Things You'll Need:
- New or Used Pillow Sham(s)
- Sew on hook/loop strip (optional)
- Clean rags, old clothes or linens, old pillows or plastic grocery bags.
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Step 1
Purchase New/Used Pillow Sham(s) - There is always a good supply of Pillow Sham(s) at rummage/garage sales, Goodwill and Salvation Army locations, and I even found some at Dollar and discount stores for under $5.00. Keep an eye out for them.
I have even made Pillow Shams out of leftover towels (you know how pets love that terry-cloth) but I would not recommend this because the pets hook their claw on the hoops of this material and the “pet bed” becomes very “stringy”. The best is flannel – I buy the cheap flannel blankets that usually run under $5.00 and can make two beds or one big pet bed out of it. There are articles on eHow on how to make Pillow Shams. -
Step 2
On the back of the Sham, sew on a hook/loop strip on the inside flaps of the Sham’s opening so contents do fall out. I sew on a strip that is about 8 to 10 inches. Do not use fabric glue. It won’t work.
This step is optional, depending what you are going to “stuff” your Pillow Sham with. If you are just going to stuff the Sham with an old pillow or large piece of foam/batting, you can skip this step. -
Step 3
Stuff the Sham with clean rags or old clothes (that were going to Goodwill anyways), old pillow or even plastic grocery bags (you know you have tons of them). I usually stuff my Shams with old t-shirts and orphan socks (you know you have tons of those too!).
Many pets do not like “over-stuffed” beds and like to snuggle in on a lightly stuffed pet bed. This is another great thing about my “rag-it-pet-beds”. You can stuff it to fit the comfort of your pet.
Be sure that once in a while to “re-fluff” your pet’s bed so they can “re-snuggle” in.
If you pet is prone to accidents, I put in a layer of rags and a layer of plastic grocery bags on the bottom so moisture does not seep to the floor or furniture underneath. -
Step 4
Washing – this is the easy part! Most of the time your pet beds just end up all “hairy” but not really dirty. So with a Pillow Sham pet bed, all you do to clean is toss into the dryer on NO HEAT and all the hair will end up in the lint tray. You can even toss in a dryer sheet to help with any odors. If you have rags/old clothes in the Sham, you can toss them in also. Ingenious right!
Washing is simple too. I recommend tossing in a cold dryer first to remove the hair and then throwing into the washer.
If you like this idea and you are inspired; please give me a good star rating.
Comments
marcmail said
on 2/26/2009 O-kay, update...I did this...I went to my local Goodwill and bought out their pillow shams and made a couple of these. My cats love these little beds and strangely enough, I would put it on my bed and they are magically drawn to this so I don't have to worry about little "hairy" spots on my bed. I have to admit I come to this site to mainly see mbatmra2's articles she is wonderful.
marcmail said
on 3/6/2008 Wow! I loved your homemade cat toy and now this! I can't wait for your other ideas! Where do I give you 5-stars?? You got them if I could figure out how - so new here. Great job!