How to make a collar cover

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one cover)

• Main fabric (printed cotton or linen) — a scrap about 50 × 15 cm (20 × 6 in)
• Optional: fray-stop liquid

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” → “Collar cover” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the collar length, collar width and the threading ease. Presets cover cat, small, medium 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. Measure the collar
   Measure the full length including the buckle, and the width.
2. Trace the pattern
   It is a long rectangle — mark it straight onto the fabric.
3. Cut
   Cut one piece.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew into a tube

1. Fold lengthwise, right sides together, and sew the long edge to make a narrow tube, leaving both ends open.
2. Use a 5–7 mm seam allowance. Anything wider bunches inside and the collar will not go through.
3. Trim the allowance to 5 mm.

4-2. Turn it right side out

1. Use a loop turner, or pin a safety pin to one end and push it back through the tube.
2. This is the only fiddly step. Work slowly.
3. Roll the seam to one edge and press flat.

4-3. Finish the ends

1. Fold about 1 cm of each end inside and press.
2. Topstitch 3 mm from each end to close it.
3. A dab of fray-stop on the raw edges before folding is worth the extra minute.

4-4. Thread the collar

1. Slide the collar through the tube.
2. If the buckle will not pass, leave one end open and close it by hand afterwards, or fit hook-and-loop there instead.

✏️ Do not reduce the threading ease. Cut to the exact collar width, the seam allowances take up the space and the collar simply will not go through. The preset already allows for the buckle.

5. Tips & variations

• Change with the season: florals, tartans, festive prints. Each one costs almost nothing.
• Works on a harness: the same idea at other widths covers a harness strap.
• Make several: the area around a collar gets greasy, so having spares keeps it clean.