get off the floor.
Long ago, before Harry had received his first bed, I had vowed to make one. Buying his first as a groupon offer was an easy solution. Once shredded, it was up to me to make him something with (hopefully) staying power. Recently, one of my favorite blogs, Design Sponge, posted a tutorial for a dog bed that seemed as if it were designed for the most beginner of beginner sewers, me!
Since I didn't want to recreate the wheel, I didn't post my step by step process here. However, check out the tutorial at Design Sponge for theirs - it's super easy to follow. I bought a yard of upholstery fabric from Adler's fabrics on Fabric Row in South Philly. Fabric Row is interesting. Since I wanted my fabric immediately, I took the drive, but I'd much rather buy my fabric on Etsy since it's cheaper, and you can't tell if the business is run by hoarders. 1 yard of this fabric cost me $24 - cheaper than a bed online, but still.
The tutorial on Design Sponge features a leather strap section that I left out. Basically Harry's bed is one big couch cushion. Half of a 5lb box of poly-fil (deceivingly small box fyi) was shoved into the cushion while Harry watched pointedly. I think Harry thinks poly-fil is cotton candy. Between cutting and sewing, the project probably took me a total of two hours. It's basic straight sewing and then flipping it right-side out, stuffing, and sewing up the stuff hole.
Once complete, I tossed Harry's bed on the ground and told him I made it and that it was his, but he couldn't chew on it. He looked at it, sniffed it, and went back to his ball. Then when I laid on it and showed him how to use his bed (yes this stuff happens in our house) he figured it out.
The three of us spent the rest of our Friday night with eyes glued to Homeland, until Harry dozed off.
The satisfaction of seeing Harry's appreciation was completely worth the effort. Plus the bed ties in with our decor, and I feel like I gained some sewing skills. I'm applying the same tutorial on a smaller scale to make chair cushions for my roof deck. Thanks to Design Sponge for posting such an easy to follow tutorial!
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