What fabric is best for making large pet beds?

I am new to sewing and have been buying cheap denim fabric (about $3
yd) to make beds for my Newfoundland. I want to make others for friends
dogs but what/where would be the best best fabric, places to look for
deal on heavy fabrics? I have used my local Hancock fabric store but am
looking for ideas,etc. Also, these beds are for the outside like on a
covererd patio so I have Scotch guarded the previous bed but any ideas,
thoughts would be appreciated.

slyee wrote:

I am new to sewing and have been buying cheap denim fabric (about $3
yd) to make beds for my Newfoundland. I want to make others for friends
dogs but what/where would be the best best fabric, places to look for
deal on heavy fabrics? I have used my local Hancock fabric store but am
looking for ideas,etc. Also, these beds are for the outside like on a
covererd patio so I have Scotch guarded the previous bed but any ideas,
thoughts would be appreciated.

Furnishing fabrics (upholstery rather than curtains) works quite well,
and sometimes comes Scotchguarded. You could also look for the kind of
fabric that is made for outdoor use, such as garden parasol fabric, or
the stuff sometimes used for boat squabs.

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

I've done a few in polar fleece. Warm and very washable in for winter.
The ones I make are a liner with bedding itself and then a cover. I
put zippers in the back and they seem pretty good. If you look at
LL Bean's online catalogue you might get some ideas. The outdoor
fabric is a great idea. I got some nice sort of heavy duck with
paw prints on it for a great price and it worked up a cute sturdy
bed for my Georgia pup. (she chewed the first bed cover I made
but at 10 months has learned some manners)
Taria

Kate Dicey wrote:
slyee wrote:

I am new to sewing and have been buying cheap denim fabric (about $3
yd) to make beds for my Newfoundland. I want to make others for friends
dogs but what/where would be the best best fabric, places to look for
deal on heavy fabrics? I have used my local Hancock fabric store but am
looking for ideas,etc. Also, these beds are for the outside like on a
covererd patio so I have Scotch guarded the previous bed but any ideas,
thoughts would be appreciated.

Furnishing fabrics (upholstery rather than curtains) works quite well,
and sometimes comes Scotchguarded. You could also look for the kind of
fabric that is made for outdoor use, such as garden parasol fabric, or
the stuff sometimes used for boat squabs.

slyee Apr 2, 12:54 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
From: "slyee" - Find messages by this author
Date: 2 Apr 2005 12:54:13 -0800
Local: Sat, Apr 2 2005 12:54 pm
Subject: What fabric is best for making large pet beds?
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show
original | Report Abuse

I am new to sewing and have been buying cheap denim fabric (about $3
yd) to make beds for my Newfoundland. I want to make others for friends

dogs but what/where would be the best best fabric, places to look for
deal on heavy fabrics? I have used my local Hancock fabric store but am

looking for ideas,etc. Also, these beds are for the outside like on a
covererd patio so I have Scotch guarded the previous bed but any ideas,

thoughts would be appreciated.
---
I agree with Taria and her use of the heavy duck. I found the home
dec duck to be perfect for dog pads. I use duck on one pad side, and
fleece on the other---the fuzzy fleece which looks like lambswool, not
the poly sport fleece. Makes a nice winter pad, warm and cozy.
I don't Scotchguard* dog pad covers; I like to wash and dry them
regularly to kill any cooties the short, pawed people might bring in
with them.
Stuffing: for big/outdoor dogs, I combine a thick foam
with a separate muslin pocket of cedar shavings, all of which goes
inside the duck/fleece outer cover. I add a zip to the outer cover. The
cedar pad is cheap to make, easy to replace. I buy the huge cubic foot
bag of hamster cedar shavings. Cedar naturally repels fleas, with the
added bonus of making a Hot Day Dog smell a tad better.
Cea

That's what I fill mine with too Cea. When my old golden got up
in years a hospital egg crate type foam was used though since she
had such arthritis.
Taria

wrote:

---
I agree with Taria and her use of the heavy duck. I found the home
dec duck to be perfect for dog pads. I use duck on one pad side, and
fleece on the other---the fuzzy fleece which looks like lambswool, not
the poly sport fleece. Makes a nice winter pad, warm and cozy.
I don't Scotchguard* dog pad covers; I like to wash and dry them
regularly to kill any cooties the short, pawed people might bring in
with them.
Stuffing: for big/outdoor dogs, I combine a thick foam
with a separate muslin pocket of cedar shavings, all of which goes
inside the duck/fleece outer cover. I add a zip to the outer cover. The
cedar pad is cheap to make, easy to replace. I buy the huge cubic foot
bag of hamster cedar shavings. Cedar naturally repels fleas, with the
added bonus of making a Hot Day Dog smell a tad better.
Cea

wrote:
---
I agree with Taria and her use of the heavy duck. I found the
home dec duck to be perfect for dog pads. I use duck on one pad
side, and fleece on the other---the fuzzy fleece which looks
like lambswool, not the poly sport fleece.

