Making Pet Slings for Cats, Dogs, or Whatever

Does anyone else have a cat or dog (or rabbit or guinea pig) that just hates walking? My son has a poodle and she doesn't like walking if she doesn't have to. Especially when it's cold outside. Or wet. Or when the concrete is too hot. Or...well, you get the idea. And I need my arms for things that grabbing kids before they dash into the street.

My solution? Make my own pet slings. Luckily these are relatively easy to make. Start by selecting your fabric. I have multiple slings made of different fabrics. The one in the picture is fleece; I use it in winter. I also have a vinyl sling for wet weather and a light cotton sling for general use. You can pick a fabric that suits your own needs, but it shouldn't have too much stretch to it. A little stretch is fine.

Now you'll have to determine how much fabric you'll need, and this requires a measuring tape. Take a look at the picture and you'll see where the sling needs to fit to support your pet. Around one shoulder and down around the opposite hip. Measure this length and add a couple inches (you'll be stitching the sling together at the shoulder).

So how wide must this sling be? Well, it has to fold in half like a pocket and still have enough room for your pet. The dog in the picture needs a full 18 inches of room, so the fabric had to be at least 36 inches wide. If you're making it for a smaller pet, you'll be able to use a smaller sling. The cat sling I made is actually 24 inches which, which meant I needed a 48-inch wide piece of fabric.

Once you have your fabric, lay it out on a flat surface. Hem the long edges then fold, wrong sides together, to form the pocket. To clarify, the long edges should be touching. Stitch the short edges together so your pocket don't slip during the next step.

To create the sling, you now have to attach the two short ends to each other so the sling will go around your body. Place the sling around you to ensure it's long enough, pin, and stitch. In order to make the sling fit onto your shoulder you'll have to fold the edge accordion-style, but this only adds padding to your shoulder, keeping you more comfortable. Adjust the folds until you're happy. You'll want to add several lines of heavy stitching just in case, then trim the excess (if you have any; I usually don't).

Now you almost have a sling. Well, you have a sling, but if you put it on and put your pet in it, you'll have a pet that slips around inside the sling. There's a lot of empty space in there, after all. So put the sling on, slip your pet inside, and determine where you want him or her to sit. Once you know exactly where and at what angle you want your pet to sit, you can use lines of stitching (decorative or otherwise) to adjust the sling. Stich the pocket closed where you need to and run lines across the sling so your pet don't sneak around to your back (unless you want him to, of course).

Once you're done, you have a pet sling.

Making Dog Sweaters or Cat Sweaters

Well, winter has set in around here. It's not going to let us go until at least March (though May has become more common in recent years), so it's coats for everyone. That includes our four-legged friends. In our house, that means the dogs and cats.

We have poodles, toy poodles to be exact, so it's important that the little guys (and girls) and warm enough. Since it routinely gets to forty below in the winter, "warm enough" is a relative term. Still, we have to try, so this time every year I break out the fleece and get to work.

If you want to make a dog sweater (or a cat sweater) yourself, it's actually not all that hard. You don't even need a pattern, though patterns for pet sweaters can be found at most fabric stores. At home, however, I don't bother with a pattern. I simply get out the fabric I'm looking for and have the dog (or cat) in question lie still on the flat fabric. I can then trace the pet, making sure to leave enough ease so the sweater fits when I'm finished. I even add a hood, though since the animals hate hoods, this step is only for my own entertainment.

Once I have two pieces cut (because all pets have two sides, let's remember), The rest is easy. Sew it all together, making sure to leave enough room in the belly to get the sweater on the dog (I don't do Velcro or elastic for pet sweaters because the cat eats both).

I really wish I had a picture of one of the cats in a sweater, but they seem camera shy. Or maybe they're embarrassed. I did use pink bunny fleece for both of them...and they're boys.

Making Custom Bird Cage Covers

Birds make excellent pets, but they do have a tendency to make a racket in the early morning. The rising sun gets them up, and they seem to have an innate need to greet the day the very second the sun sneaks above the horizon. This can be annoying, but fortunately it's a very simple thing to fix.


If you can convince your bird that it's actually still dark out, he will remain quiet until a decent hour. This is where bird cage covers come in. Sometimes you'll get lucky and have a cover come with the cage you bought. Unfortunately, most cages don't actually come with a cover. This is why I make them for avid bird lovers.


I can make them in just about any color. The first picture is for a parrot cage with a play apparatus on top. These types of cages take a little more measuring and have to be made with a little more care. The fabric is a navy cotton striped with red (though you can't really see the red in the picture). Perfect measurements are the key to this cage.

The second cage, made out of a purple cotton, is more standard. This budgie cage is just square with a handle for hanging or carrying on the top. These cage covers are easier, though accurate measuring is still essential. The cage has to leave room for the hanger, of course, so this is always taken into account when making covers of this nature.


Both styles close easily with Velcro. You can make them yourself, if you're so inclined, with some dense fabric (of a type that won't smother the bird, of course) and heavy-duty Velcro. If you're really concerned about your bird getting all noisy in the morning, line your bird cage cover with either the same fabric or a lining fabric to block out the most light.