Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pet Food Mat: a tutorial


This is one of those projects that takes almost no time at all, but serves so much purpose. My little guy has gotten pretty good about keeping the mess minimal when he eats and drinks, but it's me that always accidentally knocks over his bowl and spills water everywhere on the wood floor. This mat helps protect my floor, while adding some colorful flair to my kitchen. 

You could use this same process to make placemats, shelf/drawer liners, and even a baby changing mat. Wouldn't that be a great gift for a new mom? Of course you'd want to make it a little bigger and maybe even add a tie at the end so that it could be wrapped up. 

Materials:

1/3 yd Oil Cloth or Laminated Cotton
1/3 yd Cotton Fabric

*Note*

A serger is helpful but not absolutely necessary for this project. If you're working on a sewing machine, try finishing the edge with a zig-zag or straight stitch. 

If your sewing machine gives you any trouble, try placing masking tape over the area to be sewn. Then just peel it away after making your stitches.

Tutorial:

Cut one 18" x 12" rectangle of both oil cloth and your backing fabric. 


Round the corners as shown.




Pin the two layers of fabric together.


Serge or sew all the way around.


And you're done, that easy!









If you're wondering, I made the above gif here at 400 px and the "Faster!" speed. And I just couldn't resist making this one, big yawn!




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26 comments

  1. This is lovely! I can't wait to make it! Your puppy is so cute!

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  2. Also, where did you get those adorable bowls?

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  3. This is so cute! I love the mat, the bowls, and especially the dog! I've been following you for a while and loving your blog so much! Please stop by my blog and say hello! I'd love to make this mat. Maybe it's an excuse to figure out how to use my serger!

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  4. Lucky doggie to have such a pretty mat for its meals! :)
    Cecilia

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  5. This is a cute idea! My kitty makes huge messes with her water...she likes to make it move. I already have a mat underneath her food and water but it isn't very pretty. This is a much nicer alternative! Thanks!

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  6. This is really cute! I don't have a dog, but I have four kids. I think I will make some place mats to keep their mess in tow! Thanks!

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  7. Girl, you NEVER cease to amaze!!
    And your little dog is so cute!
    TFS!!!
    Chelle - kweenbee_612@yahoo.com

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  8. I love this idea!!! I don't have indoor pets, but it's a good excuse for new placemats :). You have the same serger I do & all my stitches are loose. I feel like I need to take a class to use it.

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  9. This is so cute! I'm definitively going to make one for my cats and post the results on my blog. (:
    http://happilyhandmadehome.blogspot.com/

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  10. LOVE these! Where is the bigger bowl from? I have some dishes with rice in them like yours (from my trip to China as a teenager) but I don't trust my pets with them!

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  11. WAY too cute! Do you think if I used oilcloth top and bottom it would be slip-proof? My doggies are Rotties; much bigger than your little sweetie and they splash water all over the place. But I would worry that the cotton backing would slide too easily on my hardwood floor.

    Also, I am so impressed by your coordination of dog bowl/dog place mat patterns. My dinner table for HUMANS should be as lovely as the "tablescape" you've created for your dog!

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  12. This is the cutest thing ever, I want some as place mats!

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  13. such a cute pup!! Thank you for this idea! All the matts you can buy are boring, this is a great way to personalize and add some color! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  14. you're puppy is so cute :) and i love the fabric you used in this tutorial! I hope you did well on your finals... I'm a student at Northwestern and we're still in school. ugh. Anyways, keep the posts coming. They are great!

    Feel free to check out my daily video blog: http://carmensdailyvideo.blogspot.com/

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  15. One of the bowls (the orange one) I found at Japan at Disney Epcot and the other is a thrift store find!

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  16. This is really a great read for me. Thank you for publishing articles having a great insight stimulates me to check more often for new write ups. Keep posting!

    Clover
    www.n8fan.net

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    www.joeydavila.net

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  23. Thanks for this amazing posts and keep sharing again and again....

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  24. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. I have a question. Will It suit all dog breeds?

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I love reading your comments! If you have a question please feel free to email me at sweet.verbena01@yahoo (:

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