How to Make Toy Poodle Clothes

Small dogs are often chilly. Besides, a fair part of the fun of owning a toy poodle is buying or making toy poodle clothes. These little dogs have a reputation of being clowns and thriving on attention so dress him to suit his personality. Toy poodle clothes can range from practical sweaters and coats for winter warmth to the fun and ridiculous like a tutu or tee.

Things You'll Need

  • Heavy outer fabric
  • Light inner lining fabric
  • Hook and loop fastener
  • Paper for pattern making
  • Sewing machine
  • Coordinating thread
  • Hand sewing needle
  • Embellishments
  • Tape measure
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Instructions

    • 1

      Decide what sort of toy poodle clothes you want to make for your pup. Clothes for toy dogs can range from useful and necessary to utterly frivolous. There are many patterns available to make a wide variety of garments for your dog, and you can find free patterns online. For a first try at making poodle clothes, start with a simple dog sweater or coat.

    • 2

      Measure your toy poodle. You will want to know her chest measurement, neck measurement and neck to tail length. If you are making a gift, choose a size extra small or small for the toy poodle, depending on size. An extra small will typically fit teacup sized poodles, whereas a small is a better fit for a typical toy sized dog. You should also determine how much of the pup's sides you want the toy poodle coat to cover.

    • 3

      Sketch out the basic shape of your dog coat. Start with a center line, the length of the your neck to tail measurement. Draw perpendicular lines out the desired width of the coat. You now have the basic block for the simplest of toy poodle clothes. Create a gently curved neckband that can wrap around the poodle's neck with an extra two to three inches for fasteners, leaving it open to secure with hook and loop tape. This curve should fit the desired neck measurement. Extend a belt or band below the dog's front legs to further secure the poodle's coat, allowing space for hook and loop closures. Allow a half inch on each side for seam allowances. Round the lower edge of the dog coat. If you already have toy poodle clothes that fit well, lay them out on your tracing paper and trace with a pencil or mark with chalk to make a pattern. Cut out your paper pattern and try it on your fuzzy model. Adjust fit if needed.

    • 4

      Cut two pieces of your pattern out of fabric, one outer and one inner. Stitch right sides together, leaving an opening for turning. Turn right side out and press. Whip stitch the opening closed or top stitch all the way around the coat.

    • 5

      Add hook and loop fasteners to the neck and chest bands. This will allow you to put your toy poodle clothes on quickly and easily. You can also add embellishments as desired. A tweed dog coat will look adorable with a belt buckle scavenged from an old belt or handmade felt flowers might be added to a more feminine dog coat. Once you have successfully started making toy poodle clothes, you can make tees, dresses, tutus, sweaters and more.