iMac G3 cat bed with rainbow Apple logo quilt
I made the cats a new bed and, happily, they love it!
This bed evolved from the Apple (Cat) Tree idea I mentioned in my February WIPs. Before going all out with a tree, it seemed prudent to start with a bed and see if they would use it. You know cats — if you spend a lot of time or money on something, chances are they'll ignore it and prefer a cardboard box or bag left on the floor. 🙄
I was learning foundation paper piecing at the same time I made the bed (see my rooster mini-quilt). One thing led to another, and the cats ended up getting a mini-quilt with a rainbow Apple logo to line the inside of their bed.
Building the iMac G3 cat bed
Converting the iMac into a cat bed wasn’t hard, but it did require some exploration. There were two things I had to figure out: assembling the case and adding legs for balance.
First, the case. It’s important to note that I purchased my iMac cases without the innards. That made things easier since I didn’t have to go through the process of removing and disposing the hardware inside. However, the case came in several parts that didn’t want to stay together — maybe the previous owners broke some tabs in during disassembly?
I tried a few methods to keep all the pieces together:
Super glue: Not recommended. I tried this on my first case (not the one in pictures) and it was not fun since there wasn’t much surface area to glue. The pieces overlap with a small < 1/8” lip. It does hold together, but it was messy and awkward.
Hot glue: I tried this as kind of a caulk. But hot glue is so messy (in a different way) and left an ugly join. Again, this held, but I didn’t like the look so I ended up picking it all off.
Electrical tape: This was a sewing inspired solution, a la decorative binding to hide seams inside a garment. I used green tape to match the case. This solution was mixed… I liked the idea, but there are some tabs on the inside that prohibit using tape on all seams. Because the case is transparent, the gaps were very obvious. I probably would have stuck with this solution if the case wasn’t see-through.
Clear package tape: This is what I settled on. I cut the tape down in width and covered any seam without texture. You can sort of see the tape from the outside, but it’s a lot less distracting than the electrical tape. I’m not sure that this is a permanent solution... we’ll have to see how it holds up!
Next, the legs. The iMac has a funky shape. When you remove the innards, it doesn’t balance quite right, and you need supports at the back to keep it from rocking.
I came up with a fairly simple solution for this. There’s a flap at the back, which you can remove. When you do, there are two kind of screw holes that have a flat area around them. P had some extra 3/8” dowels which I cut to size, drilled a hole at the end, and then screwed in. They ended up being a little short so I added felt pads at the bottom to prop them up. Very stable, and it also leaves a hole in the back so I can plug in a heating pad during the winter. You can see one of the feet in this ridiculous pic. Looks like the cats are in some kind of spaceship. 😂
And that's it! Put a cozy blanket inside, and it's an instant cat bed.
Apple logo quilt
I'm lucky that I have two creatures in my household that love quilts and fiber arts as much as I do. 😉 No cat bed would be complete without a mini-quilt.
Through the magic of Google, I discovered that Fandom in Stitches had made a foundation paper piecing pattern for the rainbow Apple logo (they have a solid version as well). And the mini-quilt evolved from there.
I used scraps from my previous quilts to piece the logo. Then I made a paper pattern for the iMac bottom — basically I put a large piece of paper inside and kept trimming it until it fit the shape reasonable well. I centered the apple within the paper pattern and filled in the rest using some perfectly coordinated fat quarters given to me by my sister and her husband. I used another fat quarter to create the binding — on the bias, since the shape is curved. I stretched the binding too much on the back edge so it curves slightly... but it was a happy accident since it better fits the slope of the back.
I have a fleecy remnant below the quilt to create some cushion. Eventually, I'll make a fitted fleece pad, but for now the cats love it, and I'm loathe to make any adjustments. The computer sits on the edge of my desk and it keeps them (mostly Ghostie!) off my lap as I work during the day.