Are you sensing a theme with another raincoat post?  Yes, it’s still raining here in the Pacific NW.  I never thought I’d be someone who put a raincoat on a dog, but then I noticed that if it was raining on walks, Saffron would walk next to walls in their rain shadow and she’d linger a looong time under trees.  I realized if she were a feral dog left to make her own decisions, she’d be snuggled up under a porch or bush where it was dry.  Smart dog!  The least I can do is make her more comfortable, but her old coat is too short and doesn’t protect her ears at all.

So now Saffron needs a new coat and:

• I don’t want to spend a lot
• I can’t find a coat I’m satisfied will help keep her ears drier
• I want a coat made from tough, weather-proof fabric not cheap vinyl

Quilted version

I’m going to have to make it myself, so I made a trip to my favorite thrift store and found an awesome women’s stadium coat with a hood for $9.99.  With the help of this great tutorial on how to make a dog coat from a recycled jacket, I’m going to turn it into a raincoat for Saffron.  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

In the meantime, check out the tutorial which can be used on any type of recycled jacket or with yardage.  There’s a printable pattern that’s in real size so you can print out the pieces, tape them together, & adjust the size to fit your dog.  And never fear, there are excellent printable instructions, that include tips on how to adjust the pattern to fit your dog.

(The creator of the tutorial is Diana Durkes from the super cool blog, Fine Diving–New Life For the Tossed & Found. If you’re in the Chicago area, check out her sister blog, Garage Sale Warrior.)

Your jacket doesn’t have to cost much.  Look for remnants at your fabric store—a cute, durable upholstery fabric could be really cute.  You could also use fleece.   Or you could use a blanket from a thrift store.  If you find a fun wool blanket, you could felt it to make a more durable & very cute jacket.

Here are a few tutorials on felting:  this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.

In addition to fabric, you’ll need:

• paper to make the pattern
• sufficient fabric, plus fabric for lining if you plan to line it
• fasteners like buttons, velcro, snaps
• embellishments if you want them

The tutorial shows you how and where to measure.  Then how to transfer the measurements to paper to make the pattern.

Here are some instructions to help flesh out Step 4:

1. fold your fabric in half & place “spine” of pattern on the fold
2. when you cut the fabric, pad the pattern with extra fabric for seam allowances (5/8″ or 1.5cm is standard) unless you’re using fabric that won’t fray such as felt
3. add tabs for fasteners
4. cut out lining if needed, again padding the pattern for seam allowances as above
5. if there will be no lining, hem the jacket
6. if there will be a lining, place RIGHT sides together, sew leaving opening to turn the jacket, turn and finish the jacket
7. add fasteners and any embellishments

Here’s a great little tutorial on how to make a nifty cat bed (or small dog bed) out of an old sweater. Clever and thrifty!  (Note: the tutorial uses contrasting yarn so you can see the work–you should use matching yarn and the seams won’t show.)

You don’t even need a sewing machine for this though you could use one.  You will need:

• an old sweater—yours or from a thrift store
• batting, fabric scraps, etc. for stuffing
• yarn
• large tapestry needle (size 13)
• scissors

When you’re finished, the arms of the sweater will be bolsters encircling the bed.  This is a pretty easy project and the author said it took her longer to write the tutorial than to make the bed.  She also has a great suggestion of making one to donate to your local shelter.  Nice!

The author of the tutorial has a fun blog on knitting and other crafty things.

Don’t miss this other DIY pet bed.