doggie coverup tute

I never thought I'd be sewing dog clothing, but our grand-dog Ginger has a bald patch on her back (from a brown recluse spider bite from a few years ago). So she wears coverups to hide the bald patch, as well as to prevent sunburn and skin cancer. Besides, she looks pretty darn cute in her little outfits. This pattern was adapted from coverups that my daughter made - I didn't have velcro, so I made straps to tie in a bow. This coverup is nice for summer - it's lightweight and minimal.

I took these photos a while ago, so I figure it's high time to do a dog coverup tutorial! Since dogs come in all shapes and sizes, think of the first try as an experiment. You might need to make adjustments to make it fit better next time. ;-)

The shape of the coverup should be something like this. To figure out the width and length, measure the dog from her collar to the tip of her tail. Then measure the dog's waistline. The coverup will go most of the way around the waist, minus 2-3 inches where tabs attach. Make a freezer paper template, and cut two, allowing about 1/4" all around for the seam allowance.

Cut two strips at least 18" long and 1 1/2" wide. You may want yours longer. Keep in mind that my dog is a miniature dachshund. Then cut a rectangle to make two tabs - this one is 4" x 11". Make it longer for a bigger dog.

For the two longer strips, fold under 1/4" at one end, then press them in half lengthwise. Then foldand press the raw edges towards the center lengthwise, to make long narrow strips about 3/8" wide.

Then take the 4"x11" rectangle and press under 1/4" at both short ends. Then press it in half lengthwise. Now fold and press the edges towards the center lengthwise. You should have a smaller rectangle about 10 1/2" long and 1" wide.

Edge stitch all the way around all three pieces, going through all layers on the machine.

Cut the third piece in half as shown, making two tabs.

Take the the two pieces of fabric that you cut out for the main part of the coverup, and place them right sides together. Slip the long ties between the two layers, with the raw edges at the top end of the coverup (shown here on the right), pin down. Pin the tabs at the wide parts of the coverup, raw edges out and finished edges inside. Pin the two coverup pieces together all around, making sure you don't catch the tie ends.

Stitch all around the coverup, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving an opening about 3" wide.

Turn right sides out through the opening, and it should look something like this. Press neatly and whip stitch the opening closed if you wish. Topstitch all the way around the coverup along the edge.

This is what it will look like on the other side. Did I mention that it's reversible? Try it on your dog, threading the ties around the collar and figuring how where to place a buttonhole on one of the tabs and a buttonhole on the other tab. You can certainly use velcro if you prefer.

Ginger is modeling her new coverup while snuggling in a leopard robe at the Solarmar in San Diego a while ago. I actually made it in mind for 4th of July. Ask me if you have any questions, and have fun!