Having a dog pet means that you may want to dress it up occasionally. Sometimes this may be costly, with the cost of the pet’s clothes being as high as that of a human being. To overcome this challenge, you can make the clothes for the pet dog using a baby t-shirt and by knitting a sweater.
Making a t-shirt
The size of the baby t-shirt to use will depend on the size of your pet. For a small pet, you can use a newborn sized t-shirt and a bigger pet may require a 3 months old baby t-shirt.
• Materials needed
The materials you will require are:
A baby t-shirt, pair of scissors, pencil, ruler, needle and thread.
• Procedure
Fit the dog with the baby t-shirt to see how much you will cut off and hem at the bottom. Make sure that the graphic side is on the back. Remove it from the pet and with the t-shirt on the inside out, make a line where you will cut it. Cut the bottom part of the baby t-shirt on the traced line.
Now that the t-shirt is cut at the bottom, you should sew the hem. You can use a sewing machine or sew by hand. If doing it by hand, cut the sides of the t-shirts to make small slits. Fold it gently for an eighth inch and start to sew. Start sewing from inside of the baby t-shirt. Sew the hem a on both sides. Remove excess threads and put the t-shirt on the dog.
Knitting a sweater
A sweater will keep your dog warm even in cold seasons. Start by taking the back measurements of the dog from the neck’s base to the start of hind legs. Take the front measurements by taking the circumference of the dog behind the front legs and the hind measurements by taking the circumference of at the front of the hind legs. Also, take the circumference of the dog’s neck and the two front legs. Measure the distance between the collar and the leg holes so that you can know where to start shaping.
For a warm sweater, knit using bulky yarn. To know the gauge, knit and wash as swatch. This will determine the stitches to use. Knit two purls and two ribbing to prevent the collar from curling. Use stockinet stitch and increase gradually for the throats length up to the leg holes.
While maintaining evenness, shape the holes for the legs with circumference measurements equivalent to those of the front legs of the dog. Ensure your stitches are enough for the front measurement. Knit the sweater using stockinet stitch to get the back measurement length. Knit until you get to hind measurement. Bind the sweater and seam it to a tube. Loosely close the holes for the legs and collar to complete the sweater. Try it on the dog to make sure it is fitting. With the t-shirt and the sweater, your dog will be warm and looking nice.
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