1 dress + 2 sisters = craftiness

A while back my sister and I came up with a fun idea for a crafty project we could do together, even though we live on opposite coasts! My mother no longer wanted this pretty floral maxi dress, so we decided to cut it in half, right up the middle, and not tell each other what we were making with our half until the projects were completed!

Jemima used to have an adorable little shabby chic bed, but after she totally ignored it for about 2 years straight, we finally gave it away. Naturally, she soon after started wanting a bed of her very own, and began curling up into small, dog-bed-esque things like this box top, as if she were a poor, neglected, bed-less creature that just had to do the best she could with whatever she could find.

I remembered seeing this vintage suitcase dog bed over at Houzz, but I didn't think Jemima would like it being elevated, and I couldn't bring myself to disassemble and drill holes in a vintage suitcase, so I decided to make a simpler, power tool-free version.

I already had this guy re-lined and cleaned up at home, so I decided to use it for my doggy bed. Click here to see the before pictures!

Before I started working on the bed, I threw the fabric inside the suitcase and patted it so Jemima could try it out. I figured I'd see if she'd even sleep in it before I went to the trouble of making it.

Sure enough, she hopped right in and slept for over 2 hours, only moving to switch positions! She just loves tight spaces.

When she finally woke up, I spread the fabric out to start cutting. As you can see in the photo above, she was still a little groggy from her nap.

First I made a little pleated skirt that was long enough to cover three sides of the suitcase. I was determined to make this a no-sew project, so I just pinned the pleats in place, secured them with hot glue, then removed the pins.

Then I glued the pleated skirt to a square of fabric big enough to cover the bottom of the case.

She seems to prefer sleeping on mostly hard surfaces, so I went very light on the fluff.

I covered the fluff in a square of felt.

Next I glued down the top square of fabric. Obviously substituting hot glue for sewing isn't going to make for the most long-lasting cushion in the world, but I figure since she's so tiny it should hold up pretty well, and by the time it starts falling apart it will probably be dirty enough to need to be replaced anyway. 

I used a shoulder strap from the dress to spell out her name on the top. I pinned the strap down to make sure I had it centered properly, then hot-glued it in place and removed the pins.

I was going to glue a square of ribbon around the center where the square meets the pleated skirt, but I decided against it because all the ribbon I had on hand was too wide.

She likes to take her naps at the bottom of the stairs, so that's where I put her new bed. She loves it!

I'll let Lizzie do the talking on her blog when it comes to the details of her project, but I don't think she'll mind me spilling the beans and telling you all that she made an ADORABLE little stuffed elephant for our niece that is expected to arrive at the end of June:)  Lizzie is far, far more accomplished at sewing than her big sister! She also made a precious little blue and white striped elephant for our nephew Connor.

And speaking of Connor, look who came to see me last Thursday:) More on that later!