By Dena Fishbein
McClatchy-Tribune
I have a dachshund, Miles, who is truly a little gentleman. He always looks great in a bow tie! This fast and affordable project uses a small amount of fabric and has adorable results. You can dress your pet for any occasion by using bold striped cotton for a cool, preppy look or vintage velvet for that haute couture dog. You can use fabric you already have around the house. Mixing and matching is my favorite way to go!
Gather:
Fabric
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread
Pins
Iron
Dog collar
Create:
1. Decide what finished size you would like your bow tie to be. This will depend on the size of your dog. We made ours 3 inches wide and 4 inches long, a nice size for Miles. Cut two pieces of fabric that are the width and twice the length of your finished bow tie measurement, adding { inch for seam allowance all around. So, our pieces are 3 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches.
2. Pin your two pieces of fabric with right sides together. Sew them together along the seam allowance on three sides, leaving one of the small sides open.
3. Trim the corners and turn your fabric right side out. Hand-stitch the opening on the side of your bow tie so it is closed.
4. Fold your fabric in half and stich the short ends together to form a loop. Fold your loop flat with the seam in the center back and press with an iron.
5. Cut another piece of fabric to be 2 inches by 3 inches. Fold it in half the long way with the right sides together and stitch along the open edge, turning it into a long thin tube. Turn it right side out and iron it flat.
6. Fold this fabric in half and stitch the two short ends together, just as you did in Step 4, creating a smaller loop.
7. Slide the larger piece into the little loop you just created, positioning it in the center. You can stitch this bow tie onto an existing collar or make one of your own from the same fabric.
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