DIY: Dog Raincoat From Upcycled Jacket

February 17, 2010June 5, 2013

DIY: Dog Raincoat From Upcycled Jacket

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

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.)

February 11, 2010June 5, 2013

Broken Umbrellas Upcycled Into Dog Raincoats

I love this! Taryn Zychal had the great idea to take sad, broken umbrellas and transform them into cute raincoats for dogs. She has an etsy shop where you can get a coat for your dog big or small. Kitties aren’t left out because she even makes cat toys from umbrella scraps. Taryn was a finalist for the prestigious Cooper Hewitt People’s Design Award. She was also asked to make a couple of her coats for Martha Stewart’s French Bulldogs, Francesca and Sharky. Nifty!

December 19, 2009June 5, 2013

DIY: 3 Easy Cat Toys To Sew

If you’re not totally swamped by holiday preparations, you might have time to crank out some of these cuties for gifts. Here are 3 easy, inexpensive, and fun cat toys to sew.

A mouse tutorial from atinyhouse. You could skip the ears if you wanted.

A fish from Martha. She made a wand type toy with them by attaching them to a pole.

A crackly wrestle sausage from Green Little Cat. A plastic grocery bag provides the crackle.

September 8, 2009June 5, 2013

DIY: Pet Bed Round-Up

Fall is in the air here in the Pacific NW. It’s getting chilly and our cats & dog are finding snugly places to sleep. I may need to make a couple more small beds to keep the peace amongst the cats. Here’s the collection of posts on DIY pet beds.

A favorite spot for Sage is the bed I made from an old sweater. Here’s a great tutorial on how to upcycle an old sweater into a pet bed and you can check out how I made my version of the sweater bed.

Vintage suitcases make cute & clever pet beds. This post has a bunch of tutorials and examples of these fun beds.

I would consider learning to knit just so I could make some of these beds. You can knit & felt wonderful pet beds using the two great tutorials here.

If you crochet, check out this pattern for crocheting & felting a nifty bed.

You don’t have to be an expert in sewing to make this cute & easy nest bed.

Some cats & dogs like to burrow more in their beds and this tutorial on making a hooded pet bed is perfect.

A hammock for your small pet might be the best thing. Here’s a post on how to make a hammock that can be free-standing or placed on a furnace to keep our pet good and toasty.

And if you need to get your pet off a cold floor, or if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere and need to keep your pets cool, this post shows how to make an elevated bed out of PVC pipe like Kuranda beds.

January 24, 2009June 5, 2013

DIY: Custom Fit Dog Jacket

I found a great little tutorial on making a custom fit dog jacket over at BurdaStyle.com. This is mainly a tutorial on making & customizing the pattern, not actually sewing the jacket. You’ll need some knowledge about sewing, especially if you line the jacket. But, this is doable so don’t be intimidated.

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:

fold your fabric in half & place “spine” of pattern on the fold
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
add tabs for fasteners
cut out lining if needed, again padding the pattern for seam allowances as above
if there will be no lining, hem the jacket
if there will be a lining, place RIGHT sides together, sew leaving opening to turn the jacket, turn and finish the jacket
add fasteners and any embellishments