How to Make a Tuxedo for a Dog

In many households, dogs are considered to be part of the family, and as such, they are expected to attend a wedding for their Mom or Dad, or another family member. Naturally they should dress for the occasion. Dog tuxedos are available at doggie retail stores, but a made-to-measure tuxedo fashioned by Mom or Dad will fit better and be more economical. With a little work and ingenuity, you can make a functional and smart dog tux from two T-shirts.

Things You'll Need

  • Black T-shirt
  • White T-shirt
  • Tape measure
  • Chalk
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine or needle
  • Black thread
  • Black and white lace
  • Black binding
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure your dog. Record the measurement around his girth, around his neck, from his collar to the base of his tail, front of his chest to the base of his tail and the distance between his legs. Buy two T-shirts, one black, and one white to fit your dog. Make certain the neck is not too tight.

    • 2

      Lay the black T-shirt out on a flat surface. Fold it so that the center of the back is at the top. Chalk a rounded shape angling from the top back to the front stomach area to fit the length of your dog and angle in at the stomach to allow him to lift his leg without soiling his tux. At the front of the shirt, draw a line behind the neck ribbing with a narrow rectangle in the chest area between the sleeves. Try it on your dog and when satisfied that it will fit, cut along the chalk lines. Measure the sleeves and cut them to shorten them a little. The length depends on the size of the dog.

    • 3

      Cut the most of the body off the white T-shirt. Try it on your dog. It should reach just to the lower end of his chest. Pull the black T-shirt over the white T-shirt while it is on your dog. It should cover him down to the base of his tail, and the white T-shirt's neck ribbing and front "bib" area should show where you cut out the rectangle between the sleeves. The white T-shirt's sleeves should extend beyond the black T-shirt's sleeves about two inches, depending on the size of your dog, to make cuffs.

    • 4

      Make a bow tie. Cut a small rectangle from a scrap piece of the black fabric, about 4 inches by 2 inches. Cut a smaller rectangle to go round the center of the tie, about 2 inches by 1 inch. Stitch the long ends of the rectangles together to make two tubes. Turn them inside out. Wrap the small rectangle around the large one in the center, gathering it a little, and stitch.

    • 5

      Hem the edges of the tuxedo or edge it with black binding or tape. Sew the bow tie in place on the white T-shirt. Add black and white lace ruffles down the center of the bib area on the white T-shirt. This is optional, but it does finish off the outfit. Sew the two T-shirts together at the neck and chest and "bib" area to make them into a single unit.