Matching with My Dog

 I made this beanie that has my name on it , and with the rest of the yarn I was able to make my dog a snood.  He loves it. Lol.

 

It's kind of too big for him.  Still contemplating redoing it.  Either way, he hates it.  But he's so cuuuuuute.

Adventures in Pattern Making - Fleece-lined Dog Jacket

One of my goals next year craft-wise is to become more comfortable with my sewing machine.  I even started buying some dress patterns with the goal to successfully make my own dress in 2017.  I haven't started them yet, because it's kinda intimidating. But I did make this jacket for my dog. I've made my dog a jacket before, it's not something new.  I even made one using a purchased pattern.  But I wasn't truly satisfied with the outcome and I knew I wanted to try it again and improve.  I figured making a jacket for my dog would be a small step towards making an entire dress for me (less fabric, less time dedicated to it, less commitment), so here's what I did.

There's this jacket that I bought my dog years ago that is my favorite on him.  I wanted to base this project on that specific style.  It has more coverage on the dog's front  section compared to those jackets that just wrap around the neck and then around the body. Anyways, I've made a pattern before using this jacket, but it didn't have any lining on it and I used snap buttons when I should've used velcro.  So I decided to re-do the pattern to make it fit him better (so I can use it for future jacket-making) and then add to the overall quality of the piece with fleece lining! And velcro closures!  And lengthening the coat for added modesty*!  So technically it's two projects in one (making the pattern and then making the jacket with that pattern.)

I was able to get both fabrics in the remnants section of Joann's. That's the beauty of having a 12-lb dog: you don't need yards of fabric.  I was lucky to find this flannel in this print, I think it looks great on him.  I might even have enough leftover to make a matching cowl for me.  It wouldn't be the first time.

Anyways, look how caaaa-yoooote:

The cute fleece collar is also the material used for the lining inside.  I bought black bias tape and was happy with the contrast.  Next time I'm going to try and make my own bias.  Because custom details, yaaas.

*okay, that was a joke.  but no dog looks flattering in a crop top.

Dog Breading Last Minute Dog Costume

Made this the night before halloween. hehe.

The best thing since...
 

Hope you had a Happy Halloween

Iron-on Transfer Experiment (Part 2)

Okay, so I finally used those iron-on transfers I made of my dog.  I had some leftover canvas fabric lying around and I wanted to make a pouch that was larger than the ones I usually make.  Kind of like a big clutch, to place in my tote bag to keep smaller stuff together, and take out if I didn't want to carry the huge tote.  Also, I decided to sew in some nylon lining to give it some weight and make it more sturdy.  The most frustrating part of this project was ironing on the Mochis.  They didn't iron on as nicely as I wanted them to. The transfer paper was from like, 10 years old, so I will blame the quality of these transfers on that.  Regardless, I still liked the outcome even tho it is not perfect because: 1. It has that worn-in look that complements the canvas material and 2. I like anything with my dog on it.

Iron-on Transfer Experiment (Part 1)

I had this iron-on transfer paper lying around from an old t-shirt project (my college intramural volleyball team if u really want to know) and I wanted to play around with it.  I thought it would be funny if it involved my dog's pretty face.  I mean, obviously! The guy is good-looking!  This pic was taken after he had his annual vaccinations done.  You'd think he'd be sad that he was poked with needles, but he's just happy we left the place.

I used Photoshop to trim out his face, and smooth the edges.  His left eye had an annoying piece of hair covering it, so I fixed that too (clone stamp tool), just to make  his eyes clear and round.

Since my printer only has black ink, I had to make the photo greyscale, and adjust it to a shade dark enough that it can show up on fabric. Make sure to print out the mirror image, otherwise when you iron it on it will show up backwards.

I printed out two sheets (for now).  Hancock Fabrics is out of business, and I hate that there aren't any fabric stores nearby. :-(  Once I get some suitable fabric, I'll be able to use these puppies. ;-)

TO BE CONTINUED...

New Dog Collar for the Summer

Gave Mochi some cool mediterranean vibes for the summer.  Stay cool and hydrated, dawgs.

This time I used interfacing instead of nylon webbing.  way easier to assemble but I think next time I would make it a little more thicker by adding more folds. :-)  Didn't have a matching bowtie because I forgot, but maybe next time. 

Crocheted Mochi Golf Club Cover

My dad has been suggesting this thing forever and ever and I finally decided to tackle this project.

