Our kitties are not spoiled. We simply keep them in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. That said, our eldest cat, Shivers, may be a bit spoiled.
We keep a pillow or towel over the heating vent in our livingroom, for two reasons. One, we live in a townhouse in which, when the livingroom is comfortably tepid, the bedroom is icy. Covering the vent helps keep the bedroom warmer. The second (and real) reason, though, is that it makes a nice heated bed for Shivers.
Unfortunately, having a rumpled towel or pillow on the floor in the bedroom (getting furrier with every catnap) makes the room look dirty. So when my mom recently came to visit and showed me a new, simpler way to turn quilts, I immediately took the method one step lazier. I adapted it to make a “cat mat” to put over the vent. New heated catbed, here we come.
You will need a pillowcase, some batting or a blanket or towel you don’t mind cutting up, and some thread. A sewing machine makes the project easier, but you can do it by hand if you like.
First, turn the pillowcase inside out and iron it flat. Cut off the hem at the open side of the pillowcase to help it lay flat.
Lay the pillowcase on some batting or an old blanket, and cut the batting (or blanket) to fit. You want it to fit end to end – don’t worry about making it smaller than the pillowcase. This project works better if it fits right up to the edge. Pin the batting to the pillowcase. Sew everything together along the edges with a generous 1/2″ seam. Don’t sew the open side of the pillowcase (where you’d normally slip a pillow inside). This won’t work, otherwise. I run it through my sewing machine with the batting side down. It doesn’t tend to get caught against the presser foot, that way. It’s counter intuitive, but seems to work.
Here comes the magic. Now reach through the open side, and turn the mat right-side out. I couldn’t believe how much easier this was than my usual method of pinning everything several times and sewing several times. I love it. (Thanks, mom!) Now just sew the open side shut, and you’re done.
If you want to dress it up, you could topsew around the mat again, to reinforce the seams. I also sewed a few stripes down it, just to make it pretty.
These mats are also great for putting in carriers, crates, and cat beds for a little extra softness. If you follow this tutorial, please email us pictures of the end result. We’d love to see!
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