Quilted dog bed tutorial

Supplies

Charm pack with 80 squares in equal amounts of light and dark hues.

100 percent cotton thread

Rotary cutter

Cutting mat

6 1/2-inch quilting ruler

Pencil

Batting measuring 40 by 48 inches

Muslin backing measuring 40 by 48 inches

11/2 yards flannel fabric

Safety pins

Straight pins

Waterproof dog bed liner

Cedar chipped bedding, fiberfill or foam

Make triangles from squares

Pick out a charm pack (a pre-cut package of 5-inch squares of coordinating fabric) with 80 squares in equal amounts of light and dark hues.

Arrange charm squares in sets of two, one light and one dark, with the right sides of the fabric together.

With light fabric facing up, place a ruler from corner to corner and mark two lines, a quarter-inch on each side of the diagonal center.

Sew down each marked line.

Cut the the square in half along the diagonal center between lines, being careful not to cut into seam lines, to create two triangles.

Turn triangles over so that dark fabric is on top and press open to reveal a square pieced from two triangles. Right sides of fabric should be facing up once pressed open.

Trim pieced squares to 41/2 inches.

Assemble pinwheel blocks

Arrange pieced squares into 20 blocks of 4 squares, each with 2 pieced squares on top and 2 on bottom, so that dark sides form a pinwheel.

Flip right side of block over and place on top of left side so the right sides are facing and diagonal seams are butted up against each other.

Sew quarter-inch seam along right side of blocks to create a rectangle.

Press rectangle open, taking care to ensure the seams on top half of the block are facing opposite direction as bottom half.

Flip top rectangle over bottom, placing pin where seams butt up against each other at center of the rectangle and at diagonal seam on left side of the block.

Sew quarter-inch seam on the side pinned to create an 81/2-inch-square block. Ensure diagonal seams butt up against each other on the right side of the block as you feed it into the sewing machine.

Check to make sure dark triangles still form a pinwheel when the block is opened. If they don’t, rip out seams and rearrange so they do.

Piece the quilt top

Arrange blocks in five rows of four.

Press blocks open, taking care to make sure seams are facing the opposite direction of the block next to it.

Sew first column to second column and third column to fourth column with a quarter-inch seam, pinning at each seam line prior to sewing and pressing open when complete.

Using the same process, sew blocks in first row to second row and third row to fourth row to create four large blocks, each made up of four smaller ones.

Add the fifth row to the fourth row.

Sew right side of first and second rows, and third through fifth rows to left side.

Attach top two rows to bottom three to create a complete quilt top.

Layer, baste and quilt

Lay muslin backing on a smooth surface such as a floor or table, ensuring it is taut by taping or pinning corners and centers of fabric to floor or table.

Lay the quilt batting on top of the muslin in the same manner, followed by the quilt top.

Insert a safety pin in every triangle on the edge of the quilt and every other triangle in the center, being careful not to shift layers.

Using a walking foot, quilt in the ditch, or on the low side of the seam line along the diagonal lines that the pinwheels form.

Remove pins and trim batting and backing fabric to be even with the quilt top.

Add pillowcase backing

Measure quilt width and length.

Cut two pieces of flannel fabric to the quilt width by 3 inches more than the half the length. If you’ve used accurate quarter-inch seams, then your quilt will measure 32 by 40 inches, so the flannel will be 32 by 23 inches.

On the long side of both flannel pieces, fold over and pin top 2 inches.

Press fold to create crease and remove pins.

Fold raw edge under fold to create a 1-inch hem, pin in place.

Secure by sewing quarter-inch from top and bottom of hem.

Lay quilt top on flat surface, right-side up. Layer pillowcase backing on top of quilt with hemmed edges in center and folded side of seam facing up. Pin in place so edges match exactly. Hemmed edges will overlap in center.

Using a walking foot, sew pillowcase backing to quilt using a quarter-inch seam around quilt edges.

Turn dog bed so the right sides are facing out.

Add the stuffing

Stuff a waterproof dog bed liner with cedar chip pet bedding, fiberfill or foam.

Insert liner into dog bed through pillowcase opening on back.

Turn so quilted side is facing up and allow your dog to enjoy its new bed.