How to make a dog aloha shirt

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one shirt, medium dog)

• Outer fabric (rayon, lightweight cotton or double gauze) — about 110 cm wide × 60 cm (43 × 24 in)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — about 40 × 20 cm for the collar and placket
• Buttons, 1–1.5 cm across — 4 to 6
• Sewing thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Pets” → “Dog aloha shirt” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, back length, belly length, neck, front-leg opening position and size, ease, front-leg girth, sleeve length, sleeve ease, collar width and placket width. Presets cover small, medium and large dogs. The chest pocket can be turned off.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Measure your dog
   Take the chest (the widest point just behind the front legs), the neck, and the back length (base of the neck to the base of the tail). Measure standing, loose enough for two fingers to slide under the tape.
2. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric and trace both the cutting line and the finished line. The center lines of the back panel and the collar sit on the fold.
3. Cut the pieces
   Cut 1 back panel on the fold, 2 belly panels as a mirrored pair, 2 sleeves, and 2 collars on the fold (outer and facing). Add 1 chest pocket if you want one.
4. Mark the notches
   Transfer the front-leg notches (two on each side) on both the back and belly panels. That gap is where the front legs come through.
5. Apply interfacing
   Fuse lightweight interfacing to the outer collar piece and to the placket area of each belly panel. Without it the collar points flop and the buttonholes stretch.
6. Finish the raw edges
   Zigzag or serge the seam allowances of every piece.

4. Sewing

4-1. Make the plackets

1. Fold the front edge of each belly panel under with a double fold, the width of the placket, and stitch. Press the folds firmly first so both sides come out the same width.
2. Always do this first. Once the collar is on, the presser foot will not reach.

4-2. Add the chest pocket

1. Hem the top edge of the pocket with a double fold and topstitch it down.
2. Press the other three seam allowances to the wrong side.
3. Place it wherever you like on one belly panel and stitch around three sides.
4. Do this while the panel is still flat too — once the shirt is assembled the fabric will not turn under the presser foot.

4-3. Join the panels at the sides

1. Pin the back panel and the two belly panels right sides together and sew the side seams.
2. Leave the section between the two front-leg notches unsewn. That opening becomes the leg hole.
3. The back panel is longer than the belly panels, so sew the side seam only as far as the belly hem. What is left of the back panel drapes over the rump.
4. Press the seam allowances open.

4-4. Make and attach the collar

1. Pin the outer and facing collar right sides together, leaving the neckline edge open, and sew the rest.
2. Trim the corners diagonally, turn right side out and push the points out with an awl.
3. Sandwich the collar into the neckline, matching the center back and the side notches, and stitch.
4. Press the seam allowance toward the inside and topstitch it down from the inside of the neckline.

4-5. Attach the sleeves

1. Fold each sleeve right sides together and sew the short edge into a tube.
2. Hem the cuff with a double fold, press, and topstitch.
3. Match the sleeve seam to the side seam and stitch the sleeve into the leg opening.
4. Press the seam allowance.

4-6. Hem and add the buttons

1. Hem the belly edge, the back edge and the free side edges of the back panel with a double fold, press, and topstitch.
2. Try the shirt on your dog now. Overlap the plackets, clip them and mark where the buttons should go.
3. Work buttonholes in one placket and sew the buttons to the other at your marks.

✏️ Always try the shirt on before deciding where the buttons go. Dogs of the same breed vary a lot, so the pattern position will not always suit yours. Overlap the plackets, clip them in place, and check that nothing pulls when your dog sits down before you mark anything.

5. Tips & variations

• Putting it on: thread the front legs through the sleeves, then button along the belly. Nothing goes over the head, so it tends to go down better than a pullover.
• The buttons sit underneath: they are close to the ground, so choose flat ones that will not snag. Thick decorative buttons press into the belly when your dog lies down.
• Hook-and-loop instead: if buttonholes put you off, stitch hook-and-loop tape to the plackets. It is faster to put on, though it catches long coats.
• Keeping the collar flat: interface only the outer collar piece. Interfacing both makes it stiff and the points lift.
• Go generous on the leg openings: tight ones dig into the armpits. Walk your dog in it, and if it rubs, add 1 cm to the opening size next time.
• Matching the print: aloha prints usually have a top and a bottom, so check the direction before cutting. The belly panels are a mirrored pair, so check each one separately.
• Not just for summer: the same pattern in flannel or corduroy makes an autumn shirt.