Up-Cycle an Old Sweater Into a Dog Sweater

My sweet dog Sydney gets so chilly this time of year! Here’s how I took an old sweater and used it to make her a cozy little dog sweater! The best part? No sewing is required! Your dog will love it!

 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TreatingWithNutrish #CollectiveBias

 

 

If you’ve visited me here on my blog before you know that my dogs are a big part of our family. My sweet little lady Sydney, a Labrador/Cocker Spaniel mix, and our big boy Bear a giant German Shepherd mix.  They are both spoiled rotten and we love them to pieces!

Sydney, although little, is top dog in the house and pretty convinced she is a queen. She rarely lays on the floor, shes a couch dog. She sleeps with Nathan at night, not only in his bed, but under his covers!! She barks when she wants something, and gets impatient if you don’t fill her bowl right when she asks! She’s been with us since she was a puppy, adopted from some neighbors who didn’t want her, and weren’t being particularly nice to her. So she became part of our family and for the last 8 years has been “Queen Sydney the Magnificent”!

She can be as stubborn as she is sweet and this time of year when it gets cold she goes to the door and turns around and looks at me like, “you really expect me to go out in that??”

 

But when she does she gets rewarded with her and Bear’s favorite Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Dog Treats.

 

They both know how to “say please” so the barking starts as soon as we get inside! They don’t want to wait for their treats! Their favorites are Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Meatloaf Morsels with  Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Savory Roasters and  Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Burger Bites coming in a close second!

Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Treats are intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only. Please watch your dog to ensure Nutrish treats are chewed thoroughly before swallowing. Break into small pieces for smaller dogs.

 

I love these for Syd because she has to have grain free food, and since these treats have no corn or wheat and U.S farm raised beef or chicken is the #1 ingredient I can give these to her with confidence!

 

You can find Nutrish treats at your favorite store or like me you can order them on Chewy.com. They have seriously fast shipping, I ordered on a Friday and they arrived on Saturday! I love shopping from home when it’s that easy!

 

This winter I decided that in addition to enticing Sydney outside with her favorite treats that I’d make her a sweater! She tends to come in cold and shivery and wanting to snuggle up with the boys, so I thought, she needs a little extra warmth!

Well I don’t knit. and I’m not super good at sewing… I can do a straight line for a pillow or curtain, but I felt like a dog sweater was a little out of my league.

However, I can up-cycle like a champ and decided there had to be a way to make a dog sweater out of a human sweater with no problem.

Here’s what You’ll need to make your own No Sew Dog sweater- 

1- Human sweater

Fabric Scissors

Fray Check liquid

A Tape Measure

 

I knew I wanted to try and use a sleeve, so I went to the Goodwill to find a nice big sweater with nice big sleeves. No offense to my little lady but she’s pretty thick around the middle… it happens to all of us when we reach middle age!

I found a man’s XL that had nice big stretchy sleeves and although it’s a pretty hideous pattern for a human, I knew it would look super cute on my little black dog!

For reference Sydney is about 35 lbs. So if you’re dog is smaller you can get a smaller sweater. You’ll want to look for one that is a nice soft knit and can stretch pretty easily, that makes getting it on and off easier!

You’ll need to take some measurements, first start at the base of your dog’s neck to the base of their tail.

 

Next you want to measure the distance between their front legs, and the distance from the bottom of their neck to their legs.

Once you’ve got your measurements it’s time to get cutting! First cut off one of your sweater sleeves at the armpit.

Now my sleeve had a pretty thick cuff that I knew I wanted to cut and fold down so I measured from the base of the cuff.  You’ll want to cut your sleeve about 4 inches longer then your dog’s back measurement.

 

Once you’ve got your sleeve the right length you’ll want to cut it at an angle so the top is about 2-3 inches longer than the bottom. This keeps your dog from accidentally well…. peeing on their sweater! I went along with the pattern of this sweater so it looked nice you can cut yours however you think it looks best!

 

 

Now lay it out flat so that the bottom of the doggy sweater is on top.

 

 

Now measure down from the cuff the distance from your dogs neck to in between their front legs. Then measure the distance between their legs. 

For Sydney the distance between her legs is 4 inches.  You can mark it with a marker or chalk or you can cut a small hole where your legs are going to go.

Once you have it marked you want to cut holes around where you’ve marked about the circumference of your dog’s legs. The leg holes should line up when you lay it on it’s side.

 

Now since mine had a big cuff I went ahead and cut it, I knew I wanted to fold it down. This is optional but makes getting it on and off a little easier.

 

Now we’re not quite finished but we’re going to go ahead and put the dog sweater on your dog.

Don’t be alarmed, the leg holes will probably stretch out, that’s ok, it’s why we’re putting it on.

Make sure the neck is comfortable and the leg holes are big enough, then take it off.

Now it’s stretched out a bit we’re going to make sure it doesn’t start unraveling while your dog is wearing it. That’s where our friend fray check comes in. You can get it at most craft stores, or the craft department of discount stores.

You’ll want to go along all the edges you cut and squeeze on a generous amount letting it really sink in as you go.

 

Once you’re done fray checking all your edges you’ll want to let it dry overnight!

That’s it! You’ve made a dog sweater!  You’re all done, now you can put it on your sweet puppy and keep them cozy and warm!

 

And if you really want to spoil them head to the store to pick up some Rachael Ray Nutrish Treats! There’s even a treat for you with a $1.50 off coupon  (you can print it twice and use all year!) so you can save money and spoil your 4 legged friend!

How do you spoil your pets?  Have you tried Nutrish Treats? 

 

 

 

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