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.
Happy Earth Day! Check out these previous posts for ideas on things you can do to make your pets more earth-friendly.
Before you get rid those out-of-style sweaters you’ve been holding onto, consider making them into a snuggly bed for your pet. One way is to make a pet bed by crocheting strips of old sweaters. Pick colors that look good together—that awful 1980’s mustard yellow should probably be avoided. Visit a thrift store if you’re short on old sweaters. Or if you only have ones that are mustard yellow. No really.
After a little stutter of snow yesterday, it’s actually snowing with some conviction here in our corner of the Pacific NW. So here’s a clever project that recycles an old, wool women’s cardigan into a cute coat for a smallish dog. A large men’s sweater would work for at least a mid-sized dog. Make sure you use a wool sweater, otherwise it won’t felt. Don’t have an old sweater around? Get thee to your thrift store and find one for cheap. Be sure it’s larger than your pup, because it will shrink when you felt it.
Felted knits handle more like fabric and are more durable. (Here are a few tutorials on felting, in case you need them: this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.)
The tutorial has you fitting the sweater by pinning it while it’s on your dog. This seems like A Very Bad Idea. I think a better idea would be to mark the sweater where you have it pinched to take up the excess material. It might not be as precise, but you also won’t risk poking holes in your dog or yourself, which sounds much more pleasant to me. If you’re making one for a larger dog, I’d check the length of the sleeves before you cut them off.
So check out the tutorial and don’t miss the video that also shows how to make the cardigan dog coat. It can give you a better idea of how this project works.
I think this happens every Fall. The days start getting shorter and somehow my I’ve-Got-To-Make-Something! button gets pushed. Here’s the first DIY post in a long time—how to make a cardboard cat “tower” that hangs on your wall.
This is a great idea, since it doesn’t take up floor space, doubles as a cat scratcher, doesn’t cost much to make, can be customized, and can double as art. How cool is that?! You can use cardboard you have or you you can buy sheets of it. I would treat the “face” of the cardboard (the part that faces the room) so that it’s more aesthetically pleasing by painting it or by applying wallpaper, decorative paper, or fabric. This tutorial shows how to make your cat a happy camper!
You’ll need:
