How to Make Your Dog a DIY “Snuggle Sack” Bed out of an Old Comforter

I am a lifelong animal lover and have a bachelor of science degree in
biology.

Kitsune in his snuggle sack

Make a Dog Bed Out of an Old Blanket or Comforter

My dog Kitsune loves to follow me around the house. He never likes to be in a
room alone if he can help it. But this sometimes presents him with a dilemma,
because he likes being comfortable almost as much as he likes being with me.
Laying down on the cold kitchen floor? Not for this pampered pooch! I spend a
lot of time cooking and hanging out in the kitchen, which didn’t make Kitsune
too happy since the comfort level of the kitchen floor is far below his
spoiled standards.

Good dog beds can be hard to find, and expensive, so I decided to attempt to
make a snuggle sack bed out of an old comforter. It’s not the most amazing or
nice-looking dog bed in the world, but Kitsune seems to approve and I found a
good new use for a comforter that I would have gotten rid of otherwise. If
you’re looking for a way to make a cheap, DIY dog bed but don’t have the most
amazing sewing skills, or you’re looking for a good way to reuse that old
comforter, this project might be for you!

Step 1!

How to Make a DIY Dog Bed

Materials

An old comforter
Strong thread or fishing line
Scissors
A needle

Step 1: Prep Your Comforter for Sewing

Lay your comforter out flat on the floor, with the side you want facing up towards the floor.
Take one edge of your comforter and fold it up about two-thirds of the way, leaving a space on the opposite side. The folded section will turn into the blanket/snuggle section of the bed.
Roll up the two sides of the blanket, making bumpers/pillows on either side. How small or how large you keep the middle of the bed is up to you and should be based on the size of your dog.

Step 2: Sew the Bumpers

By hand—or with a sewing machine if you think your machine can handle it–sew
up the sides of the bed, securing the bumpers you just created.

Steps 1 and 2 of your DIY dog bed

Step 3: Create the Sack and Pillow and Sew Into Place

Now roll up the front of the bed, over where your blanket starts. Make sure to leave a space between where the blanket ends and the pillow starts, so your dog can wiggle his way under the blanket.
Sew the top pillow in place.

Step 3 of your DIY dog bed

Step 4: Adjust Bed for Size

If you’d like, you can roll up the bottom of the bed to make the bed smaller
and create a bumper that goes all the way around the outside of the bed. I did
this on my bed because Kitsune likes to lay his head on the bumpers, and I
wanted to make my bed a bit smaller than it was.

Step 5: Present Your Dog With His New Bed!

All that’s left now is to introduce the bed to your dog! Some dogs will like
to lay on top of the bed, using the bumpers as pillows. Others may enjoy
curling up underneath the blanket.

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Kitsune in his finished DIY dog bed

One of the great things about this bed is that because you don’t have to make
any cuts to the comforter, it’s relatively easy to take the bed apart if you
decide you want to do something else with the comforter or if your dog doesn’t
like the bed. All you have to do to restore the comforter is to cut through
the threads or fishing line that you used to sew it together.

I don’t think my snuggle sack turned out to be the best-looking dog bed, but
the comforter I used was old and lumpy to start with. Kitsune seems to enjoy
his new kitchen bed, which is what matters most.

If anyone decides to try to make a similar bed for their dog, I’d love to hear
in the comment section how it went and if your dog likes it!

Comments

Jackie on January 20, 2020:

I did something like this, I took my old King sized comforter and folded it
into 6 layers (folded it in half, then 3x up the length). I took a large
needle and heavy thread and sewed the edges of the layers together. This makes
a giant pillow. Then I took some random fabric and made a large pillow case
(easily removable for washing). This made a 50×30 inch bed for my large german
shepherd. She loves it! It was a great way to upcycle my old comforter!

Keri on November 14, 2019:

This was such a great idea! My Chi-mix is loving it. I added a thick towel
tucked in the bottom for a little more coziness

AngelaTC on March 16, 2013:

Making this today. I know my dogs won’t slip into the pouch, but I can easily
put an old cushion in there, which I can pull out to wash separately.

moonlake from America on March 13, 2012:

This sounds like a good idea. My dogs would lay on top but my cats would go
underneath. Enjoyed your snuggle sack hub. Love your dog.