Recycling Fabric & Batting Scraps

Whenever I can re-purpose discarded items to keep them from the landfill I enthusiastically do so.   Fabric and batting trimmings from recent quilt projects  (including the liners from dress ties), all got tossed in a plastic bag until I had enough to fill a 28" square dog bed.  Here is the result.

28" square corduroy covered dog bed

I made a liner from ugly rust dyed fabric that didn't turn out nice enough for my art projects but was perfect for this project.  I stuffed the scraps in the liner and sewed the opening closed with a slightly larger stitch for easy reopening.  The liner can be refilled with fresh scraps or new fiberfill when needed and the quilted cover can be machine washed separately.

As a dog walker for Friends of Pets - a local animal rescue shelter - this will be the first of hopefully many hand made dog beds I will assemble from my studio scraps and donate to the pooches.  My plan is to make a few liners and covers in advance.  I'll bet I can get stuffing donations from fellow quilters at our guild.  Dog bed covers can also be made from old blue jeans and upholstery fabric.  Love to keep that stuff out of the landfill.  Lighter, smaller beds can be made for the kitties too.  And as a side note: I've been shredding office paper and bagging it to donate for the small critters like hamsters and guinea pigs for Animal Control.  I hope they will take it, otherwise it goes to the recycling center.