How to Make Custom Dog Clothing

Learn how to make simple and stylish custom pet clothing for all sizes.

By: Jenny Kitchens

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This free dog dress pattern was originally designed for a Chihuahua, but can be modified to fit larger breeds. See Jenny Kitchens' Etsy store for her dog dresses at her website listed below.

Materials and Tools:

PDF Jenny Kitchens' Dog Dress Skirt Pattern
PDF Jenny Kitchens' Dog Dress Bodice Pattern
soft measuring tape
1/2-yard soft cotton patterned fabric (amount of fabric will vary depending on dog's size)
1/2-yard lightweight standard interfacing
4" to 5" strip of 1" wide white sewable Velcro
thread
fabric shears
pins
decorative buttons, bows or appliques

Steps:

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1. Resize the pattern. This part may be difficult if your dog is not extra small, but there are some ways around it. The dress pattern was originally designed to fit a Chihuahua with a 14-1/2" chest. If you print the current pattern at full size, 100 percent, it will fit a dog with a 12-14 inch chest. Note: For a dog much larger than this, the skirt pattern piece won't fit on a standard 8-1/2" x 11" page. For a dog with a chest larger than 12 inches neither piece will fit on a page.

Options:

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Take the printed pattern to a print shop and ask them to resize it on larger paper.

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Download the images to your computer and open them in a graphics or photo editor. Resize the patterns to the proper size. Increase the size of each pattern piece accordingly.

2. Cut two fabric pieces on the fold for the skirt pattern. Cut two fabric pieces on the fold for the bodice pattern. Bodice pieces should be two inches larger than the dog's chest.

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3. Place the two bodice pieces right sides together with interfacing on the bottom. Sew along the lines indicated using a 1/2" seam. Note: Do not sew the bottom edge where no lines are present. Leave it open so that you can turn the bodice right-side-out to attach the skirt.

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4. Once the bodice is sewn together, clip each corner where the neck and the waist meet to ensure that the seam will lay flat once it is top-stitched.

5. Turn the bodice right-side-out, making sure that the corners are square (a dull pointed object such as a chopstick can be used).

6. Place the two skirt pieces right-sides-together and sew along the lines indicated. Do not sew the top edge where no lines are present; this is the gather line.

7. The skirt has a hemline and a gather line. Hem the skirt first along the dotted line using a 1/2-inch seam.

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8. Using scissors, clip along the bottom edge of the skirt every 1/2-inch before turning it right-side-out.

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9. Next, sew the gather line, but do not gather the last inch on both sides. Gather it just enough so that it fits into the bodice.

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10. Attach the bodice to the skirt. To hide the seams on the inside of the dress, pin your gathered skirt between the two layers and sew in place.

11. Embellish with buttons, bows or appliques. Tip: It is recommended that you topstitch the dress once it's completed for a more finished look..

12. Attach two 2-1/2" pieces of Velcro by sewing them onto the neck and waist pieces of the bodice.