Help me repurpose a broken reusable bag?

[SwimDeep]

I usually post on ML and CEP, but I'm hoping this board can help me work out an idea I have.

TLDR: If you wanted to repurpose an old insulated reusable bag for a cat, how would you do it? I feel like this should be pretty simple, but I'm having trouble working through the details. (In other words, I have no idea what I'm doing lol.)

Longer version:

The handles tore off of an insulated reusable bag. It's a rectangle shape (not a wedge that tapers at the top). I have a cat who loves this bag. Every time it was out while I was putting groceries away he would find a way to hide in it.

I can't use it now that the handles ripped off, and I'm wondering if there's some way I could repurpose it into a cat hideaway type bed. The outside is a zebra pattern with neon pink accents (not my style... it was a gift 🤷‍♀️). So I need to cover the outside? And maybe add some supports so it stays open? And I would definitely want to add some cozy cushioning on the inside...

Honestly, this cat would probably sleep in it if I just left it out as is, but I'd like to make it more comfortable... and less of an eyesore. Google is giving me results for outside cat shelters, which is not what I need.

I do have a glue gun... somewhere. And basic sewing skills (no access to a sewing machine though). The inside support is bugging me the most. I want it to stay open and blend into the background a bit. Maybe PVC pipes?

Any thoughts and ideas are much appreciated 🙂

[schrodinger]

Do you have a JoAnn’s fabric store near you? I think I’d do this with supplies from there. I would get extra stiff/heavy interfacing, fabric glue and double fold bias tape in addition to whatever fabric you want to use (I’d stick to quilting cottons here).

Cut the interfacing out to the size of the sides of the bag. Use the fabric glue to attach it to your fabric, then cut out the fabric. Use hot glue or fabric glue to attach the interfacing and fabric to the sides of the bag (test what might work better). Open the bias tape and glue one side to each of the panels to cover the edges on the sides and the top.

The heavy interfacing should be stiff enough that it would support the sides. To me, it feels like a cereal box cardboard. Someone here might have a better suggestion though.

[mala]

Foam, craft or fusable from the sewing interfacing area. Glue it rather than iron on, though you could fuse fabric to the glue side and put that side out.

[SwimDeep]

I never considered interfacing or foam so thank you for these suggestions! I knew this would be the right place to ask 🙂

There's a Joanns near me, so I'll stop in there next weekend and see if I can bring my vision to life 🤞

[wawa]

Since I'm an indifferent sewist at best, and more of a macgyver crafter, my first thought was adding some sort of wire frame around the edge of the opening, and maybe the bottom. Snip and bend coat hangers to the appropriate shape, wrap the ends so there's nothing pointy sticking out and they stay together (electrical tape would be great for this) and hot glue them to the inside of the bag at the bottom seam and just inside the top opening. Could also just handsew them in place with a basic whip stich around the wires. If I were your cat I'd want the middle bits to keep their current squish levels, not be stiff. That doesn't address the attractiveness of the outside though, so....probably stick with prior poster's ideas.

[af1212]

Could you use the wire framing from a disposable chafing dish to help you keep the structure?

[af1212]

Or even just a sturdy cardboard box? Can cut out the bottom of you don’t want it - the sides would provide a frame.

[MixedBerryJam]

If it’s rectangular I’d start by making a *removable* fabric cover that I like/goes with my decor, and I’d probably just cut squares cardboard to tuck inside for the sides and possibly the back, and call it a day. When it needs to be cleaned you can just remove the cover and supports to rinse in the sink/toss in the laundry.

That said, do you really even know how cats work? As soon as you put this down for them they’ll never set foot in it again.

*I just noticed you said no sewing machine but you could def make a cover by folding a single piece of fabric and hot-gluing at the edges/corners. You could also do that with double sided tape.

[Michelle]

Alternative idea: keep it as-is as a sort of cat toy. Break it out for the cat to play with when it wants it. Then fold it up and put it away when you don't want to look at it. A lot of what is appealing is probably the crinkly noises it makes, which will all go away when you sew or glue fabric on it.