Fur and fluff, tails and tufts! Chenille Pet Beds, Dog Outfits & More Fun Ideas

Any pet owner will tell you: Dogs and cats are smart creatures. Cat can track down mice we don’t even see and dogs dig up their old bones they buried months before. And both cats and dogs have their own internal clocks telling them just when it’s supper time!

And what many pet owners are discovering is that their furry companions LOVE vintage chenille!

Pets Love Chenille’s Snuggly Cuddly Tufts

Our shop recently listed plush, deep blue chenille fabric pieces cut from a full bedspread. The color was bold, the tufts were thick – and one customer kept buying each piece we had listed. She finally contacted me and wanted to buy whatever we had left. Of course, I had to ask: what was she sewing with these bold blue rippled chenille tufts?

Dog beds! She said her dog LOVED chenille and its texture and comfort far exceeded anything store bought. And we have to admit, the snuggle factor of chenille tops the charts!

Chenille Pet Beds & Kozy Kitty Pods, Oh My!

We’re not shy to admit that while we have chenille tucked in every nook, corner, bed, and closet, using it for pet beds was something that we never gave thought to. But our customer was so delighted with her custom pet beds and cushions we decided to treat our pets, too. We love vintage chenille so much, why wouldn’t they?

Our cats enjoyed sleeping in their raised pod. The supporting posts were also used for scratching, while the top was a circular form much like a hammock. It was difficult to keep clean, since the top fabric did not detach.

We chose a thick, plus chenille fabric and made a circular cover with an elastic edge to fit snuggly over the top of the pod. It’s snugs on like a shower cap, so it’s easy to remove for washing.

They’ll Never Want to Sleep Anyplace Else

The pod is now THE place to be for our cats. They love it, just as our customer said her dogs did. So we made a dog cushion, too, simply by taking large vintage chenille fabric pieces, making top, bottom and side panels, put a zipper closure in….and INSTANT HIT!

Dogs and cats sure know how to make vintage chenille look even more comfier, more cozier, if that’s possible! They snuggle in for their afternoon naps and tuck their noses in the folds and tufts of the vintage chenille.

And if you don’t have a sewing machine, just take a folded vintage chenille bedspread and place it on the floor. You’ll find your cat or dog will discover the wonderful softness and cuddlieness of vintage chenille all on their own.

Gift the Pet Lover in Your Life With Chenille

Many of our other customers are now sewing their beloved pets custom beds and cushions, choosing their favorite vintage chenille fabrics. And their pets seem to know that it’s sewn just for them, with love in each and every stitch and tuft!

Even better, chenille is versatile, easy to work with and simple to care for, meaning it makes a great gift as well. If you’re the crafty type, make the pet lover in your life a fun pet bed out of chenille. We don’t recommend making toys out of vintage chenille fabric since, from our own experience, some dogs (and cats, too) can be very rough, and you don’t want them tearing the toy apart and consuming tufts or stuffing.

For the Stylish Pet: Vintage Chenille Dog Outfits

If you want to really make a statement, make your little furry friend a snazzy outfit with chenille! Several of our customers incorporate vintage chenille fabric into their handmade dog clothes and the cuteness factor is through the roof! Good choices for chenille dog outfits include the always cheery popcorns and dots designs, low pile linear tufts, or (for the demure doggy in your life) Morgan Jones rosebuds.

We know from experience that sewing with chenille can be cumbersome when you’re working with very thick tufts, especially if your project is small like a doggy jacket. It can be hard to navigate the needle around super thick tufts, which is why we typically recommend easier to work with patterns such as the ones above.

 Stuffed Chenille Animals Make Sweet Gifts

While stuffed chenille toys aren’t a smart choice for our furry friends, they do make adorable gifts for the little ones in our lives. Many of our lovely customers have made stuffed chenille dogs, cats, bears and other adorable toys as gifts for their children or grandchildren.

You can grab a cute pattern anywhere – if you love whimsical vintage designs you’ll want to look on places like eBay and Etsy, where there are literally thousands of vintage sewing patterns to choose from. Or if you’re fine with something newer, major retailers like Amazon, Joann Fabrics and such have patterns that will get you started.

One Last Idea for a Chenille Pet Bed…

In this final image, here are our two friendly fluffs relaxing on a pillow – but it’s not just any store bought pillow. No, that just wouldn’t do for this pair of fluffers. It’s lined in chenille and topped with a vintage, hand knit acrylic granny sweater.

Because if there’s one thing cats seem to love as much as chenille it’s the knit acrylic sweaters – you know, the type your grandma or great auntie wore back in the day. Grab one online or at your local thrift store, and get creative – believe us, your feline friends will thank you!

Our Beloved Animals Inspire Us In So Many Ways

We’ll leave you with this classic quote from the Scottish-American Naturalist, John Muir:

“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.”