It's DONE!

Whoop! Whoop! It's DONE!!

The suitcase has been transformed from a "dumpster dive find" into a "diva doggie bed."   It took me forever to get it together but here is what I did.  First I removed the suitcase from Crafty Neighbor Barb's trash pile after the hubby spotted it this winter.  (Good eyes hon)  Then I let it sit for months trying to decide what exactly to do to it.   I moved it from the front porch to the craft room several times.  At last I made up my mind and finally found the right material (dog bones and little dogs on the yellow print) then had a minor heart attack when I paid for the material.  Since when is thin cotton material worth 9 dollars a yard?   Don't get me started on that...deep breath and ahhhh letting that go.  Anyway, then I ripped out all the liners and kept them for patterns.   Then I cut some thin boards to make the top and bottom covers for the inside.  I glued batting to them first to give the inside a little soft padding.  Then I embroidered the "good dog" pocket and made the dog bone pocket and sewed them to the top material.  I stretched it over the batting and glued it in place.

 I added some trim to the inside lid to dress it up.

I bought some really heavy stabilizer and used it to line the bottom inside edges with the yellow material.   I made the cover for the hinges and glued it in place.

Then I placed the bottom liner in after I put some quilting stitches on it to give it a tufted look.   Oh yes, I made some feet for it too.  The feet are made from painted blocks of wood with heavy felt scratch protectors on them.   You can't see them in the photo.  Here it is with the little bed inside it.  Gee didn't mean to get the toes in the shot but there they are!  Nice polish color, it's OPI by the way.

  You have to get a really good glue that works on any surface.  I had plenty of time to let stuff dry because about the time one thing was glued down and in place the tornado sirens went off and I ran down to the basement for a while.   When I came back up, the glue was dry enough to move to the next piece.  The order I put mine together was;

Glue the top portion to the top of the suitcase let dry
Screw the feet on the bottom
Place the hinge cover in place-the bottom side lining covers the bottom where it attaches and the top edge is covered with the trim.
Line the bottom sides let dry
Put the trim on the top while the sides dry
Put the bottom in and let dry, I put heavy books on the bottom and top while they set up.


               Then I just had to step back and watch the little dogs dive right in!

Since we have mini dachshunds, I kept the feet low so they just had to hop in.  The suitcase is vintage and it has all the vintage wear and tear on the outside.  I think it adds to the look.  I am going to make a tag for the outside today.  That should finish it off!

Happy Crafting!