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Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Helen: Hello, and welcome to Love To Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s topic: Sewing for Pets.

Helen, how are you?

Helen: I’m great. How are you?

Caroline: So good. Sorry, I just took a sip of coffee.

Helen: Yeah, we’re actually recording a podcast right now. I don’t know if you knew that.

Caroline: I know. I’m sorry. I’m just so happy. I have a candle burning. I have a warm cup of coffee. And the sun is shining.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: I’m so excited for the day.

Helen: Yeah. It is a good day. It’s a sunny Sunday. I have plans to go swimming in the ocean later today in my wetsuit. Pretty stoked about that.

Caroline: I love that. I have plans to bask in the sunshine in my garden.

Helen: Oh, perfect.

Caroline: I’m so excited about today’s topic: Sewing for Pets.

Helen: Me, too. We’ve been wanting to do this episode for a while actually, and it’s been kicking around in our brains, but we were like, can we do a whole episode about pets? And the answer is yes.

Caroline: Yes. Absolutely, yes. Okay, but before we get to the main show, we’re going to start today’s episode with a listener tip about gathering. Shari wrote, “I was talking back to the podcast today. Soluble thread for zigzagging over dental floss! At least for that line of basting stitches near the seam line. Too many people are not aware of this very useful product. I use it anywhere I need to baste but don’t want to, or can’t, pull out stitches. Test the strength of the one you buy if you’re going to pull it for gathering, don’t iron it ‘til you’re done, and if you’re threading a needle, don’t lick the end!”

Helen: Oh, thank you so much for this tip, Shari. I didn’t even know that water soluble threads existed, to be honest, but it makes total sense. I mean, I know about dissolving stabilisers, things like Wonder Tape and stuff like that, but I never imagined that you could make thread out of that stuff.

And we did a little research and found a couple of options that will link up for everybody in the show notes. One is called Rinse ‘n Gone, and it’s made by Wonderfil. And the other is Vanish, and it’s made by Superior Threads. Wonderfil recommends storing your thread spool and your wound bobbin in a zipped up bag in a dry place. A drop of water could eat through quite a bit of the thread.

And when you’re ready to dissolve it, you can remove the thread by washing your project on a gentle cycle or by wetting it and brushing the thread with a toothbrush. I would recommend trying out the toothbrush method on a scrap before you do it on your main fabric, just in case. I think this is mostly intended for quilting cottons. And I wanna reiterate something that Shari said, which is, don’t press over this thread. Finger press at the most, because any kind of moisture from your iron will also dissolve it.

But Caroline, this totally solves your problem that you’re complaining about.

Caroline: I know. Thank you so much, Shari, for coming to the rescue here, because I asked our listeners for tips. and you came through.

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: And I’m totally gonna try this because I do think that the zigzagging over dental floss, or cord method for gathering is faster. It was just that last step of removing the stitches that was hard. So this totally solves that problem, and I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!

Helen: Yeah, it’s so freaking cool, too.

Caroline: Yeah, come on. I just wanna, like, show everyone that thread can dissolve. That’s so cool.

Helen: I mean, I am definitely going to be licking it just to see what happens.

Caroline: Helen.

Helen: I can’t resist. Like, don’t lick that. Don’t lick it.

Caroline: Don’t do. Okay. You’re gonna do it. Alright.

Helen: Gonna do it anyway. Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Okay, next up we have a listener question. Sylvie wrote: “First, I am a fan of your podcast, and I am learning so much week after week! Here is my question: I am an apple shape, 44” bust and 40” waist. I have sewn a Style Arc Pixie Dress that I love but the front is shorter than the back, probably because of my bust and tummy. Is there a way to correct that? Thank you again!”

Caroline: Hi, Sylvie. Thank you so much for listening to the pod and for asking us this question. Okay, so the Pixie Dress is a loose shift with an A-line shape. It might seem silly to make a full bust adjustment or a full tummy adjustment to a garment that’s not super fitted. But it’s actually not. It can solve this exact problem.

Style Arc doesn’t provide a high bust measurement, but they do provide a shoulder breadth measurement, and this is the measurement from the bone at the edge of one shoulder across the back and ending at the bone at the edge of the other shoulder. You may need to press into your shoulder to find this bone. But Style Arc also recommends adding a finger under the measuring tape for ease.

So you’re gonna choose your size based on your shoulder measurement. And check out the bust measurement for that size. If your full bust measurement is larger, do a full bust adjustment. And this is gonna add extra fabric horizontally and vertically so that the front of your garment is gonna be longer. Because the Pixie Dress doesn’t have a fitted waist and since your waist is smaller than your bust, I don’t think you’ll need to make a full tummy adjustment to this pattern. But give this a try and see if it solves that issue.

Helen: Yes. Great tip. Okay. Are we ready to get into the show, Caroline?

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I’m so excited, Helen. We love our fur babies and sewing things for them is great because it’s an easy win. Whipping up something cute for your pet’s a great way to take a break from complicated garment sewing.

Helen: Yes, it can also use up scraps. Lots of the projects we’re gonna talk about today only use a little bit of fabric. And bonus: you can use your garment sewing scraps, and you can match your pet. Ooh, I love that.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I love this, too. It’s also a great way to show the world that your pet is the main character. Who else has a custom collar and leash at the dog park? Nobody. That’s who.

