News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Last week’s post on the DIY Dog Rain Coat got me to thinking about all the other DIY dog coats & sweaters I’ve written about. Here are a bunch of tutorials on how to make your dog her own coat—everything from upcycling to sewing to knitting to even weaving.
Dog Raincoat from Old Jacket (for people) with pattern
Oil Cloth Coat with 2 patterns
Though it’s not a tutorial, this is a great idea! Check out these super cool coats made out of broken umbrellas created by Taryn Zychal.
Cute coat! Check out this great tutorial for a canine rain coat using oil cloth—the vinyl coated material used to make tablecloths, tote bags, etc. Oil cloth is waterproof, easy to clean, and now comes great patterns.
Heather, of Heatherly Loves, used an old dog coat as a pattern to cut out pieces from some oil cloth she had left over from another project. She used left-over knit fabric to line the coat, but knit can be fussy to sew. I would either not line the coat or would use flannel or light fleece. The result is a very functional, thrifty rain coat that looks really cute. I like that the belly strap is further back, though you’ll want to be sure a male dog won’t get pee on it. Saffron still shakes herself off even when wearing a coat and it always leaves the end of her coat flipped up. Having the strap further back might keep this from happening.
If you need it, here is a dog coat pattern that also covers the underside of a dog. This second pattern can be printed out and taped together. Need to custom fit a pattern? Check out this tutorial for customizing a pattern to your dog’s measurements. Finally, if you have left-over oil cloth, you can make a matching, foldable travel bowl for your pup.
I’m a big dork about Halloween. I really love it! Here’s a repost of a big collections of patterns you can use to make a jack-o-lantern for almost any pet.
I love carving something different each year on our pumpkins and, though I’m very fond of cats, I thought other pets should be represented too. Here are a variety of patterns for a bunch of different animals that should make some pretty nifty jack-o-lanterns. And, yes there are more cats. Just click on an image for a larger version to print or download.
And don’t miss these cat stencils and these dog breed stencils. Or you can make a stencil from your own photos of your pets.
Have a fun Halloween and keep your furred & feathered friends safe!
I freakin’ love these crocheted frisbees! A while back at the dog park, I saw a guy throwing one of these for his dog. I couldn’t tell how it was made, but I could tell it was soft, so it couldn’t hurt the dog when she caught it, and is was floppy, because after she caught it, she had a blast shaking it as she brought it back to her person—very fierce! A crocheted frisbee is also great for the less athletically inclined—if your throw goes wild, it won’t hurt any dogs or people who get in the way. Now, people from the Pacific NW tend to be pretty reserved and I never know how someone will react when I speak to them. I grew up in Texas where it’s rude not to acknowledge people in public and even after 25 yrs. this reticence of PNW native can be startling. This guy, however, was happy to let me check out the frisbee and to tell me about it. He got his at a toy store because he immediately knew it’d be great for his dog and that he could always take it with him since he could fold it up. I also like that you can throw it in the wash. You can have a lot of fun with the colors you use, so be creative! 
Crochet Frisbee I (this pattern was developed for Handmade Especially for You a charity that organizes knitters & crocheters to make handmade scarves for abused women. One of their members realized a soft frisbee would be great for kids also affected by abuse since it could be used indoors, for instance in a shelter.) 
Crochet Frisbee II 
Scalloped Frisbee (this is really a potholder pattern, but I thought it’d make a neat frisbee too! photo is via Oiyi’s Crafts)
For those of you who crochet, here’s a pattern for a pet bed (scroll down) called Kitty Cuddles. It’s crocheted & felted and is based on the KittyPi Bed (which is knitted & felted.)
The bed is shaped like a flat-bottomed bowl. It’s soft and comfy, but has some structure due to the felting. The bed looks very different before felting.
You’ll need to use a natural fiber yarn to get it to felt. 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.
