Project by Helen Bowes
When this fabric came up, I couldn’t think of anything better to do with it than make some doggy bandanas……. And I had the perfect models.
As always start by gathering your supplies. For this project you will need the following:
· Cutting mat, rotary cutter/scissors
· Ruler, tailors chalk or vanishing pen/pencil
· Material
· Sewing machine and thread
· Paper for template
· Pins or clips
· Dog collar
Stage one is making your template. For this you will need the measurements of your dog’s collar and to know how big you want the bandana to be. Measure the length and width of your dog’s collar and draw this rectangle onto you template paper. Work out how long you want your bandana to be. The best way to do this is to measure on your dog from where their collar sits to their shoulder blades or further down their back depending on how big you want it to be. Once you know this length, measure from the middle of your collar line down. From this create a point with lines going from the ends of your collar outline to the tip of your length line. Now give yourself a ½ inch seam line – I drew this in so I knew where it would be. Your template should look something like this:
Once you have your template use it to trace the pattern onto your fabric. You will need to do this twice, so you end up with two triangles of fabric.
Place your two pieces so the right sides of the fabric are facing each other. Pin or clip into place. Now you are ready to sew the first seam which will join the two pieces together along the long straight line. Sew with a ½ inch seam. Once sewn press flat.
Next fold your short edges in, first one turn of ½ inch followed by a second turn of ½ inch so in total the edge has been folded in by 1 inch. Repeat for the other side. Press flat and then sew so all layers of material are captured.
Once this has been completed you can create the seam for the remaining edges by sewing from the bottom of your rectangle section to the tip of the triangle and back down the other side. You have ½ inch seam allowance here. Once sewn, you can now turn your bandana the right way around by feeding it through one of the openings on the side. With it the right way around, press it flat. The final stage is to sew the bottom of the rectangle so making a sleeve for the collar to slide through. Draw on a line from the bottom corner of one short side to the other and sew along this line. Your bandana is now complete and ready to be modelled.
For a variation use two different fabrics and make a reversible bandana.
To see more from Helen, visit her Instagram @phoenix_crafting
Made by Helen Bowes for The Craft Cotton Co 2020