Helen: I don’t know, in Vancouver, like, statistically, quite a few people probably. Okay. It is a total crossover of two of our favourite obsessions: sewing and our pets, or our fur babies, as we’re calling them today. So in this episode, we’re gonna go over a bunch of projects that you can make for your dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and rodents.

I’m gonna be honest, this episode is 99% about dogs and cats, but if you have goats or something, you might find a few ideas that you could adapt. And we do have one project that works for the birds and the rodents. Plus, we have lots of tips for making your project safe, practical, and comfy for your animal BFFs.

Caroline: Shout out to any of our listeners who have goats. Do you think any of our listeners have goats?

Helen: Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah.

Caroline: I love it. Email us if you do. I wanna, I wanna know about your goats. Okay. Before we get into the projects we’re gonna talk about today, I think we should introduce our pets to our listeners, a formal introduction.

Helen: Okay, Caroline, tell me about your two pets.

Caroline: Okay, so I have a dog named Pepper. She actually just turned five this week, and I also have a cat named Fraidy. He’s 12. He’s approximately 12. We don’t have his exact age, but when we got him, he was around three.

We like to call them “roommates.” Like, they’re good roommates. They’re not necessarily friends, but they do care for each other. And once in a while we’ll catch them, kind of, close to each other on the couch. But yes, they, they do respect each other a lot and cohabitate really well.

Pepper is about 40 pounds. How, how much detail can I go into here?

Helen: I mean, please, describe Pepper.

Caroline: I feel like, like, a dating profile. Pepper is a medium-sized dog. She’s about 40 pounds. She’s very fit. She’s…

Helen: Oh, my gosh.

Caroline: Well, people always comment on how, like, muscular or, like, lean she is. She’s a lab border collie cross, so she has short hair. She’s white with black spots. And obviously, she’s very cute, but I’m biased. I just think she’s the sweetest, most adorable dog in the world. She’s super smart.

She doesn’t love eating, which is a weird quirk of Pepper. It takes a lot for us to get her to eat, but that’s just, you know, it’s who she is. We love her for it. but she loves running around at the park and playing fetch. She loves cuddling and sleeping in her bed. Yeah, that’s Pepper. That’s Pepper for you. That’s my intro to Pepper.

Helen: I just love this description. Like, my dog loves the park and sleeping. She’s named Pepper because she has, like, pepper, little pepper spots all over her.

Caroline: Yeah. That’s why.

Helen: Little black spots. Yeah, she’s so cute. And I would say she has strong whippet vibes. Like, she’s quite slim for a lab border collie. Like, she has, she’s very lean looking or, like, a greyhound almost.

Caroline: She runs really fast at the park when she’s chasing her ball. She, like, loves to, like, sprint. We’re always like, wow, she’s so fast.

Helen: Yeah. That’s so fun.

Caroline: Okay, so Fraidy is about the polar opposite of Pepper. He is, so he’s a fluffy orange cat. Some might say slightly overweight. He’s a little bit lumpy, but we love him just the same. He loves food. Oh, my God. He loves food. He needs a snack every hour or else he will just wail at you. And him and Shea have a very special relationship. They cuddle all the time. He loves to just be like attached to Shea at the hip, basically all night long. He loves his treats. He loves catnip. What cat doesn’t love catnip? He’s not very active. He sleeps a lot.

Helen: He has pretty long hair. He is, like, very, very flooffy.

Caroline: He’s very flooffy, and he is a beautiful cat. Yeah. My mom always says he looks like Garfield, but I don’t, don’t know if I agree.

Helen: He does, kind of.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: He is gorgeous. He’s probably one of the most beautiful cats I know, personally. Like, no offence to all my other friends’ cats, but Fraidy’s up there.

Caroline: Yeah. And I think I’ve told the story of Fraidy on the show before, but he was definitely meant to be our cat. And maybe I’ll talk about it another time, but…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: He was my neighbour’s cat, and then, he was our cat because it was meant to be.

Helen: Exactly. Sometimes it just works out.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. Tell me all about sweet, sweet, Emma. You know how much I love Emma. Oh. Oh.

Helen: Emma’s so sweet. Okay. My dog is Emma. She’s a Rottweiler. She’s about 80 pounds, which is pretty small for a Rottweiler actually. The, the male rottweilers tend to be about, like, 120, 130 pounds. And the females are typically smaller, and so she is smaller. People often think she’s a puppy. She has big puppy energy even though she’s almost seven. But people are always shocked when we tell them that she’s seven.

She’s so, so cute. She has that classic rottweiler colouring, the black and the brown, and it’s, like, almost, like, luminous that, like, deep, rich brown, that’s just so beautiful. She loves to eat. She lives to eat. All she thinks about is food. She’ll eat, eat pretty much anything. She’s good though. She doesn’t beg for food or, like, try to get stuff off the table or counter or anything. But if you have something in your hand, like a treat for her, like, laser focus, and if you throw it in the air, she’ll do acrobatics to get the treat.

But if you throw a ball, she will literally just sit there and, like, stare into your eyes while the ball hits her in the face and she’ll just, like, pretend the ball doesn’t exist. Like, she has absolutely no interest in toys.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. That’s so true.

Helen: Can’t get her to fetch to save my life. Like, she’s the most boring dog to go to the park with ‘cause she just stands there. And yeah. She loves to eat, and she loves to cuddle. She’s a big cuddler. She’ll just, like, curl up next to us on the couch and fall asleep, and I love that about her. She’s so soft. So we spend a lot of time on the couch together.

