How to Sew Dog Clothes

Dog clothes for both small and large breeds are growing in popularity. Unfortunately, the cutest dog clothes are quite pricey. The solution is simple: Sew dog clothes that fit your pup's personality, style and breed. With a few easy measurements, you can make a variety of custom-fit dog clothes. Light fabrics work well for summer dog clothes, while fleece and wool make ideal coats and jackets for fall and winter wear.

Things You'll Need

  • Sewing machine
  • Thread
  • Fabric for exterior
  • Fabric for lining
  • Tape measure
  • Scissors
  • Pattern tracing paper, newspaper or tissue paper
  • Velcro
  • Sewing pins
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Instructions

  1. How to Sew Dog Clothes

    • 1

      You can make dog clothes to fit very small or very large breeds using the same basic strategies. Measure the neck, the broadest part of the chest and the length from the neck to the base of the tail. Draw a dog-shaped schematic and jot down these measurements where appropriate.

    • 2

      Start with a rectangle as the basis of your dog coat. It should be slightly longer than the dog's length measurement, depending on the style of the dog coat and the size of the dog. Make this rectangle the desired width of your dog coat.

    • 3

      Round both ends of the dog-coat pattern. Cut a circle the size of your dog's neck measurement, plus extra for wearing ease, from the neck end of the dog-clothes pattern. Open one end, noting that you will need to add 1 inch to each side of the opening to allow for overlap. You will also need a strip the length of your dog's chest measurement plus around 2 inches for overlap. The width of this belt strip should be proportional to your dog's size.

    • 4

      Cut both pattern pieces from the outer and lining fabrics, adding 1/4 inch all the way around for seam allowances. Stitch the right sides of both dog-coat pieces together, leaving an opening for turning. Turn right side out and press. Topstitch around 1/8 inch from the edge. Sew the belt pieces' right sides together, turn, press and topstitch.

    • 5

      Pin the belt into place and topstitch. Attach Velcro to the neck and chest belts. While you can sew dog clothes that are more complicated than this, a simple dog coat is an excellent start. Sew dog clothes to keep your pup warm or simply to make him a bit cuter. Try a costume for Halloween or use velvet for a holiday look when you sew your own dog clothes.