DIY Craft: A Bed for Tired Dogs
Make a super-cute no-sew dog bed out of a spare tire!
Make a super-cute no-sew dog bed out of a spare tire!
Materials
vehicle tire (I got mine for free from a local auto body shop—they usually have piles of used tires in various sizes, so you can pick and choose the right size for your dog.)
Liquid dish soap
Scrub brush
Retractable utility knife
Spray paint in the colour of your choice (I went with bright pink for my ultra-girly pooch, Maisie)
Drop cloth
2 meters of fleece fabric in the colour or pattern of your choice
Cotton batting
Sharp scissors
Measuring tape
How-to
1. Wash the tire using liquid dish soap and scrub brush to make sure you remove all dirt and grease. Allow to fully dry before Step 2.
2. Using the retractable utility knife, carefully cut off the inner rim of one side of the tire. I scored it first then slowly worked my way through the layers of rubber to get a nice clean cut. Fortunately, tires have built-in guidelines, so you won’t need to mark it first.
3. Lay out a drop cloth in the grass (easier to cut the grass than wash paint off of flooring if you get any over-spray!). Spray the outer tire with several thin coats. I did three coats to get full coverage. Allow five minutes between each coat and at least an hour for it to fully dry.
4. Now that your tire is ready, it’s time to make the inner cushion. First, you’ll need to cut two circles of fabric for the top and bottom of the bed.
Measure the diameter of the tire and add 6". Fold your fabric in half so you can cut two pieces at once. On the fabric, draw a horizontal line marking the diameter plus 6". Find the centre point of that line and then draw a vertical line marking the diameter plus 6", so you now have a cross marked out on your fabric. Draw a circle connecting the marked out
measurements. Now cut through both pieces of fabric.
5. Cut 1" wide, 3" deep strips along the edge of the circles. Once they are all cut, start knotting the top and bottom pieces together. Leave a 5" opening in the perimeter to fill the pillow with cotton batting. (If you have a sewing machine, feel free to skip this step and sew the pillow together.)
6. Stuff the pillow with the batting, and knot off the remaining strips. Place the pillow in the tire, and voilà, a nifty new dog bed!