Who loves you unconditionally? Who stares at you with those big brown eyes, hanging on your every word? Who eats whatever you make for them (well, most of the time)? Who is always the happiest to see you and is always game for a cuddle? You’ve got it…we love our pooches!
Every day they bring so much laughter and joy into our lives. Indeed, for so many of us, they are our babies, our children, our be-all and end-all! And there’s nothing quite as delightful as seeing them decked out in new gear…sometimes it takes a little getting used to but soon they’re rocking it like Bow Wow.
Sew Many Dogs..
Did you know that there are 78-80 million family dogs in the US alone? Around 40% of all households in the US have a family dog. The percentages are about the same in the Canada and Australia and only slightly less in the UK (25%).
So we thought it about time for a serious Sewing for Your Dog: Dog’s Life Roundup, to get you channeling some of those (slightly misdirected) motherly instincts in a constructive manner! Sewing for your dog and reaping the rewards!
Whether you’re the proud mom of a pint sized Chihuahua (small enough to don an upcycled sock-frock or go for a tote-ride to the mall) or a more imposing woofster (in need of a custom collarette or a decent pair of leg-warmers), I’m sure you’ll find a project that’s the right fit.
Time to give back to the ones who love us the most, our precious pooches!
Let’s keep little bodies warm and woofing, ready to face the packs at the park in the best of doggy style! We’ve put together an array of easy dog sewing tutorials, dog clothes patterns and doggy up-cycles to keep you busy over a weekend or just for a couple of hours. A little bit of labour for a lot of love and laughs!
Sewing for Your Dog
You can also check out our mug rug or 21 sewing projects for pets posts for even more ideas on things to sew for your pets. Those of you who prefer your feline friends, don't worry…we've also got plenty cat sewing projects to keep you busy!
This one goes out to all the dogs out there, we love you too! Happy sewing, dog moms!
I had drafted out the Doggy Pleated Wool Coat Pattern (For Small Dogs) a couple of years ago. I made the coat for my first dog, Mikki. I came across the pattern as I was going through my backup files. The patterns are self-explanatory; You can download the patterns & instructions below.
You know you've made a great dog product...when it stays on! Unlike dog shoes, these leg warmers stayed on for hours, no problem. They were also incredibly easy to make. Just see instructions below and your dog can have his own leg warmers within the next hour!!!
Ok. So it's not really a sweater dress. It's just so fun and fancy with the ruffles and flower that it feels more like a dress than a sweater so that's what I'm going with.
Taking my dog for a walk is one of my favorite things to do. They love the outdoors and exploring everywhere. A leash is a must have for any pet owner– and even pets need a little bit of something extra special sometimes.
To start with, I planned each of the dog costumes using photos of the movie characters for inspiration. I then simplified them to their most striking asset and narrowed down what I would make for each.
This week, previous guest artist Anna Douglas, the artist extraordinaire responsible for Dodzilla, and former blog-dog Norton are going to show us how to make a seriously sweet little doggie hoodie for your favorite furry friend!
Tote your little dog around in style with this Legally Adorable Doggy Tote from Erika Lindquist. Similar to the bag made famous in the movie, Legally Blonde, this fun and funky dog craft is a great way to travel with your BFF.
I discovered this idea for dog collars while refashioning a shirt for myself, and even though it didn’t fit me at all, it is almost impossible for me to throw anything away.
I wanted to experiment with a dress for my female Shih Tzu. I went to my local thrift store and bought this little infants dress in size 12 months, for only $1.75. My female weighs about 7 lbs so I did need to cut off some excess material.
I wanted to make a tie for my daughters dog for Valentines Day. Then I saw a tie from the dollar store and I was just going to tie it on him, but it did not look right, so I got out some scissors and thread and did some changes.
Last week I made him A little formal vest with a tie shape! and I wanted to share how I made his last little jacket in case someone else wants to try it. This is how it looks:
This will work best if you have a small dog. I’m not sure where someone can find really big socks to make a sweater for a larger size dog. Perhaps you can use a holiday stocking, but then your dog may be embarrassed to wear a sweater with a big snowman or Santa Claus on it.
My Pomeranian/poodle mix Coco loves to go for a walk. Even though she is only 10lbs, she pulls when on a leash. I purchased a small nylon webbing style harness and it helped. But it wasn’t cute. So I took a look at the way it was engineered and duplicated the idea with soft, cuddly fabric. You simply slip your dog’s front paws through the loops and wrap it across his/her back. Velcro will keep it snug. Set aside an hour and make your best friend one soon.
