Dog Coat 4

Because I can not make a coat for one dog and the other not get jealous, here is another coat from the same sweater. This dog knows how to do the "I'm so sad" look very well!

 Waiting not so patiently for her coat to be made! I had to tell her twice she could not sit on the work bench.

 This is the pieces to her coat she is keeping an eye on.

 I didn't have enough for the arms or waist so I used the lining from the hood of the sweat shirt. Buttercup looks better without sleeves.

Pretty Buttercup showing off her new coat!

Dog Coat 3

 My little low rider dog decided to get her other coat muddy, so I quickly made up another so she could have a spare to wear after her bath.

 Clean fur, fresh coat, snuggle blanket, perfect!

  I used another one of my boys sweat shirts that they had outgrown.

She's a real model.

  I added another two inches to my pattern to cover more of her torso. This one had a big pocket on the front.

  I picked out the pocket so my pup wouldn't think she needed to fill her pockets with sticks, she loves her sticks!

Boys Sweat Shirt into Two Dog Coats

Buttercup

 I caved and made Dog Sweaters! 

I, up until now thought "pets don't need any clothing what so ever", "why would you put your poor pooch through that"! Well, I was wrong! We have had a COLD start to Fall and my little pups are suffering.

 While sorting through clothes for Goodwill I came across a sweat shirt that both of my sons have out grown. I thought if I make them and they don't like to wear them then it wont be like I had wasted any money.

Taffy

 To my surprise both dogs loved having them on and did not want them removed once they went out for a potty and came back in.

Both of them were made from a sized 5T Seattle Sea Hawks Sweat Shirt. Taffy's was made from the sleeves, Butter's it the torso.

Re-puposing Boys Pants

Pants don't come cheap and if there is a way to ease the pain in my wallet by not having to spend extra money to replace them, I'm all for it. I have done all of these in the past just to keep my sons and husbands work pants in the rotation. I would have done a "how to" on these but there are other moms that beat me to it and hey why go and post something that is already explained well on these moms sites.

Image from Tonya Staab

 Above and below are both from Tonya Staab's site. Top she has patched the holes with fabric and below she has added fabric cuffs. I have done both of these on the pants of all the men in my house little and big.

Image from Tonya Staab

Image from Kandeeland

This one is from Kandeeland and it is the most easiest one there is to make shant/jorts/corts...... or any other name for pant shorts. It is also the one we use most often at my house with my youngest. He does not put holes in his knees, his pants get converted because he has long legs and pants look like high waters on him.

Thrift Store Redo - Summers End Frock

After Redo

1 thrift store dress needing some attention 

+

1/2 of a favorite pattern 

=

1 really awesome Summers End Frock

The pattern I used was Burda World of Fashion 6/2010 Dress 118 (bodice pieces only)

All of the new bodice came from the top portion/sleeves of the old dress. I cut the skirt off of the old dress 1" below old seam (could not get old sticky stay tape to come off old seam) and just reattached it to the new bodice.

I did not get to do the gathers I wanted because of the fabric runs when pulled so I did small pleats.

Before Redo

It was very frumpy before and real hot to wear, now it is very breezy and a great choice for the sun.

Taffy's Shirt Tutorial

The chest stays the same on the pattern but the belly is adjustable. Taffy has a chest of 17" but her tummy is 11". The pattern goes up to a 17" belly for those of you using the pattern for a dog with out a figure. My pattern is intended for small dogs with a chest of 17" and a waist of 11-17". So you need to measure your dogs tummy to see what size to cut.

So as requested here is the Tutorial on how to use the pattern and put the shirt together.

Freezer Paper Stenciling

photo: sir bubbadoo

I have been doing this for awhile myself but never made a how to for sharing. Kristina at Sir Bubbadoo has put together a great tutorial on how to do freezer paper stenciling and it covers every thing you need to know. The only thing she does differently than I do is she irons afterwards (I never do that, I think should start), but the rest is the same. I love her the onesies she has made.

Taffy's "Re Purposed" Dogie T-Shirt

Okay, this post is about my 9 month old dachshund and her up coming need for clothes. Taffy loves to be outdoors but in the winter when it is below freezing she needs some extra warmth.  I searched for hours the other day to no avail for a dog shirt pattern online. All I came up with was people doing crummy how to's about putting theirs together but did not give the pattern they were using or cruddy YouTube videos on the patterns they wanted you to buy.

 I decided to just draft her her own pattern for a shirt, hay it's what I do for any thing else, right? This is my first attempt at making Miss Thing her very own dogie shirt, not bad for my first try! I used one of my old shirts that I was not going to ever wear again to practice on since I did not want to mess up any nice fabric.

