A Plunge From The Falls: Kinda Sew Pawfect!

After much talk of making a dog bed for Sadie I finally made one. It seems like all dog beds say washable, but they are not. The outside cover is. It's the inside where all the stink lingers and you can't wash the foam pillow.
There was this company that makes dog beds AND are completely washable...seriously inside and out. The inside is packed with your old clothes for the dogs to sleep on. They enjoy smell of you when they are alone, can't speak for every one. Here is the website, http://www.trixieandpeanut.com/

After collecting our old clothes and towels I made Sadie's bed with a little modification for the confused sewer.

Materials:
1 yard of bottom fabric
1 yard of top fabric
22inch zipper *i used a yard for a large size dog and it fits perfectly in her room.
surger is optional
sewing machine...duh ;-)
zipper pressure foot
You Tube video for zipper help : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAn_lwlqmnU&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Directions
(WARNING directions will be NOTbe professional due to the confused sewer and assistant(the husband). Sew at your own risk!) A video is linked for an improv/modified version. Remember you are sewing a dog bed not a cosmetic bag. The steps being shown on there to help you visualize the zipper being sewed...

1. Meaure both fabrics (or both sides if you are doing one set pattern through out) to measure the same dimensions. You may need to do some altering due to how the fabric was cut at the store and sometimes the dimensions vary if it is a specialty fabric.
*This is my least favorite part and the most time consuming for me*

2. Once it is matching pretty close, you will need to set aside the other piece. You will begin to sew the zipper on the the fabric one piece at a time.You will place the right-side zipper to the right-side fabric together. Make sure your sewing machine's pressure foot is replaced with the ZIPPER PRESSURE foot. It makes a big difference for easy guiding.

Far right is the zipper

3. Sew the zipper onto the fabric. Make sure you watch the video how she places the zipper onto the fabric (it is much easier to see it happen than to explain). Use pins to hold in place if needed. Align the needle pretty close to the top of the zipper/fabric. Do a back stitch and sew down. Do a back stitch again at the end of the zipper/fabric to secure. To see your work cut off from the machine thread and check your straight line! Pretty neat!
Here is what the zipper should NOT look like. (We had to make modifications because we got confused with a fabric that had no right or wrong side. That is what happens to beginner sewers...live and learn the hard way, but it worked.)

Here is what the zipper should NOT look like. We had to make modifications because we got confused with a fabric that had no right or wrong side. That is what happens to beginner sewers...live and learn the hard way, but it worked :-)

4. You will now need the second fabric to be attach to the zipper. Same placement - right-side zipper to the right-side fabric. Repeat step 3 again. This seemed to be the tricky part for me since I had to accommodate the directions for what I was making. You will have to play around to see if the fabric and zipper is set up correctly prior to sewing...

The two pieces finally sewn together by the zipper

5. The easy part -
Now that your zipper is attached to the two seperate pieces, you will need to sew it closed all around. Pin your fabric right-side to the right-side all the way around to prevent movement and to help with straight lines.

I used my surger for a more secure sewing for the multiple washings that the bed will under go. When you surge, the extra fabric is cut off too... saves some time with measuring.

surging the fabrics together. You can see the threading of the surger in the bottom left.

You will not have to save a hole to pull the fabric trough becuase your zipper is the part you will turn it inside out from. Sew around the edges of the fabric starting at the zipper (back stitch) and then stopping at the other end of the zipper (back stitch tp close)

Flip it inside out and there is your self-stuffed dog bed!