I have a purchased dog-bed I got cheap at Costco. It has the sherpa
type fleece in the bed, plus a removable pad with sherpa on one side
and denim on the other. My Shih Tzu does the whole
round-and-round-and-scratch-the-bedding thing so much that the sherpa
fleece is shedding all over the place and is pretty thin in spots. If
I were making one, I'd opt for medium-weight denim or duck all over.

Makes a nice winter
pad, warm and cozy. I don't Scotchguard* dog pad covers; I
like to wash and dry them regularly to kill any cooties the
short, pawed people might bring in with them.
Stuffing: for big/outdoor dogs, I combine a thick foam
with a separate muslin pocket of cedar shavings, all of which
goes inside the duck/fleece outer cover. I add a zip to the
outer cover. The cedar pad is cheap to make, easy to replace. I
buy the huge cubic foot bag of hamster cedar shavings. Cedar
naturally repels fleas, with the added bonus of making a Hot
Day Dog smell a tad
better. Cea

Agreed on the cedar chips. Mine is an indoor dog, except for doing
his duty outside, and doesn't usually bring in nasty stuff, but every
once in a while does find something horrendous to roll in.

--
Beverly
delete nospam and .invalid to reply

Gee, I'd be grateful for any suggestions here!

My dog (name of Miss Alice - she's a Bull Terrier and hence
*exceedingly* beautiful!) has an unfortunate habit of ingesting any and
all bedding materials she's given. This dog has eaten *concrete*, so it
came as no surprise when she began scratching at her bedding, eating the
resulting fabric mess and then doing the most *objectionable* and
startling-looking poos! 'Recycled' polyurethane foam can look extremely
confronting when viewed for the very first time - I kid you not!

Anyway, I've tried heavy canvas, heavy-duty denim, ripstop fabric (used
in making horse rugs that 'won't tear') and other fabrics. The most
successful so far has been el cheapo flanelette fabric with which I made
a small pillow. For some reason, Alice doesn't feel the need to dig her
claws into it... but it certainly does hold her aroma and that's not so
good!

Does anyone have a great idea for a bed for my Alice that will resist
her attempts at shredding it while still giving her a decent surface to
lie on (with thin pink skin and a white coat, she tends to get pressure
sores from lying on hard surfaces...)?

--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, Australia

I too use fleece. Fur and dirt stick to fleece nicely, reducing the amount
distributed around other parts of the house. Three cats and four pillows.

Does anyone have a great idea for a bed for my Alice that will resist
her attempts at shredding it while still giving her a decent surface to

lie on (with thin pink skin and a white coat, she tends to get pressure

sores from lying on hard surfaces...)?
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, Australia
---

Trish, maybe it's time for a little re-training. Check dog supply
stores for a bitter orange-based product. It's featured as a repellant,
and one of my neighbors has used it with great success. You spray it on
whatever the animal should not be eating.
Is Alice a pup, or full grown dog? Pups, just like human babies,
will grow out eating everything, unless they have a medical problem, or
are excessively bored/lonely. I've read that bored pets can develop
pica-like behaviours when they need company/stimulation.
Failing all the above, I'd opt for giving Alice a diet of el cheapo
cotton flannelette, on the perhaps irrational theory that cotton,
being a natural fiber, would make a bowel obstruction a little easier
to remove than polyester or rip-stop. ack
Cea

A few years ago I made a cover for a Kayak, for
outside storage. I used the sturdy outdoor fabric
that is sold for recovering sling chairs or awning
frames. It is rather narrow, about 25", but seams
together well. I bought in Hancock's Chain, NAYY!!!!
PAT in VA/USA

slyee wrote:

I am new to sewing and have been buying cheap denim fabric (about $3
yd) to make beds for my Newfoundland. I want to make others for friends
dogs but what/where would be the best best fabric, places to look for
deal on heavy fabrics? I have used my local Hancock fabric store but am
looking for ideas,etc. Also, these beds are for the outside like on a
covererd patio so I have Scotch guarded the previous bed but any ideas,
thoughts would be appreciated.