How to Sew a Dog Bed

Learn how to sew a dog bed with fabric and foam. Make the perfect DIY comfy cushion for your best furry friend.

We bought a dog bed for my puppy when we first got him, and it was the perfect size. Well he just turned 1 years old and he has definitely outgrown that first bed.

Instead of buying a new one, I decided to use some stuff I had around the house to make him a new one. I wanted it to be extra large so it would be nice and comfortable for him! I’ll show you how to sew a dog bed so that you can make one too!

What kind of fabric and stuffing I use to make a dog bed?

I was inspired to make this sewing project because I had some thick foam from one of our beds that was worn out and was going to be thrown away. I realized I could easily make a dog bed by repurposing it.

I recommend using 2-4 inch foam, batting, pillow, quilt, or egg carton foam. Anything that is soft and can be doubled until it is 4 inches will work great.

For the fabric I recommend using a heavier weight fabric that can take a beating. Canvas, denim, felted wool, or polar fleece will work great.

I ended up using some medium weight wool that I have had in my stash for years that was given to me years ago. It worked great for this project!

Is it inexpensive to make a dog bed?

I set out with the desire to keep this project as inexpensive as possible. I know it’s going to get dirty, smooshed, and played with so I didn’t want to spend much money on it.

It is inexpensive to make a dog bed if you either have the supplies around the house or you can thrift the items that you need. It can get expensive quickly if you have to buy everything at a fabric store.

Do you love to sew for dogs? Try one of these fun sewing projects:

supplies

2 inch foam 36 inch by 72 inch (the size really depends on the size of your dog. I have a medium sized dog, and this bed is a good large size for him.)
2.5 yards of medium to heavy fabric like denim, canvas, coating, polar fleece, etc
8 plastic snaps and setting tools (any snaps or buttons/buttonholes will work great)
Sewing tools
Sewing machine

You can buy the foam new from a store or you can try reusing something you already have. We had a foam pillow top that was worn out with holes, and we were going to throw it out.

You can use a heavy duty blanket from the thrift store or a drop cloth from a home DIY store.

I decided to repurpose part of the foam for the dog bed.

Cut the foam into two 36 inch by 36 inch squares. Place them on top of each other.

Cut your fabric to 36 inches wide and 90 inches tall.

Fold the fabric in half matching up the short ends. Pin the two sides (not the short ends) from the fold to the short ends.)

Sew the two pinned sides with a 3/4 inch seam allowance. Sew another row of stitching 1/4 inch into the seam allowance. Finish the edges of the seam allowance.

Having three rows of stitching makes the seam a lot stronger since this dog bed will get a lot of strain.

On the corners with a seam and a fold, “box” the corners.

To do this fold the corner into a triangle. The fold and the seam will be on top of each other with the fold as a triangle. Sew straight across the triangle two inches from the point.