And she’s been such a great dog. We got her when she was about three, and she came very well-trained. So I’m super grateful to her original owner who ended up having to get rid of her because her, she had another rottweiler in her house and they were not getting along. Emma is a single dog only kind of dog. She doesn’t care for other dogs much. So she rehomed her to us. And I’m so grateful she trained her so well. And she’s such a great dog. So I just feel so lucky to have her.

Caroline: And our, our puppers have met before a couple times, and they actually get along fairly well.

Helen: They do. Yeah, I would say Pepper is one of Emma’s favourite dogs.

Caroline: Oh, wow.

Helen: She doesn’t like very many dogs, so the bar is pretty low, but…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …but she does get along with Pepper. They are able to, like, coexist in the house together, so that’s great.

Caroline: Totally. Yeah. Yeah, we have some pretty cute pictures of them together over the last few years, so I’ll try to dig some of those up maybe…

Helen: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: …and put them on Instagram this week.

Helen: Well, Caroline, have you ever sewn anything for Pepper?

Caroline: I have, I, not a ton, and I definitely have some dream projects that we’ll, we’ll talk about. But I have made Pepper a cover for one of her dog beds. It’s, like, a quilted cover that was, like, you know, those Costco beds that you can get, like, the big circle ones? Those giant pillows.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I think you have one for Emma, too. It was, yeah, it, it needed to be replaced, so I, I did that. That one’s super cute. I’ve definitely made her bandanas over the year. Like, I love making her a matching bandana to something that I make with my scraps, and then, we can match. So love that. And she looks so cute in a bandana.

Helen: She really does.

Caroline: It really suits her. And I also, she has this, like, outdoor, kind of, raised bed that comes with, like, a frame, and it broke. Over the years, it, kind of, ripped. So I, I replaced that, which I think counts as a sewing project for Pepper. But it was really easy and straightforward to do. But yeah, I definitely have dream projects. Like, I really wanna make Pepper a jacket, but, like, I wanna make it next time I make a coat. I wanna, like ,make her a matching coat. Like, possibly the Closet Core pattern ‘cause I think it’s really cute. So that would be, ugh, just total dreams.

Another dream I have is to make a sling for Fraidy because like I said earlier, Fraidy is always attached to Shea. Like, in the evenings, Shea will pick him up and, kind of, like, hold him like a baby, like, on his side. Like, he’ll, kind of, one arm is, like, holding Fraidy, and Fraidy, sort of, like, clings to his shoulders…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …and just will just stay attached to Shea for, like, literal hours. Like, he just wants to be in Shea’s beard, basically. So I feel like one of those baby slings would work so well, ‘cause then Shea could have his hands free…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …and Fraidy could just be attached to him and they would just both be really happy. So this is actually, I think, an easy project that I could do. I don’t even think there would be much sewing involved, especially if I did the, like, wrap style.

Helen: True. Yeah.

Caroline: So I’m really, I’m dreaming about making that for Shea and Fraidy.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: I think they would love it.

Helen: Yeah, that sounds really cute.

Caroline: Yeah. What about you, Helen?

Helen: I have not sewn anything for Emma yet, but we do put bandanas on her a lot. And I was at the fabric store recently, and they had bandana fabric. You can buy it, like, on the bolt, and it’s basically just, like, a square of bandana in all these different colours. And then, you can just get them to, like, cut you a square of it. And then all, you have to do is hem it. So I bought some because they had this really beautiful blue colour, and I was just intrigued by it as a fun little project. So I was gonna make a bandana for Emma for the summer and a matching one for Sam. I got two.

Caroline: Is it all different colours on one length of fabric or did they have different bolts of different colors?

Helen: It was different bolts of different colours.

Caroline: And then, they cut you just a square?

Helen: They can cut you just a square or two. I got two squares, and it’s, like, narrower. It’s, kind of, like, interfacing with, like, I mean, it’s the width of a bandana basically, so…

Caroline: Oh.

Helen: …it’s narrower piece of fabric. Yeah, I thought that was really cool. I’d never seen that before, and I was just intrigued, so I bought some.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: But yeah, Emma looks so cute in a bandana. We often have a bandana on her, and then, I would love to make her a raincoat. We have a raincoat for her from a company called, Ruffwear, I think is the name, and it’s really great. And it rains so much here, so when we take her out in the pouring rain, it’s nice to cover her up a bit so she doesn’t get soaking wet. She doesn’t really like being wet. She’s not a swimmer.

And if she’s out in the rain, and she’s getting wet, she’ll just, like, shake the entire walk. Like, she’s trying to, like, get the rain off of her. The rain jacket actually helps a lot. She really likes it. And I think I would like to make her another one because the one we have is just a little bit too small. I feel like I could tweak it and make it fit her even better and get a little bit more coverage.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And then the other thing we have for her that we use a lot is a drying coat. So after we get in from the rain, especially in the wintertime, we’ll, like, wrap her up in this, sort of, like, towel coat so that she can, like, warm up. She probably doesn’t even care. It’s, like, more for my benefit ‘cause I think it looks adorable, and it makes me feel good to, like, put this little towel coat on her when she’s all wet.

Caroline: Mm-hmm. It’s, like, you’re caring for her.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I’m sure she appreciates it.

Helen: She seems to, she always just, I mean, she doesn’t really care about wearing clothes. Like, you put it on her and she’s, sort of, like, whatever. So I think she would happily wear, like, a full costume. I don’t think she would care at all.

Caroline: Pepper does not like full costumes. I once dressed Pepper up as a pizza, like a piece of pizza. She was not into it. She, she lasted approximately 20 minutes.

Helen: Oh, my gosh.

Caroline: And then I was like, you look sad.

Helen: She, Emma doesn’t like having stuff on her face or head, which is pretty typical for a lot of dogs. But if you put something on her body, she’s like, she just doesn’t even seem to notice, you know?

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I forgot to mention how much Pepper loves swimming…

Helen: Oh, yeah.

Caroline: …earlier. She loves swimming.

Helen: You should make her a bathing suit.

Caroline: Oh, my God. Like, a little one piece.

Helen: A little one… Blackbird Fabric swim.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. She does have a life jacket that she wears. I don’t know that I could make a life jacket, but yes. Okay, now I definitely wanna make Pepper a little swimsuit. She would hate it. Oh, my gosh. Oh, so cute. So cute. Okay.

Helen: Our goal today is not to torture our pets.

Caroline: No, absolutely not.

Helen: To find things that we can both love. And a lot of these things are really useful, too. So let’s get into the, some of these projects. Collars are a good place to start. You can use cute fabrics and even embellishments for a custom look. You can even make a whole wardrobe of collars for your pets, so you have collars to choose from. And we have a few considerations for you when you’re making a DIY collar.

Caroline: Yeah, collars need some hardware. So to make them adjustable, you’ll need a slider. We definitely recommend making your collars adjustable because then they’ll still be usable and comfortable if your pet’s neck measurements change.

Generally, it’s recommended that you be able to slide two fingers under the collar, but you shouldn’t have to force your fingers under. Your fingers should be snugly held against your pet’s neck. If you have a small pet, you can change the rule to one finger, and if you have a large pet, you change the rule to three fingers. So keep that in mind when you’re, sort of, sizing up your collar.

In addition to the slider, you’ll need a buckle for dogs. You can use a regular buckle that’s not gonna pull apart when you pull on it, but for cats, it’s better to use a breakaway buckle, also known as a quick release buckle. This is a buckle that can be pulled apart with force. Cats love to get themselves into sticky situations by leaping, climbing and crawling. Our assistant Lisa’s cat can wiggle herself through a three inch gap under a door. That is absolutely wild. But break away buckles ensure that cats don’t hurt themselves if their collars get caught in something.

The last piece of hardware that you’ll need is a D-ring. This is where you’ll attach your leash and ID tag. You can find collar hardware sets on Etsy and other online shops. You could also buy the pieces separately for small pets. Plastic hardware is nice because it’s lighter in weight, but larger pets can handle metal hardware or heavy duty plastic hardware. Another way to get hardware is to harvest it from an old collar.

Helen: Oh, that’s really smart. I’m laughing because I’m thinking about Emma’s collar. And her neck is bigger than her head, so it’s impossible for us to, like, keep the collar on her super well, like, she can always just get right out of it.

Caroline: Oh.

Helen: So we walk her with a harness so that we have something more stable to attach it to. But she’s so strong, like, I do not think I could make a collar or a harness out of just fabric that would actually work. But Eliane of Patchwork and Poodles actually bought a new collar and then, customised it. So she bought the collar from Dollar Tree, took it apart, and then, covered the nylon webbing with quilting cotton, and then, sewed it back together, and it turned out so cute. And the nylon webbing inside the fabric would make it super strong and durable. You’re basically just recovering a proper collar. So if you’re like me and you have a strong dog…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …you might wanna consider doing that.

Caroline: Pepper’s so dainty. She would never, like, break a collar. I could totally see Emma, like, just running and…

Helen: Pure muscle.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. When you said her neck is bigger than her head…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …it’s so true. Oh, my gosh. Okay. Sew Kate Sew has a free pattern for making a collar in sizes from extra, extra small to extra large, and she used the cutest rose gold hardware to make the samples. She didn’t use any interfacing, but I think for a large or extra large dog, it would be a good idea to interface it, that or use webbing and just cover it like in the other tutorial.

Helen: Yeah, totally. And fabric-wise here, I think you can go with light or medium weight wovens for most collars. Quilting cotton is great because it’s washable, medium weight, comes in all those cute prints. If you’re using a lightweight fabric, you might wanna interface it to give it more heft and strength.

For a larger collar, you could go heavier, like canvas or denim could look really nice. And again, if you want extra strength and security, you can use that nylon webbing and then, cover it with the fabric, and in that case, no interfacing would be needed.

Caroline: Yes, and you can embellish your collar. This is a great time to break out the embroidery stitches on your machine. You could stitch ribbon or rickrack across the length of the collar. You could even add narrow ruffles to the edges. This would be so, so cute. Or imagine a custom rhinestone collar, very glamorous. Just keep any three dimensional embellishments off the part of the collar that loops through the slider.

Helen: Oh, yeah. Smart. Okay. Leashes are another project that are similar and can look really amazing. The process is pretty much the same as making the collar. You’re gonna need a bit of hardware. At minimum, you’ll want one of those lobster clasps, so you can clip the leash to the caller or the harness. It’s optional, but nice, to include a D-ring by the hand loop so you could clip a little poop bag holder onto it if necessary.

Caroline: And just like collars, you can make your leash out of fabric and interfacing, or you can cover some nylon or cotton webbing for large or strong dogs. I think the webbing option is the best. Just note that cotton webbing is not gonna hold its shape as well as nylon webbing, and it won’t dry as quickly. Make sure you look for heavy duty webbing for your big fur buddies.

