Give your cat a big hug, even when you're away.
Fall and winter is the perfect time to bust out your old sweaters, but you might find that some of them are a little worse for wear. Of course, a donation bin is a great option for your old threads, but you can also repurpose any piece that you can't seem to let go of.
You precious cat or small dog is happy to put your old sweat to good use, especially if it means they get to nap all day.
Materials:
A sweater
A small pillow
Poly-fil or a bag of cotton batting*
Embroidery thread or yarn**
Tapestry needle**
Scissors
* Our local craft store was sadly out of poly-fil, so we used the batting as an alternative. You can tear it in pieces to make it fluffier. However, poly-fil will still give you the best results.
** If you have a sewing machine, feel free to make use of it for this project.
Step One:
Using a whip stitch, sew up the collar of your sweater.
We decided to leave the collar out to give the bed a "person with arms" look, as if the arms are hugging the pillow when you see the finished product. However, if you'd like a streamlined bed with a simple, tubed edge, fold the collar under and sew the seam.
Step Two:
Sew a flat, straight (or slightly curved, to accommodate your pillow) from armpit to armpit. Use the whip stitch here or a sewing machine, if you have it.
Step Three:
Fill in your arms as loose or as tight as you prefer. Again, loose poly-fil will give you the best results. However, if you can't find this material, you can also buy cotton or polyester batting to fill. We tore it in pieces to make it fluffy.
Step Four:
Place your pillow. You might find that you have extra sweater material left over. That's okay!
Step Five:
Pull your arms around the pillow so that they're "hugging" the edge. Stuff one sleeve into the other sleeve and use the whip stitch to sew together. Unfortunately using a sewing machine for this step might not be useful.
Step Six:
Finish the bed by either cutting away excess fabric or folding it inside the pillow flap. Using the whip stitch, pull all three layers of sweater fabric together -- this way, you are sealing the fabric around your pillow while also seaming it to the arms. You can also do these seams separately.
When you're done, finish off your seam and let your pet get comfy.
