DIY Leather Bowtie

Last month we decided to try one of those pet subscription boxes for our cats. We felt a little bad that the dog gets his box every month. Well, $30 dollars later the only thing in the box that was any good was this little cloth bow tie. We put it on Stormy (short for Stormageddon: Dark Lord of All) and he's been wearing it ever since. He looks amazing.

We decided that Stormy needed a bow tie for every day of the week, or at least every occasion.

Step 1: Materials

-Leather (The leather I used came from a bag of scraps from A.C. Moore for $4.99. Michaels had a similar bag that was $6.99.)

-E-600 (or other type of adhesive that will work on leather)

-Bow tie template

-Hair elastic (if you don't already have these on hand, buy the small ones)

-Something to cut with (rotary cutters are AMAZING)

-Binder clips

Step 2: Bow Template

Either draw or find a bow tie template on the Internet. I drew on a folded piece of paper and then cut it out so I had a complete bow tie when the paper was unfolded.

I then traced the pattern onto a piece of leather.

Step 3: Cut & Glue

Cut the design out from the piece of leather. Also cut out a small, thin strip to wrap around the center of the bow.

Take the elastic (and twist it a few times if it seems too big) and glue it to the bow. I chose to use epoxy because it's strong and dries fast.

Slip the thin strip of leather behind the bow and wrap it over the elastic, use a binder clip to hold the pieces together as the glue dries.

Step 4: More Glue

After 10-15 minutes, add more glue to the bow and fold the rest of the middle strip around, secure with a binder clip and set aside until dry.

Step 5: Ta Da!

When the glue is dry, slip the bow tie onto your pets' collar and you're good to go.