Helen: We like See Kate Sew’s free dog leash sewing pattern, which we’ll link for you in the show notes.

Caroline: You can also make your own harnesses. So we found a couple of good patterns for DIY dog harnesses. Simplicity 9664 is a dog harness and leash pattern that comes in small, medium, and large sizes. It’s the kind of harness that looks a bit like a butterfly going over the dog’s chest. And it’s made of both fabric and webbing rather than just strips of webbing.

It’s lightly padded and uses four buckles to close. It has a D-ring on the back to clip your leash, too. Seems like a great pattern. I was actually looking at Pepper’s harness this week and thinking it could use a little upgrade. It’s, we’ve been using it for years and maybe I’ll make her a harness. I don’t know.

Helen: That would be so cute. I feel like Pepper would look adorable in, like, a custom print harness or custom colour.

Caroline: I know.

Helen: We also found a tutorial for a step-in harness that’s made only from webbing. It uses one buckle, two D-rings, two O-rings and two sliders. And it’s by Wag Swag Pet Supplies, amazing name by the way. And in this tutorial, they stitch ribbon on top of the webbing. That’s a good way to personalise it, even though you’re not using fabric, which is pretty cool.

Caroline: And if you already have a harness you like, you can copy it. This is nice if you already know that your dog does well in a certain shape or style.

Helen: And for harnesses made of fabric, you do have options. For the layer that goes against the dog, choose a tightly woven fabric. Quilting cotton or broadcloth are good choices since the bottom layer is tightly woven and, therefore, functional, you can use a less functional fabric for the top layer, the outer layer.

For walking outside on wet days, keep in mind that synthetic fibres and battings will dry faster and hold less water. And then, for drier days or climates, natural fibres would be more breathable and they won’t hold smells as much. If you would like a harness that you can wipe clean, you could try a waterproof fabric like ripstop nylon.

Caroline: And one more tip about sewing, collars, leashes, and harnesses. You’re gonna wanna reinforce your stitches along the parts that will experience the most stress. So for a collar, put an extra row of stitches over the parts where the collar attaches itself to make the loops for the buckles. Make, make a box X stitch where the leash attaches to itself to make loops for the handle and the clip.

A box X stitch looks like a square with an X inside, and it distributes stress over a wider surface area, so it’s a lot stronger than a simple row of stitches. We’ll link a tutorial for how to do it. It’s really popular in gear sewing actually. I think a box X stitch would also be good for attaching the loop of webbing on a harness where you’re supposed to clip your leash ‘cause that will have some high stress.

Helen: Yeah, high stress.

Caroline: High stress.

Helen: Before we move on to the next project, a word about cat harnesses. I feel like I can hear the scepticism coming from our listeners, but it really is possible to walk cats. Our assistant Lisa walks her cat, and here’s what she has to say, “My cats love walks. It takes a bit of time and patience to get a cat used to a harness, but it’s totally possible. When I was working with my cat Rilla on it, the first thing I did was put the harness on her without Alicia attached inside the house. I left it on for a few minutes, and then, I took it off and gave her treats. I did this once a day for a few days, leaving it on for a little longer each time.

“Then, I took her outside with it. I made sure to pay attention to what she was communicating. If she indicated she wanted to go back inside, even after a few minutes, I would take her inside. This let her know that she wasn’t being forced to do it and made her less nervous. Walking a cat isn’t like walking a dog. It’s less walking and more exploring and wandering and tasting all the different kinds of grass. Rilla loves going outside so much that I can’t even accidentally touch her harness without her getting excited and asking to go out. I am the one who has to decide when to go inside because 99% of the time she isn’t ready, even after a long outing. Same goes for my partner’s cats, which are mine now, too.”

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. This is so cute. I have tried to take Fraidy out in a harness, and he doesn’t love it. But it depends on his mood and sometimes he just, like, goes out and just lays in the grass, and we just sit there with him, and it’s adorable.

Helen: Aw, that’s sweet. I like this advice about acclimatising your pet, too. I mean, anything that you’re trying to get them to get more used to, it makes sense to do it slowly and make sure that they’re comfortable.

Caroline: And there are differences between cat harnesses and dog harnesses. Cat harnesses are like little vests that fit snugly around the cat’s body. Anyone who has a cat knows how liquidy they can be. They can easily squirm out of a harness that would be safe on a dog, so make sure yours isn’t too loose.

Lisa uses an extendable leash so her cats can explore, but she presses the lock button if they’re getting too far away or if they’re heading for an unsafe area. Her best advice for getting your cat to use a harness and leash is to be patient. Let your cat guide you and make it as fun and relaxed as possible for them.

Helen: Ooh. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Lisa. We found a couple of free patterns that you can use to make your own cat harnesses. One is by So Sew Lovely, and it’s a butterfly shaped vest that closes with Velcro around the chest and ribs. Lisa said this is her preferred kind. We also found a pattern by Mikinoos that comes with a video tutorial that’s pretty sweet.

Caroline: Check out our show notes to find the links to the patterns, as well as a photo of Lisa’s cat Rilla on a walk. Proof that walking cats is possible.

Helen: Can be done.

Caroline: Okay, next up we’re gonna talk about clothing. Okay. I wanna acknowledge first that there are some pets that really do not like wearing clothing, and some do. So just know that we aren’t advocating forcing pets into uncomfortable situations, but for pets that don’t mind, or who benefit from wearing clothing for warmth and protection from the elements, it’s so fun to dress them up.

