If you have dogs that shed, or that go outside often and bring in dirt and dust, having a dog bed cover can make a big difference in how long your dog bed will last. Washing a the whole dog bed is not only bad for your washer, but can also wear out the fabric on the dog bed, costing you a lot of money to replace it in the end.
This pillow sham style dog bed cover pattern can easily be customized to fit any size dog bed. For this example, I will be using the dog bed I made in the post “Large Dog Bed Sewing Pattern” and some extra flannel fabric I had lying around. The cover can be as fancy, or as functional as you want it to be. Here is how I made a this easy dog bed cover pattern for my large dog bed.
Check out these 5 Cheap N Easy Dog Beds – DIYs with Plans
Materials:
- Fabric
- Scissors or Rotary Cutter
- Sewing Machine
- Stick pins or clamps
- Measuring Tape / Ruler
How to measure your fabric for the cover:
Top Panel:
To find out how large you need to cut your fabric, first we are going to have to “math”. My large dog bed is 36 inches by 23 inches with 4 inch sides. Since out cover will be more of a pillow case/ pillow sham style of cover, we will not be sewing side strips into our cover. Because of this we will be adding the height of the sides to the top and the bottom panel measurements. My top panel should be 41 inches by 28 inches. Here is how I came up with my measurements:
- Width of dog bed + side of the dog bed + 1 inch for a 1/2 inch seam allowance = 36 + 4 + 1 = 41inches
- Length of dog bed + side of dog bed + 1 inch for a 1/2 inch seam allowance = 23 + 4 + 1 = 28 inches,
Looking for a Dog Bed Sewing Pattern with Sides? Click here to learn more.
Bottom Panels:
Now that you have the measurements for your top panel, we have to cut the bottom two panels. To do this, we are going to take the measurements for the top panel and divide the width in half. Now we are going to add 4 inches to allow for a folded edge and overlapping the flaps. My two panels should be 24 and 1/2 inches by 28 inches.
- Width of panel (from above) divided by 2 then add 4 inches = 41 / 2 = 20.5 Then add 4 = 24.5 inches,
- The length of the panel will be the same as for the top panel.
Sewing the Cover Together:
- To sew the panels together, we are going to first start with the back panels.
- Take one of the back panels and lay it flat. On one of the edges that measures 28 inches, you are going to create a 1/2 inch seam allowance fold (wrong side of the fabric to wrong side) and sew it on your sewing machine using a straight stitch. Repeat this step with your second back panel.
- Now take that same side that you just sewed and fold another flap (wrong side to wrong side), this time measuring 2 inches. Sew this down on your sewing machine using a straight stitch. Repeat for the second back panel.
- Now lay your top panel on a flat surface with the right side facing up.
- Take one of your bottom panels and begin lining it up wrong side up (the top and bottom panel should be facing right side to right side). Match the raw 28 inch edge of the bottom panel to the raw 28 inch edge of the top panel. The fold you just sewed should be towards the middle of the dog bed cover. Pin it in place.
- Now repeat with the second back panel. This panel should overlap the first back panel by a couple of inches. Pin it in place.
This Large Dog Bed Sewing Pattern couldn’t be easier! Click here to learn more.
- On your sewing machine, sew the perimeter of the dog bed cover using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
- Trim your threads and turn the dog bed cover right side out.
The really cool thing about the design of this dog bed cover is that the same idea can be used to make pillow cases or pillow shams for human beds and couches. When making for pillows, just take out the added inches for the sides. This is really helpful when you are trying to give new life to old things.
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