Ugly Dog Sweater

by jessimata

116K9541

Intro: Ugly Dog Sweater

Grandpa's old sweaters never looked so good...not even in the 80's...sorry gramps! I was o-so super lucky to find this wool sweater in someone's trash on city trash pick up day.

Just follow these easy steps and learn how to re-purpose a Large men's sweater into a Large doggie sweater.

STEP 1: Gather Supplies

You will need:
Sewing machine
Large Men's sweater
Ruler
Scissors
Pins and Patience!!

STEP 2: Remove Sweater Arms and Sew Armhole

1. Turn sweater inside out and remove arms at a diagonal.
2. (A)Measure 2 inches from neck line. Pin. (B) Measure 2 inches from pit. Pin.
4. Sew from pin to pit and pin to neck making sure to back stitch. View pic3. Orange lines demonstrate sew lines.
5. Fold 1/4-1/2 inch around the opening which is now the arm hole. Pin. Sew with zig zag stitch. View pic3. Each reference coordinates with color line.

NOTE: Zig zag stitch is recommended from here forward to prevent fraying along all cut edges!

STEP 3: Cut Mid Section

1. To find the mid point, fold the sweater in half horizontally...like a hamburger. Mark with a pin along L and R side seams. Please view pic1 and pic2 for clarification.

DO NOT REMOVE PINS!! The pins will be used to identify mid section in following steps.

2. Measure 2 inches inward from the side seams.View red lines in pic3 for reference.

3. Cut the top layer vertically (bottom to top) up to the mid point. Cut top layer side to side.View yellow lines in pic3 for reference.

NOTE: The red lines in pic 3 indicate the side seams. The yellow lines indicate where you will be cutting vertically 2 inches from the seams up to the mid point and side to side.

STEP 4: Cut Chest

1. Fold sweater vertically to lay flat....like a hot dog. View pic1 for reference.
2. Cut upwards toward the collar using the mid section cut lines as a reference. View yellow lines in pic3 for reference.

3. Pin closed from neckline to midsection pin. This will be the chest closure.

STEP 5: Sew Chest and Midsection

1. Sew the chest area down to the pins that mark the mid section. View Orange lines in pic1 for reference.

2. For midsection: Fold each piece 1/4- 1/2 inch hem. Pin. Sew. View Orange lines in pic2 for reference.

STEP 6: Finished Dog Sweater

Congratulations!!

Always be mindful of the temperature, as excessive exposure to the cold can cause frostbite to their ears, nose and toes.

41 Comments

nsiti 7 years ago

I made one today and I can see where a beginner sewer would have troubles with your instructions. I did at first, then reread and had no issues, although, to make my sweater work, because it was actually a zippered jacket, I changed a few things. All in all, good instructable. Maybe pics with the actual cuts would help others and steps of actual sewn pieces instead of just a finished product or whole sweater. Thanks for taking the time to make this tutorial. :)

theglasstiger 7 years ago

Very well done! Not sure how your dog likes it but certainly looks "hip" in it.

ceci97439 7 years ago

Hi there,

Um, I'm confused here. I would like to make these for the shelters in our area but I can't seem to follow your instructions. Can you please send me the link for the new and improved instructions. Thanks!

CindyC87 7 years ago

Thank you so much for this! your directions are very easy to understand. I can't wait to give it a try ;-) I don't know where the new and improved instructions are, but these will work just fine for me. For everyone who was having a hard time understanding, I would recommend reading through the instructions slowly and thoughtfully. Thank you again!!

JeriK1 8 years ago

A video of the process would really help........

jessimata 8 years ago