Helen: It really is. Mimi and Tara is a sewing pattern company for dogs. They have some great looking patterns, including a coloured button up shirt, dog pajamas. They also have some freebies, like a simple tank top, a raglan sleeve sweater, and even little dog booties to keep your doggies paws warm on cold weather walks.

Caroline: Aw. Oh, you can upcycle an old sweater to fit your furry friends. I know the perfect inspo for this. Hand-Me-Down-Hound is a Canadian small business. The owner Kayel upcycles sweaters for pets. I love that they keep so many of the details of the origina sweaters – ribbing, button plackets, collars, even hoods. If you don’t feel like making your own, definitely shop from them. If you do wanna make your own, just make sure to use a stretchy stitch, like a zigzag, to sew your seams.

Helen: And there are a couple of free dog coat patterns from indie companies that look really great. The Closet Core Dog Coat is a freaking adorable quilted coat in 11 sizes, which is a great range, and it looks really well-fitted and cosy. It even has darts. Can you imagine this coat with patchwork? Ugh. I feel like I need to replace Emma’s old drying coat with a new, like, quilted version.

Caroline: This is such a great coat pattern. This is the one that I’d love to try. I love that it’s quilted. I love the way that it wraps all around the body and, kind of, velcros on the back. I feel like it would be really comfortable and slightly adjustable, depending on your dog’s size. So yeah, really into this one.

The Assembly Line Pet Coat is more of a raincoat, intended to be made with waterproof fabric as the top layer, and it has a standup collar. It comes in three sizes. You can make yourself a matching hoodie poncho so you and your pup can be protected from the elements in style.

Helen: Ooh, this is the one that I wanna make. I was so excited that Lisa included this link to this raincoat in the show notes.

Caroline: So cute.

Helen: It is so cute. And I think it would fit Emma really well. And the hoodie poncho that goes along with it is also adorable. And I just happened to have purchased some Blackbird Fabrics rain fabrics when you guys dropped that a couple months ago, so I have the fabrics. I’m pretty much ready to go. We can match.

Caroline: Yes. What colors did you get in those fabrics?

Helen: The, like, really rich purple colour and the, like, kelly green…

Caroline: Oh, yes!

Helen: ‘cause I thought they would look really cute together. And I was like, maybe I’ll do some, like, colour blocking or something.

Caroline: Love it. Oh, that would be so cute.

Helen: So cute.

Caroline: Bandanas are a classic of pet fashion. These are one of the best ways of using up garment sewing scraps because then, you can match your pet, like me, and they make amazing gifts for dog owners, too. Plus, they’re pretty much the easiest thing you can make for your pet.

Helen: So the traditional kind of bandanas are a triangle or square that is hemmed. You can simply tie it around your dog’s neck. I think that a triangle is nice because it uses half the fabric, but it gives pretty much the same effect, and there’s a really simple tutorial with helpful measurements on K9 of Mine.

Caroline: There’s also the kind that slips over the collar. This style sits really nicely without blocking the collar, and there’s a tutorial for this on Spoonflower.

Helen: And for cats, I wouldn’t recommend the kind of bandana that ties. Instead, you could slip one over a breakaway collar or just use Velcro as a closure so that, again, they can get out of it really quickly.

Caroline: Pet beds are definitely practical. Our dogs and cats love them, but the ones you can buy, at least affordably, aren’t very inspiring. I see a lot of grey in the pet bed market.

Helen: So much grey.

Caroline: So much grey. The good news is that you can sew one yourself that matches your decor. So pet beds can be as simple as rectangular cushions. Choose a pillow insert, sew a cove, and you’re done.

Helen: Oh, I love that. Sew 4 Home has a free pattern for a polished looking pet bed with bolster sides. The genius thing about this is that the bolsters on the sides are not connected at the corners, but they have little ties, and when you tie them up, then they stand up around the edge of the bed and it’s so much easier to sew than a bolster that’s connected all the way around. It only comes in one size, but it would be pretty easy to modify for a bigger pet. Emma loves a, like, border on a bed. She likes, like, putting her head on, like, a raised surface.

Caroline: I know and it’s so cute, isn’t it?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Like, when a little dog is like, oh, and just, like, puts their little chin on the edge of the bed?

Helen: I know. I love it. Like, every time she gets on the couch, she makes a point of sitting so that she can, like, lay her head on a pillow. Like, you’re such a princess.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. See Kate Sew has a tutorial for the cutest cat shaped cat bed. It’s, like, a little hidey hole with cat ears.

Helen: I want a cat just to make this project. It’s so cute.

Caroline: Okay, I’m sorry, but this next one is also adorable. You can make your kitty a little hammock to lay in. I’ve seen these under side tables or coffee tables, and there’s a tutorial for one on Martha Stewart’s website that you can reference, and then, you could customise it to whatever table size you’re using. Just make sure the table you’re using is stable enough to handle your cat rolling around in a hammock underneath of it.

Helen: Oh, so cute.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I want a cat hammock. Come on. It’s so cute.

Helen: I have a hammock in my backyard and the very first time I used it, Emma was, like, very brave and climbed up into the hammock with me…

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: …but never again. Like, she’s never, has not since tried to get back up there ‘cause she doesn’t like unstable surfaces. And I think she was immediately full of regret.

