Looking for a fun DIY project to try this fall?
With chillier weather approaching, your kitty will need a warm place to curl up! Here’s how to make her a cozy cat bed using an old sweater.
What you’ll need:
- sweater
- pins
- polyester filling
- square or circular pillow (optional)
- scissors
- needle
- thread
- OR sewing machine (optional)
Step 1: Choose a sweater.
- Most cats have a favorite sweater that they love to sleep on. If this happens to be your favorite sweater, choose one that you never wear.
- If the sweater has a high neck, cut it off and set it aside for future patch-jobs.
- Note: If you purchase a sweater from a second-hand store, be sure to wash it first using an all-natural laundry detergent.
Step 2: Sew the neckline.
- Turn the sweater inside-out and sew a straight line just below the neckline to seal it shut. You can use a sewing machine or do it by hand using the thread color of your choice.
- Turn the sweater right-side-out.
Step 3: Sew across the sweater from armpit to armpit.
- Use pins to mark out a straight line across the front of your sweater from armpit to armpit.
- You can turn the sweater inside-out for this step as well to ensure a nicer finish. Sew just above or just below the pins.
- Remove the pins and turn the sweater right-side-out.
Step 4: Stuff the arms of the sweater.
- You’ll need your stuffing for this step. Fill the arms with the stuffing, ensuring it’s packed as tightly as possible without stretching the material.
- Leave an inch of fabric unstuffed at the cuff of one of the sleeves so you can sew them together.
Step 5: Sew the arms together.
- Tuck the cuff of the fully-stuffed sleeve inside the other so that they overlap completely.
- Sew the arms together as securely as possible along the edge of the visible cuff.
Step 6: Cut and discard the bottom of the sweater.
- Spread the sweater out with the looped arms on top. Using your pins, mark around the outer edge of the arms.
- Cut along the line of pins, ensuring you cut through both layers of fabric.
Step 7: Stuff the body of the sweater.
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Using the rest of your stuffing or a pillow, stuff the body of the sweater in between the arms.
Step 8: Sew the arms to the body.
- To complete your DIY cat bed, flip the sweater over and sew the arms of the sweater to the body as securely as possible.
- Flip the bed over and gift it to your feline companion!
