DIY: Cat Hammock

March 5, 2009

DIY: Cat Hammock

We love Instructables! Here’s a Do It Yourself project for a cat hammock. The tutorial shows the hammock placed over a radiator (which cats would think divine!), but you could also attach it to a wall. The tutorial says it could be freestanding, but I’m not sure it won’t tip over if a cat jumped onto it. If you want it freestanding, I think I might make the stand about 6 inches tall rather than 20 inches. Also, instead of stitching the hamock onto the frame, I would use velcro so it could be removed to wash. And you could paint the frame to make it fun.

February 12, 2009December 17, 2012

DIY: Collapsible Travel Bowl From Oilcloth

Love this! We have a couple of very utilitarian, collapsible bowls for summer outings with Saffron. I’d much rather have the stylin’ oilcloth bowl in this great tutorial. It’s made following an origami pattern and then sewn in strategic places.

Depending on the patterns you use, these bowls could be really fun. You could even do a faux bois bowl.

You’ll need:

oilcloth, two colors recommended
ruler & pencil
scissors
low-tack painter’s tape, like the Scotch blue tape
bone folder or a spoon
sewing machine
thread
sewing machine needle for heavy fabric like denim

January 24, 2009June 5, 2013

DIY: Custom Fit Dog Jacket

I found a great little tutorial on making a custom fit dog jacket over at BurdaStyle.com. This is mainly a tutorial on making & customizing the pattern, not actually sewing the jacket. You’ll need some knowledge about sewing, especially if you line the jacket. But, this is doable so don’t be intimidated.

Your jacket doesn’t have to cost much. Look for remnants at your fabric store—a cute, durable upholstery fabric could be really cute. You could also use fleece. Or you could use a blanket from a thrift store. If you find a fun wool blanket, you could felt it to make a more durable & very cute jacket.

Here are a few tutorials on felting: this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.

In addition to fabric, you’ll need:

paper to make the pattern
sufficient fabric, plus fabric for lining if you plan to line it
fasteners like buttons, velcro, snaps
embellishments if you want them

The tutorial shows you how and where to measure. Then how to transfer the measurements to paper to make the pattern.

Here are some instructions to help flesh out Step 4:

fold your fabric in half & place “spine” of pattern on the fold
when you cut the fabric, pad the pattern with extra fabric for seam allowances (5/8″ or 1.5cm is standard) unless you’re using fabric that won’t fray such as felt
add tabs for fasteners
cut out lining if needed, again padding the pattern for seam allowances as above
if there will be no lining, hem the jacket
if there will be a lining, place RIGHT sides together, sew leaving opening to turn the jacket, turn and finish the jacket
add fasteners and any embellishments

January 23, 2009June 26, 2009

Friday Fun: DIY Papercraft Aquarium

Interested in an aquarium, but not ready for the commitment or the expense? Make your own out of paper.

You just print out the aquarium, fish, and plant pieces and follow the instructions to put it together. Nifty!

January 12, 2009June 5, 2013

DIY: Crocheted & Felted Pet Bed

For those of you who crochet, here’s a pattern for a pet bed (scroll down) called Kitty Cuddles. It’s crocheted & felted and is based on the KittyPi Bed (which is knitted & felted.)

The bed is shaped like a flat-bottomed bowl. It’s soft and comfy, but has some structure due to the felting. The bed looks very different before felting.

You’ll need to use a natural fiber yarn to get it to felt. Here are a few tutorials on felting: this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.