DIY Fleece Tie Dog Bed

Hello!

I'm married to a veterinarian with a kind heart. Which means I now own four dogs and three cats.

When we moved back home to South Dakota, we only had three dogs.  After about two months on the job, my husband was easily convinced to bring home two kittens that needed homes. A few months after moving, we had to put down my dear Spencer. We had a rational amount of animals for about three months or so. Then, one of our kitten's siblings came into the clinic and needed a home. So, we had three kittens and two dogs. My husband found the perfect hunting dog, so we had a puppy coming home. I decided to throw all reason out when I found a rescue dog that reminded us of Spencer. We had to bring her home as well. Soon, we were running a zoo. There has been semi-serious talk of adding goats and chickens to the mix.

When you have four dogs and new furniture, you want to give your dogs the option to sleep somewhere other than your lap. We had several dog beds but they were looking pretty beat up. They needed a easy and cheap face lift.

Fleece is one of the easiest fabrics to deal with. It doesn't fray and cuts easily which is why it's ideal for tie blankets.

One thing I hate about tie blankets is the big knots. I find them uncomfortable when you're cuddling up. That's why the braiding method is so much better (in my humble crafting opinion). I did a blanket for my living room and decided it was time to tackle a dog bed.

DIY Fleece Tie Dog Bed

Supplies

Dog Bed or Foam (I had a piece of foam left over from a previous project. You can pick this up for the cheap using JoAnn or Hancock Fabric coupons!)
2 Yards of Fleece (I used anti-pill fleece. It was 60% off at JoAnn's)
Large Paperclip or Large Crochet Hook
Scissors (Fabric scissors, if you have them)

My Total Cost: $10.00

Directions

1. Cut Fabric

First, you will need to cut your fabric to fit the foam. I cut my fabric large enough that it would wrap around side. Translation: your fabric needs to be the width of the foam plus the depth of the foam.

2. Cut Strips

After you have two pieces of fabric, make your fabric sandwich with the fabric as the bread and dog bed as the fillings. You will then start cutting your strips. I simply matched up the top and bottom fabric and started cutting towards the foam. My strips were approximately an inch wide each. I cut the strip to the piece of foam. You might not be able to get right up next to the foam, but that's okay. Once you have all your strips cut, cut a small slit in each strip. The small slit will be the place you pull the next strip through. On each corner you will have a square that is cut out. This happens naturally as you cut your way around the bed.



3. Braid the Strips

This tutorial explains how to braid the strips together (Click here for the link). It's fairly easy. You start in the middle of one of the sides of your foam. Put your paperclip (bent like a hook...you're a crafty McGuiver!) through one strip and hook the next strip. Pull the next strip through the slit of your first strip. Repeat until you have gone all the way around the bed and then tie off the last and first strip.

This method would also work great for pillows. I'm thinking a big floor pillow would be great for my kids to cuddle up with during movie night!