One Charley Harper and a Zombie Dog Bed Done

My daughter requested a dog bed for a friend. Could it be something edgy for one very feisty dog? I love the Zombie fabric, and luckily had some leftover in both my stash and scrap bins. They agreed, so I used the same piecing method as the Love quilt. Free-cut strips, and improv piecing. I didn't pay much attention to the layout, but evened up the strips when they were long enough. I was aiming for a 24"x24" top.

I used the same quilting pattern as I had on the original Zombie quilt, and it took less time to complete than just straight quilting! It adds to the overall texture, too.

 My goal in making this bed was to wind up with dimensions suitable for using something standard to stuff it with. I have searched high and low for the best materials for dog beds, and there's no limit to the amount of money you can spend for dog bed inserts. You can find memory foam, latex foam, polyester stuffed, cedar stuffed, feathers and down, etc. I tried making my own from recycled and chopped latex foam from a local mattress manufacturer. The doxies ran through it, and looked like snow bunnies! It was a horrible mess to clean up, and I found bits around the house for days. There had to be a better way.

I really looked for both an economical solution, and one that was environmentally friendly. Most of us have pillows that could use a change, and then we need to figure out what to do with the used one. It makes sense to reuse what we have. As an added benefit, if you choose to reuse old pillows, your pet will love that the bed smells like you!

Let's hope Charlie likes it.

And the Charlie Harper bed found it's way to to my in-laws. I used the same black plaid fabric for the sides and bottom as the Zombie bed. It's a little more durable than quilting fabrics.

I finished it off with a zipper, and two used king size pillows. Even if Scout doesn't like it yet, his mom and dad seemed pretty happy with it.

Most of the kids made it home today, and I'm free from animal duty. I'm going to sew like a crazy woman from here until Christmas. 

The resident Doxie Girls are snoring up a storm as I type, and getting rested up for a sewing day tomorrow.

Night, night, 

Doxie Girls.