How to make a dog sailor vest

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one vest, small dog)

• Outer (light cotton, chambray or jersey) — about 110 cm wide × 40 cm (43 × 16 in)
• Contrast for the collar (navy or white) — about 30 × 20 cm
• White ribbon tape, 6 mm — about 60 cm
• Double-fold bias tape, 1.1 cm — about 60 cm, for the leg scoops and neckline
• Lightweight fusible interfacing for the collar — about 30 × 20 cm
• 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 sailor vest” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, back length, belly length, neck, front-leg opening position, front-leg opening size, sailor collar length and ease. Presets cover toy, small and medium dogs, and cats.
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 first
   Chest (the widest point behind the front legs), neck, and back length (base of neck to base of tail). Measure standing, with two fingers' slack under the tape.
2. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines. Back panel and belly panel are both cut on the fold at center.
3. Cut the pieces
   One back panel and one belly panel, each on the fold; the sailor collar in outer ×2 and lining ×2. Cutting the collar from a contrast fabric is what gives it the color break.
4. Transfer the notches
   Mark the two front-leg notches on each side seam. Between them the side is scooped inwards, and that scoop is where the front leg goes.
5. Interface the collar
   Fuse lightweight interfacing to the outer collar pieces. A limp collar makes the whole thing look untidy.

4. Sewing

4-1. Make the sailor collar

1. Stitch two lines of white tape onto the outer collar, parallel to the outer edge at 5 mm and 12 mm. Those two lines are most of what makes it a sailor collar. Match the spacing on left and right.
2. Place outer and lining right sides together and sew all round, leaving open only the edge that joins the neckline.
3. Trim the corners diagonally, turn, push the points out and press.
4. Two collars in all.

4-2. Finish the leg scoops

1. Finish the scoops before you sew the sides. Once the vest is a tube these small curves are unsewable.
2. Bind each scoop on both panels with bias tape: sew it on right sides together, turn it to the inside and topstitch.
3. Without bias tape, clip the curve every 5 mm before turning the allowance under twice. Fold an unclipped curve and it will pucker every time.

4-3. Join the sides into a tube

1. Place the back panel and belly panel right sides together, matching notch to notch, and sew the side seams.
2. Sew from the neck end down to the upper notch, and from the lower notch to the hem. The scoops left between them are the leg openings.
3. Overlock or zigzag the allowances.

4-4. Attach the collar

1. Lay the two collars on the neckline, meeting at center back, with their open edges towards the neckline.
2. Check on a flat surface that the two sides are level before you pin. If they are off, it shows the moment the vest goes on.
3. Stitch all round the neckline.

4-5. Finish the neckline and hems

1. Bind the neckline allowance with bias tape, or turn it to the inside and topstitch.
2. Turn the lower edge of each panel under 1 cm twice and stitch.
3. Slip a finger round each leg opening to check nothing is restricting movement, and it is done.

✏️ Dogs of the same breed vary enormously, so do not cut into your good fabric first. Make a toile from calico or an old shirt and put it on. You only need to check two things: where the leg openings sit and how big they are. The openings are nothing but a scoop in the side seam, so at the toile stage you can move them or make them bigger as often as you like. A dog that dislikes the fit will try to get out of it, so keep two fingers' slack.

5. Tips & variations

• Always two white lines: one looks unfinished, three looks like a child's dress. About 7 mm between them reads most convincingly as a sailor collar.
• Collar length: about a third of the back length. Longer and it covers the back, which gets hot.
• Add a scarf: a red ribbon tied at the center front finishes the look. It is a swallowing hazard, though — put it on for the photograph and take it off afterwards.
• For cats: the cat preset runs narrower through the body. Cats object to anything tight, so feel free to take the ease up to about 7 cm.
• Do not leave it on: with no fastening it will not fall off, which also means your pet cannot get out of it if it snags. Take it off whenever you are not watching.