Category: Do It Yourself

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DIY: Sew A Hooded Pet Bed

Hanna in Sweden has a good tutorial for sewing a hooded pet bed—perfect for a cat or small dog.  This project will be easier with some sewing experience, but is still pretty straightforward.  She gives details for how to size your pattern, but you’ll have to make your own.  Don’t let that scare you though.  The tutorial combines machine and hand sewing.  I would machine sew as much as I could and hide the seams in the folds on the inner part of the bed where the sides attach to the bottom and to the hood.

Hanna used an old curtain, which is a great and very thrifty idea.  Material used for drapes is heavier and more durable.  You’ll also need foam rubber.  She used thinner foam—one layer for the sides and multiple layers for a cushy bottom.  You could do that, but buying a thin piece for the sides and a thick piece for the bottom means less cutting and that the foam in the bottom will be easier to manage.

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DIY: Make A Pet Bed With An Old Suitcase

Here’s another thrifty DIY project that would make a nice gift.  It can be as fancy or as simple as you want it.  You can attach feet or not  Sew a custom pillowcase or just wrap an old, washed pillow in a sweater, bathmat, or blanket.  Remove the “top” of the suitcase or leave it in place and make the bed more portable.  You do need to ensure the lid won’t slam shut trapping your pet or injuring them.  Here are four tutorials to inspire you.

(Interested in more nifty DIY projects?  Check out this collection of previous posts.)

A strap attached to the “top” and the underside of a hardsided suitcase keeps the lid open in the DesignSponge suitcase bed tutorial.

The ReadyMade bed tutorial uses an old suitcase with a soft, flexible top folded under.

JewelFaerie’s bed tutorial uses a hardsided suitcase and used a hook & eye to attach the “top” to a wall to keep the lid open.

suitcasebed21

An old, hardsided suitcase with the “top” removed is used in the Natural Home suitcase bed tutorial.

A hat case works great for a little dog.

Your imagination is the limit.

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DIY: 2 Easy, No-Sew Cat Toys

Here are two different, super easy DIY cat toys that don’t require any sewing.  The first tutorial is for those colorful felt feathers above. All you need is some wool felt in nice colors, some little jingle bells, and some cord.  Here’s the template for the feathers. And you can watch a video of how to make them.


The second toy is so simple, but could be really cute depending on the little socks you get.  You need some fun socks—I’d go with bright colors or colors of the same hue.  And you need some dried catnip.  Make a funnel out of paper, pour in enough catnip to fill it halfway, and tie the sock in a knot.  That’s it.

If you need it here’s the tutorial. Martha Stewart glues on felt eyes and a mouth with non-toxic glue, but I’d skip that.  They’re just going to fall off anyway and then there will be gross, sticky spots.

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DIY: Slingshot Ball For Dogs

Check out this tutorial on how to make your own slingshot ball for your dog or for a gift. The cheapest store-bought version, like the Go-Frr Ball, that I can find is $8.00.  You could probably make eight DIY slingshot balls for the same amount.

You’ll need some rubber balls—I’ve seen multi-packs in toy stores or you could check a dollar store—and you’ll need some surgical tubing, which you can get at many hardware stores.  For tools, you’ll need a drill and a wire coathanger.  A batch of these would make a nice gift.

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DIY: Knit A Better Mouse Toy

Belt tightening because of the economy doesn’t mean your holiday has to blow.  Think about making gifts for your friend’s & family’s pets.  In the days to come, I’ll be posting lots of ideas on DIY pet gifts that range from easy ones to the more involved.

Instructables comes through again with a detailed tutorial on how to knit a cute and safe little mouse for your kitty.  You can use up scrap yarn.  Or as MaggieBelize says:

Next time you have to knit a gauge swatch for felting, just knit a tail onto it as I describe here. When you’ve finished felting & measuring for your project, recycle the gauge swatch into an instant catnip mouse toy!

She even includes instructions of how to felt your mouse.  Cool!

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