Caroline: Same thing with Pepper. Actually, when she was a puppy the first day we took her home, she fell asleep in my arms when I was in the hammock. And I have pictures of her, like, kind of, sleeping in my little nook, in our hammock. But she will absolutely not get in a hammock anymore.

Helen: No, not interested. Yeah.

Caroline: No.

Helen: Okay. You can do what Caroline did and make a cover for a pet bed that you already have or even a new one that you buy. A removable cover is great because you can take it off and throw it in the wash, and if it wears out, you only have to replace the cover, not the whole bed. And you can also just trace an old cover, which I believe is what you did right?

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: …to get the size right.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: So handy.

Caroline: It worked great. And sometimes pet beds can be really cheap, you know, so it’s faster and easier to just buy one that’s already made and recover it than, like, try to figure out how to get the, like, filling and batting that you would need to make your own.

If your pet’s rough with their bed, you may want to use an extra durable fabric like canvas or denim for your pet bed. I’m using a quilted side for the top, but my edges and my bottom are out of, like, a really heavyweight cotton canvas, which I think is gonna work really well.

Cats love fabrics with a super soft pile. An affordable way to get this kind of fabric is to look for soft, fleece blankets, especially on sale or at discount stores, and you’ll get a lot more for your money than if you bought minky by the yard.

Helen: That’s so true. There’s always so many fleece blankets at thrift shops, and they’re often in pretty good condition. People just have a lot of fleece blankets, I guess.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Another thing that you can make for your pet is a toy. This is a fun, simple and creative way to use up scraps and delight your pets. And I mean, the stakes are pretty low here. It doesn’t have to be perfect. They’re probably gonna be chewing on it, so wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Stuffies are pretty easy. You can make them in fun shapes and embellish them with embroidery or fabric paint even. It’s a good idea to reinforce your seams ‘cause pets are not going to be careful with their toys. But that’s, kind of, the point, right? And make sure you’re using materials that are safe for your pet to be chewing on.

Caroline: Yeah, and you can put fun things in your stuffies, too. Search for squeaker replacement to find squeakers for dog toys. The crunchy sounding stuff in cat toys is called crinkle paper. And you can add catnip to cat toy stuffing, or even stuff, the whole toy with catnip. Just be careful ‘cause if your cat gets in there, they’ll go a little crazy.

Helen: I know that Bhairavi makes little, like, cat heart catnip toys, and they’re made out of felt and then, stuffs them with catnip, and they just look so cute, and they’re, like, fun little projects that you can make. I think that’s such a great idea.

If your dog eats the stuffing out of toys, just don’t stuff them. Leah Griffith has a tutorial for a no stuffing bunny that’s really adorable. It has more of a two-dimensional design. You could use this concept to make a million different kinds of toys without stuffing in them, and then, you won’t have to worry about your dog’s tummy or stuffing all over your place.

Caroline: Yeah. Puzzle feeders enrich your pet’s life. They engage your pet’s instincts for foraging and hunting. One puzzle feeder style we love is the snuffle mat. Snuffle mats are made with long strips of fabric and the strips make a pile that hides pieces of kibble or treats so that your dog or cat has to snuffle through it to get their snacks. And fabrics that won’t fray, like fleece or knit jersey, are good choices for a snuffle mat. Fabrics that fray will turn into a tangle of threads, which defeats the purpose. This is actually a no-sew project, but it’s a good way to use your scraps. Helen, you have one of these, don’t you?

Helen: I do. My friend Jen made a snuffle mat for Emma, and she loves this thing, like, I mean, you know, she loves to eat, so no surprises there, but it is so great. Often when we go to the park, what we do is just throw a bunch of kibbles in the grass, and then, she sniffs for them. And this is essentially that, but in the comfort of our own home.

So when we wanna give her something to do, entertain her for a little bit, we can just put a bunch of kibbles into the snuffle mat, and she absolutely loves it. And Jen made it all out of recycled fleece that she got at the thrift store. And then, she just, sort of, tied it onto a plastic mat. I’ll take some pictures of it. I’ll do a little video, too, ‘cause it’s really cute watching Emma get all the kibbles out.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. It is. It’s such a great activity to keep a dog busy if they are food motivated.

Helen: Totally. Slings we already mentioned. Those are a really fun way to carry around smaller pets. They’re pretty similar to baby slings, which is, kind of, hilarious. Ashlee from My So-Called Crafty Life has a free tutorial for a soft and cosy pet sling. It’s, kind of, like, a large cross body bag with a wide strap. For this pattern or any pattern that has a strap, make sure to use non-stretch woven fabrics ‘cause stretch fabrics will distort quickly, and the sling will become distorted and potentially unusable.

Caroline: And for a swaddle style carrier, on the other hand, you will want stretchy knit fabric. Swaddles are basically long, stretchy rectangles of fabric that you can wrap around yourself and tie. It leaves a pocket that holds your pet snugly against your body. Kathy May from Kathy May and Silas has a tutorial for one. She wanted a way to hold her dog hands free during the difficult parts of hikes. Swaddle to the rescue!

Helen: Ooh, I love this.

Caroline: This is what I wanna make for Shea, or I guess it’s just really cutting out a piece of fabric. But I feel like Shea swaddling Fraidy would be the cutest thing ever.

Helen: It sounds like Fraidy would love it, too. He wouldn’t have to cling on so hard.

Caroline: I know. I know. He could just relax.