I'm not THAT much of a yarn hoarder, but I've been meaning to go through my rubbermaid bin of yarn and use up some stuff that I've had for years.  When my dad first requested making a golf club cover out of my dog's head (I just realized how morbid that sounds),  I knew I had the yarn for it (same yarn used for my turkey tissue cozy), but I didn't have any freaking clue on how I would start such a pattern.  Luckily I found a free pattern from Lion Brand for golf club covers, and just made one in a Mochi-colored shade.  Because the yarn was sport weight, I decided to double the yarn to make the project more sturdy.  I created a snout by crocheting a cylinder-like piece, adding some polyfill inside to make it fuller.  Black satin ribbon was used for the nose and mouth, and I cut out some black stiff felt for the eyes, using hot glue to stick it onto the face, and then stitching around the eyes with thread for added security and to make it look more finished.  For the ears, I kinda played the shape by ear (pun!).   I crocheted small triangles and then single-crocheted all around to make the triangles rounded in shape.  I felt like the overall face wasn't shaggy enough, so I added some yarn whiskers on the top of his nose.  For the final touch, I added a pom pom on the back because Mochi's tail is fluffy like that.  He's so cutie.

Twinsies

I can't stop laughing at this thing.

God, I hope my dad doesn't lose this on the golf course.  He loses everything.

Doggie Collar + Matching Bowtie

Fall is my favorite time to craft because this season is pretty much about being cozy and comfortable and there's nothing more comfy than being knee deep in a project at home.  Unfortunately this weather that we are experiencing has not passed its summer phase this year and its really annoying.  I am still waiting for the moment I can wear my boots and scarves without sweating my ass off by the time noon comes around.  Seriously, when??  I've been attempting to continue working on the Vasarely blanket that I started eons ago but it is way too warm to work with all that yarn. :-(

With that said, I made something a little less warm.  I had this idea that I should make my dog some collars in theme with the season/occasion/etc.  So I wanted to start with one for fall.  I really wanted to make one with turkeys on it (because I LOVE THANKSGIVING), but couldn't find fabric or ribbon with a small enough print to fit on a 3/4" wide nylon webbing.  I've seen cute printed collars being sold on etsy for $10-30 depending on the materials used, so the fact that I can make them myself kicks ass.  The materials that I purchased for this product didn't cost much,  so it is way cheaper than buying one from etsy. It helps that craft/fabric stores have some sort of coupon going around, too.  In the dog collar making future, I'm going to try and find the materials online since the selection at the fabric store is very limited.

I really like how it came out. I realize I can just make it custom fit to my dog, but I like the look and idea of the adjustable collar, plus I just really wanted to attempt it.  I modeled the construction from Mochi's usual collar but being this is my first attempt, I already made some notes to modify construction for next time.  The nylon webbing makes the collar super durable, but I'd love to try making the collar just out of fabric and interfacing as well.

My dog's birthday is at the end of this month so OBVIOUSLY he needs a matching bow tie.

 

Fucking handsome as hell.

 

Fleece Blanket (for my dog)

I wanted to make my dog a fleece blanket since he always tries to sneak up onto my bed (and I let him).  I pretty much bought whatever fleece was on sale in the remnant section at the fabric store.  I doubled the fabric so the blanket would be warm.

So I cut the fabric pieces in half, so that I can make it a good-sized blanket (if i didn't I would be left with a super long blanket, but very narrow).  I then sewed the different colored halves together to form each layer, so that the finished product will look half neon green/ half red. 

 I've tried the "no-sew" blanket once before, but to be honest, cutting all the strips around the perimeter and tying them together was such a pain.  Sewing it is way more easier (that is, if you have a sewing machine and can stitch a straight line.)

And now, my spoiled dog has his own area of my bed.  Caaayuuuuute!

Doggie Bowties

Not exactly an original craft idea, but necessary and cute. The past bowties that I've made for Mochi were finished by hand, but I decided to finish this one off using a hot glue gun (used a sewing machine to finish the individual parts, but used hot glue to attach the elastic loop on the back.)  Omg, this was way easier.  Sometimes I wish he was a girl so I can dress him up, but these bowties will suffice.

He celebrated his 6th birthday last week:

Mochi wore this orange bowtie for good luck throughout the NLCS and the World Series games.  I'm kinda superstitious (I've been wearing orange nail polish since September 29.) so I never took it off him until the very end:

He wore it when the Giants won the whole thing in 2012, too.  So I will keep this for 2016, just in case. ;-)