How to Make Winter Dog Clothes

Winter dog clothes don't need to be expensive boutique fashions purchased for exorbitant amounts of money. With moderate sewing skills and an afternoon, you can recycle a woman's wool sweater into a stylish dog coat and hat. By washing a wool sweater you "felt" the wool, causing the fibers to shrink and bond, which forms a strong wool fabric. This wool cut from a sweater makes a coat and hat for a small to medium dog.

Things You'll Need

  • Wool sweater
  • Washing machine
  • Clothes dryer
  • Tape measure
  • Scissors
  • Table
  • One 3 inch by 24 inch stretch velveteen strip
  • Straight pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Chalk
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Instructions

  1. Making a Winter Dog Sweater

    • 1

      Wash the sweater in hot water in your washing machine. Dry the sweater in your clothes dryer.

    • 2

      Measure your dog from the neck to the base of the tail. Add 1 inch to this measurement.

    • 3
      Make a dog sweater from the sleeve of an adult-sized sweater.

      Lay the sweater on a table. From one sleeve cuff, measure the length of the sleeve according to the dog's length measurement from Step 2. Cut off the sleeve at this measurement.

    • 4

      Place the sleeve right-side out on a table. Turn the stretch velveteen strip over so you're looking at the wrong side of the fabric. According to Denver Fabrics, "Velour and stretch velvet have a soft brushed nap on the right side, velvet has a shinier appearance than velour."

    • 5

      Place the velveteen strip on top of the sweater 1 inch from the cut sleeve edge. Align the edge of the velveteen with the cut edge of the sleeve. Pin the velveteen around the cut sleeve opening.

    • 6
      Sew the velveteen to the cut sleeve opening.

      Sew the velveteen to the sleeve edge using a straight stitch and a 1 inch seam allowance. Remove the pins.

    • 7

      Turn the sweater sleeve inside out. Fold the velveteen under 1 inch, and pin it onto the inside of the sweater.

    • 8

      Sew the velveteen to the sweater edge using a wide zigzag stitch and a 1 inch seam allowance. According to Pattern Review, you can top stitch the velveteen if you wish so that the seam will lay flat. Turn the sweater right-side out.

    • 9

      Slip the velveteen trimmed opening over the dog's head, pulling the sweater cuff to the neck. Measure the distance from the neck to the dog's front legs. Make a mark with chalk onto the sweater where the dog's legs should emerge. Remove the sweater from the dog.

    • 10

      Cut holes over the chalk mark indicating where the leg holes should be, making sure they are large enough for your dog's legs. Use a tight zigzag stitch on the sewing machine to zigzag around the leg holes.

    Making a Winter Dog Hat

    • 11
      Make a dog hat from a sleeve of an adult woman's sweater.

      Follow Section 1, Step 1, or use the other sleeve of the sweater used in Section 1.

    • 12

      Measure the distance from the dog's eyes to the top of his head. Add 2 inches to this measurement.

    • 13

      Measure from the cuff to the length determined in Step 2. Cut off the sleeve at this measurement.

    • 14

      Turn the sleeve inside out. Sew horizontally across the cut opening using a straight seam and a 1 inch seam allowance. Turn the hat right-side out.

    • 15

      Place the hat on the dog's head. Fold the sweater cuff up until the hat fits. Use chalk to mark on the hat where the dog's ears should emerge. Cut two holes on top of the chalk mark, making the holes big enough for the dog's ears. Sew the edges of the holes using a tight zigzag.