One of our favorite custom-fabric projects of all time is the doppelgänger dog pillow. Originally dreamed up by Spoonflower co-founder Stephen, this brilliantly clever pillow was designed for Ruby, the first of the two rescue dogs that have come to live in Stephen and Kim’s home. Since then, the project has exploded —we’ve seen everything from hedgehog to bunny rabbit versions stitched up by our customers. Get inspired and learn to make your own snuggly pet pillow! 

small brown dog on white couch with a bright pink blanket and black and white pillow
Square pillow fabric is Freestyle (Black) by Domesticate in Linen Cotton Canvas

small brown dog sitting on a white couch with a black and white pillow and pink blanket

close up detail photo of a textured pillow printed with a photo of a dog
Super soft and snuggly Minky gives the appearance of faux fur on your pet pillow!

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

To Design the Fabric:

  • A high-quality pet photo
  • Basic photo-editing software
  • 1 fat quarter of your favorite fabric (we love Minky for the pet-printed side) other good options include faux suede, twill, or sateen

To Make the Pillow:

  • Printed fabric
  • 1 fat quarter of a complementary fabric in the same size
  • Washable fabric-marking pen or chalk
  • Polyfill or other stuffing
  • Basic sewing tools

Head to the Abrams Books website to read the rest of the tutorial, or just pick up a copy of The Spoonflower Handbook!

small brown dog on white couch with a bright pink blanket

white couch with two black and white pillows
Back of dog pillow fabric design is Mountains by Laurenmholton on Organic Cotton Sateen
5 pet pillows against a blue wall on top of a wood floor
Pet pillows come in all sizes, shapes and species
two white dog pillows against a blue wall on a wood floor
Ashlee of the My So Called Crafty Life blog stitched up some pet pillows, too!
white couch with 5 dog pillows and a book pillow
Doppleganger dog pillows stole the show at The Spoonflower Handbook Launch Party a few years back!
Two young girls holding a cat-shaped pillow
Snuggling with pet pillows at The Spoonflower Handbook launch party

Upload your pet photo and make yours!