How to Make Dog Shirts Out of Old Kids Shirts

Creating festive clothing for your dog is a fantastic family activity, and the result might just give your dog an added boost of confidence. If you don't want to pay the exorbitant prices pet stores and pet specialty shops charge for dog clothing, create your own out of old children's clothing. Use older clothing that no longer serves a purpose to the family. When selecting a new shirt for your dog, choose something that either reflects his or her personality or supports a passion or cause you feel deeply about, such as a college alma mater.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog Old kid's shirt Washer and dryer Scissors Sewing machine (optional)

Instructions

1. It is best to clean any prospective dog shirts before working with them, in case the shirts shrink in the dryer. Once the shirts have been washed and dried, lay them flat on a clean work surface so they can be prepared for sizing.

2. Determine how much of your dog's torso should be covered by the shirt. You do not need to be exact, but it is important to not have too much loose material hanging around the dog's torso. Ideally, these shirts should be tight-fitting and extend no more than halfway down the dog's torso.

3. Using a pair of scissors capable of cutting through cloth, trim off any excess material at the bottom of the shirt. Keep the scissors relatively straight, as you'll want to have an even line at the bottom of the shirt. Once the excess material has been trimmed, you may want to hem the bottom of the shirt to give it a cleaner, more refined look, but this step is optional.

4. Carefully place the neck hole of the shirt over your dog's head. Feed one leg through the corresponding armhole in the shirt. Once the dog is fully dressed, make sure there is no excess material hanging off the dog's body or that the shirt is not too tight.

Tips & Warnings

• Know your dog is comfortable wearing clothing. Some dogs do not respond well to the constrictive nature of clothing and will become extremely irritable while wearing such a garment. If this happens, calmly remove the shirt from your dog to avoid any further incidents.

[blindsquirrel]

on 8/3/2009 Thanks for a good way to recycle discarded clothes into useful dog items. Good info. I write about dogs too. They are part of the family....