Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (55 page)

HOW TO

1.
Cut the sleeves off your fleece.

2.
Turn the body of the fleece inside out and lay on a flat surface, smoothing out the creases.

3.
Mark a large half circle with a marker on the front panel of the fleece and carefully cut it out through both sides with a pair of fabric scissors.

4.
Pin the edges together and sew a ¼-inch hem around the entire half circle, leaving a 6-inch opening for stuffing. Make sure you backstitch (see “Frugalista”) both sides of the opening.

5.
Turn the sleeves inside out.

6.
Pinch together the edges of the two cuffs (wrong sides facing each other) and carefully sew together, ½ inch away from the edge. When you have sewn around the circle, you should have a tube. Sew up one end of the tube.

7.
Turn the tube the right way out and stuff with your kapok or plastic bags. Tuck the edges of the open end in and hand sew to close.

8.
Turn the half-circle the right way out and stuff with filling. Tuck the edges of the opening in and hand sew to close.

9.
To assemble the tube and the base, set the tube around the round side of the base and use large stitches to hand sew either end of the tube onto the base. Then sew on the center of the tube. Go back to the first end of the tube and, using large stitches, go around the half circle, sewing the tube to the base.

LARGE DOG BED

You obviously need a bit more fabric for the big guy. You should be able to find inexpensive fleece fabric at just about every fabric store, or at fabric.com (www.fabric.com).

HOW TO

1.
Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, and lay out on a flat surface.

2.
With a marker, mark the largest circle or oval possible on the fabric.

3.
Cut out the shape and pin the edges together.

4.
Sew around the edge, about ¼ inch away from raw edge. Leave a 6-inch opening. Backstitch both sides of the opening.

5.
Turn it inside out and stuff with the plastic bags or the kapok filler.

6.
Tuck in the edges of the opening ¼ inch and hand sew to close.

Doggie Placemat Day Coat

Have you noticed how overpriced dog’s clothes are? My dog hates to be dressed, but my daughter thinks otherwise, and this little coat is a great alternative to some of the doll’s clothes that she’s tried to squeeze the poor dog into. It’s easy to get on and off and lies lightly on the dog’s back. This coat will fit a dog that weighs up to about 12 pounds.