Dreamy Cat Bed Simplicity 8284

I have two cats- a brother/sister pair that are 13 years old.  I've been ordering cat nip filled mice from The Creative Mind on Etsy for the last few years for their Christmas presents.  These are awesome by the way!  Very durable and way better catnip than the toys that you can buy at the big box stores.

But, I saw this pattern from Simplicity last year, 8284, that got me thinking that I could sew a little homemade something for them this year. 

I decided to try out the cat bed first.  I didn't really know if my cats were going to take to the idea of a bed, so I didn't want to spend too much money on supplies.  I was at Tuesday Morning, and saw that they had King size silky plush fleece blankets for $9.99.  With dimensions of 104 x 90, I calculate that to be approximately 4-1/3 yards of fleece. That's less than $2.50/yard for some very nice quality fleece!  Of course, it's way more than I needed for a cat bed, but I'm sure that I can use the remainder for a robe or jacket lining.  So, I bought the blanket in two colors, a smoky grey and a blush pink.  I'm tempted to go back and get a couple of other colors as well now!

You may be thinking- why would I need a pattern for something so simple?  Why couldn't I just cut out an oval and stuff it with fleece?  Well, it's a teeny bit more complicated than that, and I was so thankful that I bought the pattern because the instructions were just really clever, and the size was absolutely perfect.

It's supposed to be even all the way around.  Mine turned out a little lopsided, but that's not the design!  I used a black felt for the cat applique.  Of course, you could skip this step- I don't think that the cats will care.  But, isn't it adorable?  It's so easy too!  The features are just cut out, and as long as you are using a contrasting color underneath the applique, you'll get a cute sleeping cat.

So, I chose to use the blush pink fleece for my center layer.  You sew this to the larger layer, but leave a small opening, so that you can stuff it with polyfil to give it a little dimension.

On the back, you can see that there is a center seam.  You leave this seam open on the top and the bottom, and this is where you stuff the fiberfill into the outside circle.  This outside circle looks like it is a separate piece, but it isn't.  You just create the look of it by stitching the two layers together around the applique piece on the front.  You see the two diagonal stitching lines at the bottom?  They call for you to insert "project foam" here.  I had never heard of project foam, so I just used a layer of quilt batting doubled over.  I think that the point of it is to have a section that is lower than the rest of it, so that it indicates an entry point.  I'm really not sure.  Anyway, you have to hand sew the openings closed after you stuff it.  Here's a close-up of the hand-stitched part.

So, the big question- will the kitties like it?  Well, Fred, what do you say?  

OMG- he is smitten.  He claimed it immediately, slept in it all night, and so far all morning.  His poor sister didn't have a chance to get in it.  I waited for him to get out so that I could get pictures of it, but he never left, so I had to pick him up and out of it for a minute while I took these photos! He may never want to sleep in my lap again- oh no, what have I done!

So, now I will make one for her.  Now that I know what I'm doing, hers will probably be the better made one.  I'll use Wonder tape to hold the contrast piece in place instead of pins, as the fleece is rather slippery, and that might help me to get it more centered. I might even recommend basting it in place.  We'll see!   I'd like to make the little cat toys from this pattern too.  They look easy enough, but I'm going to have round up some of the notions like pompoms and feathers.

How about you?  Do you ever sew for your pets?  If yes, what has been your favorite project?

Happy Sewing!

Ann