News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
So, I’m fond a papercraft. There’s just something about little paper thingies that makes me happy. Here’s a pretty elaborate Saint Bernard for you to print, cut out, and build. He even has pads on the bottoms of his feet. (He was designed by Katsuyuki Shiga of PinoArt.)
You just download the instructions and then download the parts to print out. Grab your scissors and glue and have fun!
Want to knit a sweater sized just for your dog? Then check out this calculator that uses your dog’s measurements and generates a pattern for your dog. (scroll down) Pretty cool!
The schematics page shows you what the pieces will look like and how they fit together.
There are loads more DIY projects on PetProject.
Some kitties really like the smell of leather. Here’s a simple suede & leather mouse you can make for your freaky little cat. Download the instructions and template—it’s the grey behind the directions. I’d make the mice out of some fun colors instead of boring brown. (The instructions call for punching the suede with holes and hand stitching, but I think if you have a good sewing machine and the appropriate heavy duty needle, you could sew this on your machine.)
You’ll need:
–OR–
Here’s a great project to re-purpose old sweaters and turn them into squeaky bones from CraftStylish. If you use a wool sweater, you should probably felt it first. If you don’t, then when you wash the finished toy, it may shrink into a MUCH smaller toy. If you use cotton or acrylic, it won’t felt. (Here are a few tutorials on felting, in case you need them: this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.)
You’ll need:
The second project is for a fabric squeaky bone toy. This isn’t a difficult project and the tutorial is thorough. You can get some fun fabric for this. If you want to be thrifty, check the remainder table at your fabric store or check for yardage at thrift stores. If you use a lighter cotton, you should use an inner layer of a heavier fabric like canvas or muslin. Upholstery fabric could make some neat toys and you don’t need to buy much.
You’ll need:
You’ve probably noticed the flurry of DIY projects. There’s something about colder weather that makes me want to start tons of projects. This coincides nicely with this season of gift-giving. I’m posting a variety of projects—some are super easy and some require a little skill. I’ll try to get a bunch up for you.
Here’s last year’s collection of DIY projects with fun toys, clothes, and beds for your pets or others.
