How to make a dog vest (wrap style)

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one vest, medium dog)

• Outer (cotton, quilted cotton or fleece) — about 110 cm wide × 60 cm (43 × 24 in)
• Lining (cotton or jersey) — about 110 cm wide × 60 cm
• Hook-and-loop tape, 2.5 cm — about 30 cm, or 6 pairs of snaps
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — about 60 × 15 cm for the bands
• 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 vest (wrap style)” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, neck, back length, chest panel length, armhole size, belly panel length, overlap and ease. Presets cover toy, small, medium and large dogs. Tick the snap option if you are using snaps — the overlap reduces to suit.
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. The back panel's center line is the fold.
3. Cut the pieces
   Back panel on the fold, in outer and lining. Two chest panels and two belly panels, again in outer and lining.
4. Transfer the notches
   Mark the three lines on the back panel (bottom of the chest panel, the armhole, bottom of the belly panel) and the overlap notch on each piece. The space between the chest panel and the belly panel is the armhole. Narrow it and the leg will not fit.
5. Interface them
   Fuse lightweight interfacing to the chest and belly panels. Without it they stretch with use and stop holding.

4. Sewing

4-1. Make the chest and belly panels

1. Place the outer and lining of each piece right sides together.
2. Sew three sides, leaving open the short end that joins the back panel.
3. Trim the corners diagonally, turn and press.
4. Four pieces in all.

4-2. Baste them to the back panel

1. Lay the back panel outer right side up.
2. Place the chest and belly panels at the notches, pointing inwards, so they end up on the outside.
3. The gap between the chest panel and the belly panel is the armhole. The leg sits in it, bounded by the chest panel in front, the belly panel behind and the back panel above. Check the positions before pinning so you do not close it up.
4. Baste or clip.

4-3. Sew the back panel

1. Lay the lining on top, right sides together, and sew all the way round, catching both panels.
2. Leave about 10 cm open at the tail end.
3. Clip the curved allowance every 1 cm.
4. The belly panel joins along a long edge — backstitch the whole length of it. All of the strain lands there.

4-4. Turn and topstitch

1. Turn through the gap and shape it with an awl.
2. Fold the gap's allowance inwards and topstitch all round.
3. A stitched square with its diagonals at each chest-panel root makes it hold indefinitely.

4-5. Fit the fastenings

1. Put it on the dog now. Wrap the chest and belly panels, check the front leg slips into the armhole easily, then mark where they should meet.
2. Hook-and-loop: loop side to the outside of one piece, hook side to the inside of the other. On the belly panel, use two separate patches rather than one long strip — it resists pulling better.
3. Snaps: two or three pairs on the chest panel, three or four along the belly panel. Two rows lets you adjust as the coat thickens and thins.
4. Fasten both and it is done.

✏️ Decide the fastening positions on the actual dog. Body shapes vary a great deal even within a breed, and the drawn positions will not always suit. Wrap the bands, clip them at the position that looks right, check nothing shifts as the dog moves, and only then sew. Hook-and-loop is also the easier of the two to move later.

5. Tips & variations

• Hook-and-loop or snaps: hook-and-loop adjusts infinitely and is quickest, but it catches fur. For a long-coated dog, snaps are kinder. Toggling the option in the tool changes the overlap to suit.
• Keep the leg opening generous: too narrow and it digs in at the armpit. Walk the dog in it, and widen the opening next time if it rubs.
• Belly panel length: about half the back length. Too long and it catches between the legs when the dog squats, so always leave some free at the tail end.
• Do not skimp on the armhole: the gap between the chest and belly panels is what the leg goes into. Too small and it will not go on, and it rubs at the armpit. When in doubt, go larger.
• Make it loose: two fingers of slack is the guide. Tight and the dog will try to get out of it.
• One pattern, two seasons: single-layer cotton for summer, quilted cotton or fleece for winter.