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 Can You See Me Now?
Do you and your four-footed friend enjoy long walks in the great outdoors?
For protection and style, outfit your dog in blaze orange — the universal safety
color. With this blanket-style doggy vest, the two of you will stand out wherever
you go!

Stuff You Need

3⁄8yard of 58"–60" medium-weight
fleece for a small dog or up to 1 yard
for a large dog

1–2 yards of ribbon, trim, or reflective

tape (optional)

4" strip of 1 1⁄4" wide sew-on Velcro

Matching or contrasting polyester thread

What You’ll Do

Make and test a pattern

Cut out the vest

Stitch on Velcro strips

Embellish

Our finished size: 10" x 16"

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 MAKE IT
1. Measure your dog. You’ll need two measurements to make the
doggy vest:
A
• For the finished length of the vest (A), measure your dog from the
back of its head to the beginning of its tail. A = ____"
B

• For the finished width of the vest (B), measure the distance from
your dog’s backbone to where you want the finished hem to end
(pretty much level with the dog’s belly). B = ____"

2. Make the pattern. To make the pattern, draw directly on the fabric
STEP 1 (folded in half) or on a large sheet of paper, as follows:

• Along the fold, draw a rectangle with the length equal to A and the
depth equal to B.
6"-12"

• To plot the chest strap, extend the length of the rectangle about 6"
(for small dogs) to 12" (for larger dogs), then divide this section into
quarters. Don’t worry about getting this part exactly right. These
fold-over flaps are designed to adjust to the size of your dog.
place
• Draw two smooth curves and one half circle in the rectangles as
A

on fold
shown. Also draw a curve at the opposite corner (the back of the
vest).

• Near the center of the bottom edge, draw a belly strap that is 3"
wide by about 6". The position of this second adjustable strap is
B
purely guesswork, and you won’t know for sure if it’s in the best
STEP 2
place until you test the pattern on your dog.

3. Do a test run (optional). You might want to test the pattern by cut-
ting it from some scrap material before you cut into your fleece
fabric. Try the test vest on your dog and check the following items.
Make any necessary changes to the pattern.

• Do the length and width fit well?

• Do the chest straps need to be longer or shorter?

• Are the belly straps a good length and in the right place?

• Does the neck curve need to be adjusted?

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 4. Cut it out. Fold the fleece with right sides together and the great-
est stretch running horizontally. Place the vest pattern with the top
(the side that will be on the dog’s back) on the fold. Cut out the vest
as one big piece.

5. Add the Velcro. Put the vest on your

dog. Mark a chalk line on the chest straps
and belly straps where you want the Velcro
strips to be. Take the vest off the dog and
stitch the Velcro in place. (See page 151.)

6. Embellish. Stitch a strip of trim, ribbon,

or reflective tape down the length of the
vest, add a zigzag stitch around the bor-
ders, or anything else
that strikes your fancy.

D O G G I E-V E S T VA R I AT I O N

City Babe
If you’re more likely to walk your dog around town
than in the woods, the doggy vest is easy to adapt
to any style. What a cutie!

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