Anyone who has a small cat or dog knows how easily they get cold. Especially if they are older. If you are a cat servant, you know that most clothes are made for dogs too and they are expensive. Here's a quick and easy way to make some sweaters for your little kitty or pup and decorate them the way you want.

Materials needed:

Old sweatshirts
scissors
measuring tape
lace or other trim

I hit up Goodwill, yard sales and other thrift stores for gently worn large and extra large sweatshirts. My kitty weighs a little over 6 pounds so the large is perfect. If your pet is bigger, go with a bigger size sweatshirt. For this project you are only using the arms of the shirt. You can use the rest of the shirt for dust cloths or to wash the car with!

Step 1: Cutting the Sleeves

Lay out your sweatshirt, smooth out the arm. I cut it right where it meets the body of the shirt. That way I don't have to work around a lot of material when I'm actually measuring the length I need for the sweater. My cat is measure's 8 inches long from the base of her neck to her back legs. I like the top of the sweater to cover her hips but not interfere with her walking so I measured her back from neck to tail, it's 14 inches long. The original under arm seam of the sleeve will be on the belly of the animal so, you want your short measurement there and then angle your cut up to your long measurement. The wrist will be the neck.

Step 2: Leg Holes

You'll need to measure on your pet how far it is from the base of their neck to their front shoulders. With my cat it's about 3 inches. Cut out a round hole for their legs. This material doesn't tend to fall apart when it's cut so there's no need to worry about sewing this hole.

Now if you are in a hurry or want a plain sweater, you're done. However, if you want decoration, then proceed to the next step.

Step 3:

For my little girl and for the Christmas season, I wanted to add some red ribbon with lace to her new sweater dress. I simply pinned the lace around the bottom edge of the sweater and then sewed it on using a simple straight stitch and matching thread. Since this part of the sweater doesn't stretch I didn't have to use a stretch stitch. I wanted to add a matching bow but the lace was a bit to much. I trimmed the lace off the center ribbon, sewed it in between the front legs (where the shoulder blades are) and then tied it in a bow.

For a larger animal, you would need to use a larger size. For kittens or puppies you could use a child's size sweatshirt.

Hope you enjoy it, I look forward to your feedback. Remember, keep your furfaces warm this winter!

Finalist in the
Ugly Sweater Contest

Participated in the
Sew Warm Contest

Participated in the
Holiday Contest

8 Comments

kcli

9 years ago on Introduction

Awwww...how sweet.

I thought your furry friend was a dog because it's sooo hard to play dress up with cats (well, at least it is with my cats).

Bonus points for having a cooperative cat...voted!