Helen: Yeah. Exactly. Crate and cage covers are really handy for dogs, birds, and rodents. A basic design has panels that match the measurement of the top of the crate with panels that hang down over the sides. For extra functionality, you can make ties or tabs with snaps that you can roll up one side to keep it up. For extra fanciness, you can make side panels gathered or pleated like curtains. You could also make a variation by sewing three of the sides together and just leaving the front panel free to fold up. Or in the case of birds that need total darkness, you can sew all the sides together and then, just slip it over the top of the cage when it’s bedtime.

Caroline: And you can make your own poop bag holder. See Kate Sew has a great tutorial for one. It’s a little boxy zipper pouch with an opening on one side to feed the bag through like a tissue box. It has a lobster clasp so you can clip it to your leash or your belt loop and go hands free. And if you keep it clipped to your leash, you won’t have to remember to grab a bag every single time you take the dog out. I love the idea of making a whole matching set like a collar leash, poop bag holder, maybe even a little treat bag, too.

Helen: Oh, yes. Me, too. I wanna make one of these little bags, and I really like the idea of making a walking pouch or a treat bag. Sam carries a fanny pack when we walk Emma, and he keeps all the treats and bags in there. But making a custom one would be such a fun sew, and there’s lots of fanny pack or cross body bag designs out there. You could even use waterproof fabric to make it more weatherproof, and it’s just a great way to customise, maybe not quite sewing for your pet, but it’s like sewing for you for your pet’s benefit.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. Car seat covers are meant to protect the backseat from dog related yuckiness: shedding, mud, etc. They’re basically a big blanket with loops on each side that attach to the headrest. So the blanket covers the whole back area and protects the upholstery. There’s a tutorial on SailRrite for how to make one, but I don’t know if you really need it. It’s more helpful for visualising than what it should look like. But they made theirs out of canvas, which is a good choice. It’s sturdy, and it comes in a lot of nice prints, but I think pre-quilted fabric would be great, too, and probably comfier for your pup.

I also like this kind of seat cover because it can protect your dog. If you ever have to break really quickly, your dog can, like, fall in front of the seats if you keep your dog in the back seat. So it, kind of, protects them from, like, falling into that area. Obviously, you want also wanna try to have your dog wear a, like, a little leash that attaches them and protects them when you’re driving, as well, if at all possible. But…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: …this is just that extra, extra security step that you can have.

Helen: Yeah. We have one of these for Emma, and it’s great ‘cause we take her to the beach and stuff. You really don’t want a bunch of sand in your car.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. The sand, the amount of sand that will accumulate on these things…

Helen: …is wild. Yeah.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Couch covers are another great project you can make to protect your stuff from your pet, and it’s a never-ending battle for pet owners. But of course, pets are so worth it, and couch covers are less like slipcovers and more like blankets that are shaped to cover the most used parts of the couch or the area where your pet goes the most.

Generally, couch covers for pet owners are made of synthetic fabrics. This is because synthetics are relatively stain resistant and tightly woven microfiber fabrics stand up well to nails and claws. Couch covers for pets also usually have a waterproof layer to protect from potential accidents. PUL, or polyurethane laminate, fabric is often used in cloth diapers.I think this would be a good choice for a waterproof layer if you want one.

And if you wanna stay away from synthetics, you could just make a cover from natural fibre fabric or pre-quilted fabric. It would still protect your furniture in most situations. And the best thing about these covers, no matter which fabric you choose, is that you can throw them in the washing machine.

Most of the couch covers for pets you can buy are not really that cute. So I think the best thing about DIYing, it would be making something that you’re happy to see every day, something that matches the decor of your home. Clarice from Storybook Woods upcycled a quilt from a big retailer to make hers, and the soft colours fit her cottage style perfectly. Just creating a really cosy spot for your pet to lie. I love that.

Caroline: You can make your own pet food placemat Quilt Designer Shannon Fraser made an improv quilted place mat for her cat Pips. She just throws it in with the wash every week. This place mat is seriously cute, and she used cat themed fabrics in it. I really need one of these. Fraidy is such a messy eater. Honestly, his food gets everywhere.

Helen: Yeah, it’s nice to contain it. We have Emma’s dishes in, like, one of those plastic shoe mats that you buy at Costco or something, but it’s not very cute. I could totally see putting a little quilted insert in there and, like, even though she would get it so messy, it would still be cuter than nothing and super washable.

Caroline: Yeah. And make a couple of them. You can rotate them out while you wash the other one. Yeah. Love it.

Helen: Okay. There you go. 432 things you can sew for your pets. Okay, we didn’t actually count, but there was a lot of ideas in there. And we really wanna hear about your pet sewing projects. Obviously we want to see pictures of your fur babies, too, so send them in. We’re so ready.

Caroline: Oh, I’m so ready.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at HelensClosetPatterns.com and CedarQuiltCo.com. And you can find Caroline at BlackbirdFabrics.com. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: Go to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or you can send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.

Helen: And if you love Love To Sew and want more, especially more chit chat about our pets, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew for more info.

Caroline: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore of the Pod Cabin is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Ah-rooooo! Ah-rooooo!

Caroline: That’s like Pepper when she barks at the neighbours. She really howls, and she goes like, woo, woo, woo woo.

Helen: Oh, my gosh.

Caroline: And we just laugh at her instead of telling her to stop. We just stand there and laugh.

Helen: It’s not very intimidating.

Caroline: No, it’s not.

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