Using some of your fabric stock
 

I make pet blankets for the local animal shelter, about 36 inch square. This uses up a lot of fabric quickly, in case some of you are interested in reducing some of your inexpensive fabric stock and helping out your shelter.

Serita

This is a great idea, but make sure you check with your shelter first. Some shelters won't accept them. Mine will only take towels.

.......... or have specific requirements as to the fabric and batting types.

I guess I am kind of lucky in that regard. My shelter will take anything, but it should be washable. The pet blankets are just a front and back with no batting. So easy and fast to do the job.

The shelter here will take any fabric but they do not wash, once it's really soiled it gets tossed. I save all my fabric bits and fill thrift store pillowcases, sew the end closed and done. Usually I will buy old rugs, blankets, and towels and donate those too. It's an easy and cheap way to give back a little to a good cause.

Shelters here won't take pet beds stuffed with scraps. They take too long to dry and that costs too much $ in electric bills.

Our shelter loves to get towels also. But I was told they do wash the bedding for reuse.

I make pet pads with corduroy one side and tshirt knit or flannel on the other side. I had lots of this left from my clothes sewing days and I sometimes pick some up at yard/estate sales. I use cut up mattress pads, old towels or blankets for the batting. I give these to the rescue organizations that are in the pet stores or any other rescue or non profit animal groups.

I also collect towels when I go to yard/estate sales to give to the shelters and my vet office as these are used quite often by them. It is just one way to give back and help out the local animal organizations.

I made quilts with cutting 4.5" strips and then making a checkerboard. A lot of us quilters save every fabric scraps because the local shelters and rescue groups will take them.

My guild does "dog and cat cuddles" - if you have fabric to get rid of you can donate it to that group and they'll pass it back out to other members who want to sew cuddles for the local shelters, and they also collect up and donate the cuddles when they're done. If/when I ever get some spare time I plan on making a few out of my stash and donating them too. I think they have an info sheet that outlines dimensions & appropriate materials/manufacturing guidelines but I haven't grabbed one yet.