This is Joey, our 12 yr old Golden Retriever.

On Sunday I decided my poor dog desperately needed a new dog bed.  He had been using a play mat I made for my kids when they were little, and that was a long time ago!  The zipper was broken and the foam was flat, so I scoured my fabric stash for something suitable to make a new bed out of.

Luckily I had some navy polar fleece and some navy twill on hand – perfect!  I also had a huge bag of poly stuffing that I bought at Value Village for $5!

Step 1.  Decide how big you want your bed to be. Lay both fabrics down flat. Draw a circle on the top piece of fabric.  I find the easiest way to do this is to make a mark in the center of your circle, place your measuring tape there, and measure and mark half the diameter length every 6″ or so, going all the way around.  Then draw your circle, connecting the marks.  Cut out your circles.

Step 2.  I wanted to be able to remove my cover, so I made an insert for it.  Place 1 circle of fabric on an old sheet or muslin and cut out 2 pieces.  Don’t you love my old sheet?  It must be from the 80’s!

Stitch 1/2″ from edge, leave a space for turning and stuffing.

Step 3. Turn the insert right side out, fill it with whatever you have on hand that’s soft (foam pieces, fabric scraps, fiber-fill).  Fill it quite full, as it will flatten over time (especially if you have a slightly-overweight dog like mine!)  Pin and stitch the opening closed.

 Step 4.  Making  the cover.  Serge around the edges of the top and bottom.  Pin the top to the bottom, right sides together.

Your zipper should be 1/3 to 1/2 the circumference of your circle.  Leave the space for your zipper open, but stitch the rest of the circle.  Open your zipper and pin both side to the right sides of the top and bottom, face down.  Stitch, using a zipper foot, close to the teeth.

Here is how it should look from the right side. And….you’re done!

My doggie loves it, he’s been sleeping on it all week!