Show your furry kid how special she is with a cozy bed/tent combo. This simple pattern can be scaled to the size of your pooch. As a bonus, design it to fit your décor. Home sweet home. Woof!
I have a Borzoi, second largest dog and need a pattern for winter to keep this very thin dog warm. For the summer I have made a wet coat that most people do not know about. It is thin terry and you wet it to keep the dog cool and protect from sun and to help keep hair out of your face when the family is in the car. My dog loves it and I have made a few. Just have your dog stand/stay and put paper over the dog and with a marker draw a pattern quickly and add velcra around neck and strap velcra around center of the dog.
robin
I have to put clothes on my dachshund because he has a skin condition and it’s made worse by his licking and rolling around in the yard. There need to be more patterns just for dachshunds and other big chested and longer dogs – Bassset hounds, pugs and the like. Regular dog patterns don’t fit these dogs because of the different body shape
Anke Barr
Please don’t dress up your dog, his coat is a wonderful instrument, in fact the more you ‘pamper’ him, the worse his coat will be…… Please let you dog be a dog…..
Ever hear of the Thundershirt? Some dogs are comforted by wearing shirts. Raincoats are a MUST with longhaired/curly haired dogs, and when I get our mini poodle groomed in winter, he absolutely needs a coat.
Also, short haired dogs often need coats or shirts, even in summer because they can get sunburned too.
Gayle
Needs some ideas for my airedale…..
Judi Gilbert
Cute. But I need patterns for a larger dog. I have an American Pit Bull Terrier and she has a very deep chest like a greyhound. She’s 60 lbs. Any suggestions?
Wow! Big dog. Those are lovely dogs though. We’ll have a look around and add it to the roundup if we find something. Kind regards and happy sewing!
Cherilyne
Great idea, fully washable and you can control the loft of the stuffing. Doesn’t work so well with large dogs unless you make a couple of these, sew them together and make a cover to pretty things up.
Stormy
I like to take a pillowcase and throw all of my scraps in it. When it’s full I sew up the opening and Foxy has a new dog bed.
We are delighted that you found your way to So Sew Easy! We are here to inspire you, guide you, and also learn with you.
If you can donate a few dollars to help us keep running the site, we would be very grateful!
Subscribe to Our Sunday Email and Never Miss a FREE Pattern!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Pirate costume
Pleated coat
Easy coat
Doggy bandana
Upcycled doggy T
Leg warmers
Embellished dress
Spiderdog outfit
Leash tutorial
Kerry tent
Starwars doggiecostumes
Dog hoodie
Legally adorable dog tote
Harness vest
Dogpants
DIY ccllarettes
Doggy dress
Poochtie
Dog tux
Sock sweater
Round dog bed
Kimono harness
Dog bed tent
Pyjamas Adjustable size
Repurposed Men's Sweater
Big Dog Raincoat
I have a Borzoi, second largest dog and need a pattern for winter to keep this very thin dog warm. For the summer I have made a wet coat that most people do not know about. It is thin terry and you wet it to keep the dog cool and protect from sun and to help keep hair out of your face when the family is in the car. My dog loves it and I have made a few. Just have your dog stand/stay and put paper over the dog and with a marker draw a pattern quickly and add velcra around neck and strap velcra around center of the dog.
I have to put clothes on my dachshund because he has a skin condition and it’s made worse by his licking and rolling around in the yard. There need to be more patterns just for dachshunds and other big chested and longer dogs – Bassset hounds, pugs and the like. Regular dog patterns don’t fit these dogs because of the different body shape
Please don’t dress up your dog, his coat is a wonderful instrument, in fact the more you ‘pamper’ him, the worse his coat will be…… Please let you dog be a dog…..
Ever hear of the Thundershirt? Some dogs are comforted by wearing shirts. Raincoats are a MUST with longhaired/curly haired dogs, and when I get our mini poodle groomed in winter, he absolutely needs a coat.
Also, short haired dogs often need coats or shirts, even in summer because they can get sunburned too.
Needs some ideas for my airedale…..
Cute. But I need patterns for a larger dog. I have an American Pit Bull Terrier and she has a very deep chest like a greyhound. She’s 60 lbs. Any suggestions?
Wow! Big dog. Those are lovely dogs though. We’ll have a look around and add it to the roundup if we find something. Kind regards and happy sewing!
Great idea, fully washable and you can control the loft of the stuffing. Doesn’t work so well with large dogs unless you make a couple of these, sew them together and make a cover to pretty things up.
I like to take a pillowcase and throw all of my scraps in it. When it’s full I sew up the opening and Foxy has a new dog bed.
Stormy, that is a fantastic idea!