Tutorial Tuesday - easy dog sweater

If you've been following my blog, then you know that we recently adopted a dog, Spots. Since she's a short haired dog, she gets cold easily, so I set to work making her a sweater. Since it's spring I decided to use a light merino. Since I have a pattern now, whipping out a couple of heavier weight ones won't be a problem in the fall. This probably took me less than a 1/2 hour from start to finish and will be much faster the next time around, now that I have the pattern. On to the tutorial!

First, make your pattern. This is the basic shape you will want:

I won't bother giving the measurements of mine, since every dog is different, but you see the basic shape of it. Measure your dogs neck loosely and make the top of your pattern half that. Measure your dog's waist and the bottom of your pattern will be half that. Cut your leg holes and try them on your dog. If you use newspaper for a pattern, like I did, it will be no biggie to throw it in the recycling and start again if you mess up your first pattern. I may or may not be speaking from experience ;)
Next select your sweater, neck, and legs for your sweater. I chose different colored cuffs from another sweater, but it can all come from the same sweater. I used a turtle neck from the sweater for the neck, but a piece of ribbing, or even a stretchy piece of wool folded in half would make a fine neck.

Cut out your pattern pieces (one with leg holes, one without), with the sweater's hem at the bottoms, and sew them together "right" sides in.




Now you will add your legs. Don't worry if the cuffs are a little smaller than your leg holes... just stretch them a little as you sew them together. When you look inside your legs you should see the seam. That way you know it is going on the right way. Sew your neck on too.




Flip it right side out, and ... voila! Dog sweater! Easy, eh? I love recycled wool :) She loves her new sweater, and if I hold it out Spots will come running and stick her head through the neck. She had a blast playing in the yard on Saturday in her new sweater, even though it was a chilly spring morning.






Edited to add: To add a "skirt" to this sweater, go here.