Our “pet den” futon is being chewed up by Greta the Cute But Evil Dog. Her partner in crime, Lola What Did I Do?, likes to rip the covers to shreds. We stopped using nice futon covers years ago when we had Frida the Wonderful But Incontinent Pit. We just threw fitted bed sheets over the mattress.

But alas, the material could never hold up against our dogs and we found ourselves going through 2 sheets per week. Well, not really. We just left the shredded sheets on the futon so you could see the filthy, filthy mattress underneath.

“Someone must make pet proof bed sheets.” Said I. “We can’t be the only ones with this problem.”

Well, yes, it exists. I did find canvas mattress slipcovers online, ranging from $34-85. But I felt like I needed to design the cover myself with my pets in mind. Since I can’t even sew a button, I put a request on Etsy Alchemy to find someone to work with me. The first couple of quotes were more than the futon itself. I was starting to get discouraged until Christine of Pillow Throw Decor saved the day.

I informed Christine that my pets are lunatics and I’ll need extremely heavy duty material. She happened to have some recycled painters drop cloth on hand for the cover, which cost $80. She was also able to put together a canvas fitted top sheet for $20. The plaid wouldn’t have been my first choice, but a) It was the cheapest, b) I needed to go with the sturdiest material and c) It looks better than ripped sheets.

She gave me loops on the back as per my request, because the dogs always manage to pull the sheets off. This way I can secure it to the mattress with elastic or rope. Oh, and she even included a repair kit! Now that’s what I’m talking about!

So, what about the cats? Well, they just pee on everything. The new covers are pre-shrunk and washable.

**Photographer’s note: Please ignore the broken window blind, the dirt on the floor and the fact that I don’t have the patience to get a fitted bed sheet to fit.

  posted @ 6:27 am Comments (2)