The ‘before’ shot – this cushion actually belonged to our previous dog and has not had an easy life!
“Like all dog lovers I do enjoy having my pooch around – but I’m always staggered by how much mess he’s capable of making! He’s now 18 months old and well past the chewing stage, but the cushion in his bed has put up with a few ‘teething troubles’ and is ratty, tatty and generally looks a mess. There’s nothing wrong with the cushion itself – it’s still nice and bouncy and soft – but the outside has definitely seen better days!
I decided to make a new cover for it, with a little help from online fabric warehouse Terry’s Fabrics. They even have a design called ‘Rover‘, which seemed entirely appropriate! Making a loose cover also means that I can wash it separately to the main cushion and wash it more frequently.
Sewing in the side double hems.
I started by measuring the cushion (25″ square, if you’re interested!) and laying out the fabric. I needed a piece which was 54″ long, long enough to allow me to wrap it all the way around the cushion with a 4-inch overlap, and fortunately that was exactly the width of the fabric! I allowed 2 inches each side for the seam allowance on the width, as well, marking it with a pencil. Before cutting the fabric, I ironed it. Once cut, I measured and folded a 1-inch double seam on each side (fold the raw edge in 1 inch, then fold it over again). I pinned that into place and sewed it.
I was using Velcro for my fastening (partly because I’ve had dogs who like to chew zips, and partly because I didn’t have a zip that long but I did have some Velcro!). I’d raided the cupboard a bit for my Velcro and although I had enough of each I had a mix of two widths, and one was stick-on while the other was sew-only. Anyway, where would we be if we went around worrying about things like that all the time? I put my Velcro in position, pinning one piece into place along the underside (bottom) of the hem on one edge, and sticking the other piece on on the right side (top) of the other hem. I then sewed both into place.
Sticking on the sticky Velcro prior to sewing it.
Next, I laid out the hemmed strip right side up and folded each side into the middle so that the two seams just overlapped. I pinned the sides of the bag into place, and sewed the seams.
Pressing the finished cover prior to putting it on.
Finally, I finished off all the loose threads by hand and turned the bed the right way round.
Honestly, I’m not sure how much Olly appreciates it – but it certainly makes his bed look much smarter and goes with the kitchen colour scheme more. I think I’ll make a second cover as well so that I can change them when one’s in the wash – I think I’ve got some more mismatched Velcro in that cupboard somewhere!
Images (c) Write Image for you Media 2020
The fabric used in this project was gifted by Terry’s Fabrics, an online fabric warehouse still delivering in the current circumstances.
