Going into this week, I already had in mind what I was going to do for the Humane Society. I had a nice plan to make some kennel covers for the cats, and then go walk some dogs today. I figured for sure since I’m so “crafty” that the tie blanket kennel covers were not going to take me long. I have made the tie blankets before, so I had an idea of what I was doing. Boy was I overestimating my crafting abilities.
When I spoke with the Humane Society’s Director, Cathy McDaniel, she spoke of the need of the no tie kennel covers for the cats, especially during the winter months. The Humane Society works with a local veterinary clinic, The Animal Health Center, for neuters/spays, and all of the vaccines and check-ups that the dogs may need while they are in their care. Cathy expressed the need for the kennel covers for the cats/small dogs that are being transported to the vet to get their spay/neuter done. These covers will help keep the pets more comfortable and warm during this blistery season!
Like I mentioned before, I have done a project similar to this. Although, I thought that this project wouldn’t take long because I had experience, it took me the entire two hours dedicated for the ILP this week. Because I had never made a “No Sew Crate Cover”, I started my journey on the internet to see if there were any vlogs or tutorials that I could use to give me a guide on how to go about this project. I found a cute little girl on YouTube named Sedona, who had the general objectives of what I needed done for the crate covers.
I felt my project ended up being a bit trickier than I had intended it to be. Cathy preferred that the kennel covers only cover the top, sides, front, and back portions of the kennel instead of encompassing the whole kennel. So, it was weird trying to figure out how to go about that. In the end I decided the best plan of attack was to use one solid long piece to cover the front of the kennel all the way to the back, and then use two separate side pieces, and just tie them on. Of course my two trusty side kicks, Nash & Moose, were there to lend a hand in the fun!
I ended up using just rough measurements for both the side and top “panels” that I was trying together. The Humane Society provided me with all of the fleece to craft my little heart out. My first kennel cover did not end up being a complete success, but I feel as if I will be able to take what I learned doing that first one and apply it to all the others I will make. This will definitely help me into making this a less time consuming project, so that I can help the Humane Society in other capacities as well.
Happy crafting!
Hillary Bollish - English 361 
Hilary,
This is so neat! I have never heard of these type of covers before but they make perfect sense especially with all this snowy weather we have been having in Northern Nebraska! These covers I’m sure help dramatically with keeping animals warm while transporting them and I’m sure you could start up a little side business selling them at the vets and around town off Craigslist or It’s a guy too. Your ILP reminds me of my own when it comes to random acts of kindness and it just makes me smile. You are helping a business that is always in need of help or donations and not matter how small or big your help is, they treasure it making your time well worth it. Also thank you for sharing the, “how to” video because my grandma would love this for her pets along with all of her crafting. Thank you! I look forward to hearing more about your progress!
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Before the Humane Society wanted me to do this project I had never heard of these no sew kennel covers either, I had only ever made the no sew blankets before. That’s actually a great idea, I had never thought about making them on the side for some extra cash. Of course, I’m glad you liked the resources and the project I am doing!
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Kennel covers is something that I never thought of. This is a good example of just being out there trying to help can lead you to learning a new skill while having the fulfillment of helping others. I like the Idea of a no sew kennel cover because not everyone can sew. I enjoyed the how to video because this is something you could do as a lesson in school as well.
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Ryan, I liked this idea for the very same reason. I also don’t have a sewing machine, so I didn’t have to go out and buy it just for this project. That’s a good idea Ryan, if students were in an FCS class or something of the sort, then they could use this if they had a dog/cat at home they wanted to make this for.
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What a great way to utilize your 2 weekly hours! That’s so nice that they provided the fleece, too. People don’t realize how much time these take to make, especially when you’re just starting out. It gets better and better with practice, though. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Shaye! I thought so too, I didn’t have a problem going and buying some, but it made it easy that they just provided some for me! I didn’t even realize how long this would take, I truly thought that I would be able to blow through these and make a bunch quickly.
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