How to make a pet blanket

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one blanket, medium dog)

• Fabric (fleece or toweling) — about 120 × 80 cm (for two pieces)
• 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” → “Pet blanket” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the width, the length and the corner radius. Presets cover small dogs and cats, medium dogs and large dogs.
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. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines.
2. Cut the pieces
   Cut two. Different fabrics front and back are fine.
3. Transfer the notches
   Mark the two notches on the bottom edge for the turning gap.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the two layers

1. Place them right sides together and sew round.
2. Leave the section between the notches — about 17 cm — open for turning.
3. Clip the rounded corners every 1 cm.

4-2. Turn

1. Turn through the gap and ease the corners with an awl.
2. If you press, keep fleece on a low setting. Hot irons shrink it and it goes hard.

4-3. Topstitch

1. Topstitch all round, closing the gap.
2. Two rows, at 5 mm and 1 cm, stand up better to washing.

✏️ Press fleece on a low setting only. A hot iron melts the surface, and it goes flat and hard and never recovers. Use a pressing cloth and light steam — or skip the iron altogether and let the topstitching settle it.

5. Tips & variations

• Raw edges are fine: fleece does not fray, so a single layer works too.
• Make several: accidents and hair happen. A few lets you rotate.
• In the carrier: a blanket that smells of home settles an animal on the move.