Pet Bed Instructions

Our annual Pet Bed Workshop helps out homeless pets. No sewing skills needed! Follow these simple instructions for all ages. You can use supplied provided by the Columbia Heights Public Library, or make your own pet bed from scratch.

How to Make a Fleece Pet Bed

You will need the following:

Illustration of two pieces of fleece fabric.
2 pieces of fleece fabric
Stuffing

Optional: Download a printable version of these instructions.

Illustration of an instruction sheet.
Pet Bed instruction sheet (PDF)Download

Step 1

Line up both pieces of fabric. Lay a ruler or yard stick even with the cut-out corners (about 4 inches from the edge of the fabric). Cut a slit every inch until it reaches the ruler.

Note: You will be cutting through both pieces of fabric at the same time.

Scissors cutting 1 inch fringe strips into fleece fabric

Step 2

Starting at one corner, tie the two pieces of fabric together, strip by strip. Use a double knot or square knot to make sure it doesn’t come undone. The knot should be snug to the uncut end of the strip.

Tying double knots into fleece fringe strips.

Step 3

Tie together all of the strips, leaving an opening large enough to add the stuffing.

Then, add your own stuffing:

  • Batting
  • Fiber fill
Adding fiber fill stuffing through an opening in the fleece fringe strips.

OR, make your own stuffing from clean, repurposed fabrics:

  • Old blankets
  • Old towels
  • Old sweatshirts
  • Old socks

Be sure to cut your stuffing into smaller chunks (about 6 inches square) so the bed can be fluffed and won’t have big lumps in it.

Step 4

Once stuffed, tie the remaining strips together to close up the bed.

Finished fleece pet bed

Want to make more pet beds from scratch?

Here’s how to measure your own fleece and get it ready to become a pet bed.

Step 1

Get some fleece. We recommended choosing one basic color for the back, and a fancier pattern for the front. This way, it is easy to tell the front and back apart when tying the edges.

Step 2

Choose a size from this chart. Make sure you have enough for both the front and the back of the pet bed.

Pet Bed SizeFleece DimensionsFinished Size
X-Small20 x 2612 x 18
Small26 x 3618 x 24
Medium28 x 3820 x 30
Large32 x 4424 x 36
X-Large36 x 5025 x 42
XX-Large38 x 5630 x 48

Step 3

Measure and cut the fabric. Cut off any hemmed or blanket-stitched edges, because they are not safe for pets. Cut 4 inch squares out of each corner. Save the scraps to use as stuffing.

Finally, cut 1 inch wide strips around all four sides.

Fleece with 4 inch corners cut out.
Fleece for a Medium sized pet bed will look like this.

That’s it! Now the bed is ready for assembly.

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