 Since she is a dachshund her shirt is longer in the torso than most shirts found in stores and it has a tiny waist too. She loved the extra attention I gave her and did not want me to take her shirt off.

 My next attempt at a pattern it will be one with higher arms holes, I guess they are called "muscle shirts", I don't know.

Sweet Pup!

The pattern I made for Taffy's Tee Shirt can be downloaded for FREE Here. 
The chest stays the same on the pattern but the belly is adjustable. Taffy has a chest of 17" but her tummy is 11". The pattern goes up to a 17" belly for those of you using the pattern for a dog with out a figure. Enjoy!


Need help or want to know how to put it together go to my Tutorial Here.

Khaki Transformation

I had these pants that I was not going to wear Ever! 

A couple months ago I seen a technique tutorial on Burda Style that explained how to convert a pair of pants into a skirt, so that's what I did.

Before: 

 Front

Back

After: 

 Front

Back

You can find the technique here:

Turn trouser pants into skirts

There was another with more detailed steps but I could not find it, when I do I will post that one as well. 

Brown Spider Shirt

I told Daniel I had a surprise for him when he finished studying and doing home work. I did not tell him what it was or the fact that it was something that I made. I made him a shirt with a brown spider on it because of his fascination with bugs of all shapes and sizes. When he finished his work I took him to my work room and told him "HAPPY THURSDAY", his face slightly contorted (he's not a clothes sort of guy) then I unfolded it to show him what he was getting. I have never seen him get so giddy over a shirt in his whole life, mommy knew that even though he does not like new clothes he will always have room in his closet for a "cool manly T-shirt".

Now does he not look chuffed to you?

 He could hardly hold a strait face, he was that happy.

 I had to tell him to sit for awhile and breath deep breaths and to calm down.

 A little crushed leaf blowing always good.

Close up shot of the spider!

Peace Out!

Hand Me Ups!

 Was once Daniel's now its MINE! 

Yes I raided my sons closet! No not really, I bought the shirt with the intentions of giving it to him but soon realized that the neck would not fit over his head. So I was going to give it to Good Will and the strangest thing happened I tried it on and it fit except the gagging collar. 

 Before with the shirt that donated the dark blue strips.

 Notice how itty bitty the neck is, it was a real choker.

 I cut the neck nice and wide.

 I cut five 2" strips of the dark blue and sewed them onto the light blue shirt 1/4" apart folding the top of the strips into the inside of the neck. once they were secure I folded the edge of the neck in and zig zagged it to finish up the neck edge.

Next time I think I will try narrower strips.

Little Chaps From Jeans Tutorial

You can download My Pattern for "Little Chaps" sizes 2-9 
from Burda Style or Media Fire.

What you will need for this project:

1 pair of old jeans

2 pieces of 2" long elastic

2 pieces of 4" long elastic

Start by cutting up the inner leg seam to the crotch and back down again. Don't cut through the inner leg seam, we will be using it.

 The pattern is half of one chap leg, used by placing it on a fold of fabric to get a whole chap leg. I am using jeans so I have drawn the other half back on. 

Measure your kids side seam length (waist line down to ankle) and cut the appropriate size out. Pin the pattern to the jeans centering the side seam of jeans on pattern and cut out.

Cut out and save the pockets and that inner leg seam strip you saved earlier. Make sure that you cut out the back of the pocket as shown above right pocket. I am using the pockets for my son who has to have pockets on everything, you don't have to have them if you don't want pockets.

 This is what you should have so far: 

2 chap legs

2 pockets

1 long inner leg seam strip

Zigzag stitch around the chap legs starting at bottom edge stitching all the way around to the other edge.

Pin down 1 1/2" of the tops of chap legs and straight stitch 1/4" above zigzag stitching  leaving edges open.

 I added some of my own decorative stitching to the pockets after picking out the old stitching.

Pin and sew pockets down in the place where you would like them to be. Mine are 4" down from the top centered on the seam, so that my son's hands just fit in to them.

 Lace the inner leg seam strip through the open edges of both chaps. Position them both 1" from either edge of the middle and sew only those edges down (click on picture above to see closer).

I tried these on my son to get the positioning of the elastic strips right at mid thigh and at the ankle. Once you have the positioning right pin the elastic to the chaps (2" pieces on thigh and 4" pieces at the ankle). Sew the elastic on and your done.

The inner leg strip will wrap around the waist and tie in the back as shown above. Since the chaps are only connected to the strip at the back middle you can adjust the waist by scrunching it for smaller waists or leave it flat for larger waists.

Happy Sewing,
Charlotte