How to Turn an Old Sweater into a Dog Jacket

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I've been at work the last several weeks making a sweater for Eddie. He needs to stay warm now! He's got his little fur coat, but some seriously cold days are coming.

I figured if I could make a sweater for him out of materials recycled from my own closet, I should do that. I pulled the remnants of the sweater from the slipper boot project, and some fabric scraps from a ten year old fleece jacket that was long past its best days.


I had no tutorial for this project, but I did have the guide of my earlier Dog Halloween Costume project. I started with the shirt from there for a pattern, and used a jacket my ancient Miniature Pinscher, Chili Pepper, had as a guide of what I wanted my jacket to look like.

Materials needed: 

Old sweater (optional. You could use just the fleece, but I discovered you really can't use just the sweater for this style)
Old Fleece
Velcro
Scissors
Thread
Needle
Sewing pins

Step One: cut fabric 

I placed Eddie's costume shirt on top of the sweater, and used it as an outline for cutting the fabric for my new sweater. I wanted this sweater to be longer than the shirt was, so I simply cut the sweater longer than the shirt was by a few inches. 



I also cut a long piece for the neck and a long piece to go around the stomach. 

Notes from my mistakes: 

On cut: I cut the sides straight at first. I would end up curving the sides later. You can save time and do it right away. 

On fabric: I planned at first to use only the sweater's fabric, and I sewed the entire sweater before I realized I would need a heavier fabric to make the jacket keep the shape I wanted it to have. I wanted my jacket to go over Eddie's back and stay on with a strap around his neck and belly- I did not want it to be a sweater I would have to pull on over his head. Sweater fabric would work great for a sweater which would be pulled over the dog's head and front legs and wrap all around the body. It's not sturdy enough to keep the jacket shape that I wanted. I ended up cutting a piece of fleece and securing it inside the sweater. The fleece was able to hold the shape I wanted.

Step Two: hem and assemble sweater 

The sweater fabric will fray, so I folded it over twice and back stitched all the way around. I did the same on the pieces that would become the straps. Once I finished this process, I attached the straps- the shorter one at the neck and the longer one around the stomach. I tested the length with a rather resistant Eddie before I attached the straps. 


Step Three: add closures

The sweater needed a way to stay closed. A button would be dangerous, because Eddie could pull it off and choke on it. I ended up deciding on Velcro for the body piece and a fabric button I could sew on tightly for the neck piece that he would not be able to easily chew. 



I had Velcro around the house to keep cords together. I pulled an extra piece and sewed it onto the strap and body of the jacket. Velcro also meant I could adjust the size of the jacket. The fabric button I constructed by cutting a round piece of fabric, then running a line of thread all the way around it and pulling tight until it closed. 

To finish the button hole, put the needle through the fabric,
run the needle through the button hole and put the needle
back through the fabric on the same side you started on. 

I then stitched this piece tightly onto the sweater body, with many, many threads running through it. I made a button hole on the strap by cutting a small slit and stitching around the slit with black thread to keep it from fraying. I accidentally made the button hole too wide the first time, and had to go back and close it further by sewing one end shut. 

Step Four: test jacket and fix size and mistakes 

This is the point in the project where I began to adjust for errors in fabric and cut, but you can avoid that! You may still have to adjust size though. I got Eddie into the jacket and realized it was too flimsy, so I cut a piece of fleece that fit inside the sweater and attached it with a back stitch all the way around. I also curved in the back of the sweater. I may still make the sweater a little shorter. 

Jacket test: Eddie tries to wrestle his way out...

I also need to add an opening for Eddie's harness loop to fit through. To do this, I'll cut a slit on the back of the jacket where Eddie's harness leash loop sits, and stitch around it the same way I did to make the button hole. Then I can walk Eddie in his new jacket!

Step Five: put dog in jacket

Eddie has to learn how to wear his jacket without chewing it to pieces, so we put it on him to get him used to it. Jacket complete! 


What did this project really take?

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Because I was making this up as I went, I made some time consuming mistakes that led to a bit of frustration. It took some determination to persevere. I'll know what I'm doing next time, though...for now, I just will say that I know a new way to NOT make a dog jacket. 

You will need to know a very basic level of sewing (you can see my explanation of the back stitch or look it up via search engines). An actual pattern would also have been helpful. Maybe next time I'll find one. 

Time Required: Several Hours

Again, I made a number of mistakes that took up a lot of time. It will go faster next time. 

Money Spent: $0    Money Saved: $10-$40

I used all recycled materials from my own closet. The least expensive dog jacket at the store costs about $10, and the really nice ones can get a lot higher in price. Because I'm new to this, there's may look better than mine...bit mine was free, and I will improve next time! 

I'd do this again. The $10 savings does add up, and I'll get better at this as I go. Every year I'll have some new discarded clothes to use.

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