Dog Kerchiefs

I've been distracted from other projects because of a variety of reasons. First up I actually cleaned up my sewing area and put a lot of things away!! I'd accumulated lots of materials which I'd pulled out to contemplate and never put away though projects  I have planned hadn't started, so the last week has been mostly dedicated to putting away and finding new homes for things. I also tried to tackle the back room/junk room. It now looks worse, but it is on its way to being better. This weekend I need to spend some more time in there!

Second, I made another tote bag, like the green one, but in blues to match the cat pouch. A handmade Christmas is well on its way to being finished.

Finally, I made dog kerchiefs... Yes! Those things in the picture are for my mums dog. She asked if I could make her a couple and I thought they wouldn't take too long to whip up. She designed the pattern and gave me the sizes to suit her dog - a kelpie-cross. The first one took me about an hour and a half, but the second one was a breeze at only about 30-40 minutes. I only had red velcro, but I figured the dog won't mind!

They're going to be more than just cute too. Mum is using these as she has a hormone that assists in keeping her dog calm. He was a rescue from a farm where he was mistreated and the hormone really helps him manage stress when meeting people and in other situations that can upset him. The kerchief gives mum somewhere to spray the stuff where he can breath it in as he can't always be sitting on his mat for this treatment. He is a black dog so I used bright colours so hopefully he will look adorable too.

They're really easy to make, so if you have a dog you might want to try this.

How to make a Dog Kerchief

There are 2 parts to the kerchief. 1 x half square triangle (I folded an A4 sheet in half and added 1/2" all the way around) and a 21"x2.5" strip.

Hem the 2 shorter sides of the triangle. I used my rolled hem foot on the machine. Then take the strip, fold it in half and stitch down both sides and a short way along the bottom leaving the middle open.

Turn the ends and iron the strip, folding in the opening and ironing - we're just going to top stitch the triangle so it is enclosed in the strip next. Pin the triangle so that it is centred and inside the strip, then top stitch.

Attach the velcro (I used 3" pieces) and you're done!