DIY recycled cat bed

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.

• 

  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!