Design Preview Report – Snuffle Mat

I want to begin by recapping my plan for the final design project. I plan to make at least one snuffle mat for my dogs. I am hoping to use my time wisely so that I can make three snuffle mats. One for each of my two dogs and a smaller one for my cat. A snuffle mat is a flat mat that has bits of fabric attached to it that create pockets and folds. The pockets and folds are meant to hold kibble or treats. It requires for the pet to use their sense of smell and move around the pieces of the mat so that they are able to access the treats or food. The point of a snuffle mat is to encourage enrichment for the pet. Enrichment allows for animals to express their natural behaviors. It encourages physical activity and provides mental stimulation that reduces stress and enhances things like learning ability and memory.

For the three snuffle mats, I plan to try a new aesthetic called Bloomcore.  Bloomcore incorporates bright colors in the form of flowers, gardens, and nature. It is similar to Naturecore, but is more focused on the blooming flowers and bright colors rather than the greenery. I think this is a good choice of aesthetic for this project because it really enhances the natural behavior part of the snuffle mat. I think the color will draw my pets’ attention more and keep them more engaged for a longer period of time than using more bland colors. I did not make any changes to my planned aesthetic after exploring others.

The plan I have is to different colored fabrics and glue and sew them together to make them into three interactive garden snuffle mats. Both my dogs are large breeds so I plan to make their mats larger at 2 feet by three feet. My cat is a bit bigger than a normal cat but much smaller than my dogs so I plan to make his mat 1 foot by 2 feet. Each of my pets have different personalities so I plan to customize their mats to match their personalities. My sketches for all three of the mats are shown below in Images 1, 2, and 3.

I plan to use fleece as the fabric for this project because it is a softer fabric that won’t irritate their noses. It is also fairly easy to wash which will be beneficial to keeping the mats for a long time. I plan to have 10 different colored fabrics with the main one being almost an army green color for the base. I also need a fabric glue that is pet friendly, so it doesn’t make them sick. I will use a sewing needle and embroidery floss for sewing. I chose embroidery floss instead of thread because it is stronger and may hold up against the animals for longer than thread could. A basic sketch of the materials needed are shown in Image 4.

For the timeline, I hope to finish all three mats by the due date. If this is not as possible as I believe it is, then I will make one or two. I have actually already bought the materials I needed from Joann’s Fabric so I do not need to worry about any timing for anything to ship. Since the due date is April 22, I have planned out my time for creating the parts for each mat and then ending with connecting all the pieces and finalizing the design. The graphic for the timeline is shown in Image 5.

By Wednesday, March 20th, I plan to have the base parts for each mat done. I have started on the first mat. For each mat I have to glue in the edges for a more defined look and then sew together and top and bottom fabric piece together to make a thick base. I think the thicker base is important so that it is not as easily crumpled up when the animals are playing with it. I am also debating adding a silicone mat to the bottom of each mat to keep it from sliding around and to add weight to the base.

By Monday, April 8th, I plan to have all the flowers and greenery finished for each mat. I want to start by making all the flowers and greenery before attaching them to the mats because then I can fit them in a way that fills the entire mat and looks aesthetically pleasing. I plan to make each flower by cutting out a pattern and rolling it into a flower shape and then gluing or sewing it together. I plan to do the same thing for the greenery just with different patterns.

By Wednesday, April 17th, I plan to have all the flowers and greenery attached to each mat. I will attach them by sewing it down to the mat using the embroidery floss.

By Friday, April 19th, I want to have tested the mats with each pet to ensure that they are sturdy enough to withstand them searching for treats. I also want to get pictures of each pet in action.

This leads to Monday, April 22nd. I plan to have the entire project finished and any touchups made by this date, for a completed final project.

I will be sewing for this project which is a fairly unknown skill for me. I have slightly done it in the past but not much by hand and not to this extend. I am a very crafty person so I’m hoping that my art skills with help me develop this skill.