No Fuss - No Sew Dog Bed

This is my first instructable and what's better way to start with this new found hobby of mine than doing it with my most loyal and clingy buddy. Meet my dog kiwi. She's a Jack-Shih, a cross-breed between a Jack Rusell and a Shih-Tzu. She really loves sitting on soft surfaces like sofas, her cooling mat, and on someone's lap. So that is why I decided to make her her own bed so she'll can be comfortable whenever she wants to.

First you need the following:

This list is pretty basic and you can use or add anything you want. But for the purpose of having a "No Fuss-No Sew Dog Bed" we will make Kiwi's dog bed with the following materials:

1. An old shirt

2. Foam cushion (But for this instructable, I used old socks)

3. Scissors

You will see later on that the dog bed is a bit thin. The reason being is because Kiwi doesn't like bulky surfaces and prefers a leveled or flat surface so she doesn't have to balance herself. You can add as much cushioning as you want depending on your pet's preference.

What I did was, first, cut the t-shirt sleeves and then had a friend help me with holding the shirt so I can accurately cut the side of the shirt as can be seen on the 2nd Photo.

After cutting the side of the shirt, I started cutting the shoulder part and through the neckline. This will make two (2) pieces which will form part of the bottom and upper part of our beloved buddy's bed.

After this step. Put aside the other half of the shirt to avoid getting it cut when you start with cutting the edge of the shirt.

The shirt I used here was a large sized shirt, depending on the size of the shirt or your dog, you have to make the neccessary adjustment so you can plan out the number of strands on each side. For this one, I had 25 (Twenty-Five) strands on the bottom of the shirt and 35 (Thirty-Five) for both sides of the shirt. So that you will have even number of strands and avoid holes or excess strands. Also, you need to measure the size of your cut, having different size could result to unequal parts.

Once you cut the shirt into two (2) pieces, we can now cut the edges of the shirt to make long strands. What I did here was start at the bottom-edge part of the shirt. Which can be a bit tricky since you have to diagonally cut the edge most part of the shirt (See first and second photo) and then gradually adjusting your cut until you get a straight and parallel cut towards the other end of the short.

Do this for all of the sides of the shirt and on the other piece. (See third and fourth photo)

After cutting the edge of both pieces of the shirt, we will now make a double knot for each opposite strand of the pieces together to secure the cushioning. When you're tying the strands, you may find yourself struggling when securing the first knot since it tends to pull some part of the adjacent strands, especially with strands with uneven cuts.

After tying most of the strands, make sure to leave one side or 6 to 12 strands so that you can insert the cushioning.

When you're satisfied with the amount of cushioning inside, have one last look on each side and make sure there are no holes, loose or untied strands.

That's it!

Kiwi seems to like the dog bed and frequently sits and lays on it. But I might need to make her another one so she'll have one on each floor of the house.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first instructable. Suprisingly, it was very fun making this for you. If you tried this or you have something better, don't hesitate to send them to me. I'm willing and very happy learning new things.

AND if you enjoyed how I made this and you want me to make something else. Just let me know on the comment section below.

Thank you!

- JB & Kiwi