Chewy Capes…..

Have you struggled to get a dog sweater or fleece sweater for a large dog that fit correctly? Well, we sure have! Our canine son, Chewbacca (that I mentioned in a previous blog), had a doozy of a time finding one that fit. He was a Weimaraner, with this very deep chest and narrow hips. The sweaters either fit at the hip or at the chest, never both at the same time! I had needed to find a solution, for as he grew older he needed that extra warmth during the winter.

The first style of sweaters I found patterns for had velcro straps that over lapped around the neck to allow for multiple size dogs. It was an immediate irritation for Chewy and our grand-dog, Raine! So, back to the drawing board I went. Literally, I decided to make my own pattern! The requirements it seemed were to have the sweater be able to pull over the head, NO Straps! Secondly, they were not in love with sweater-like materials, and the straps that goes under the belly MUST be moved to not irritate his groin area and interfere with urinating! All problems we had with many sundry previous sweaters!

As you have probably noticed if you have read many of my blog, I reuse or repurpose as many items as I can. For instance, all the stuffings in the pillows I design have recycled old clothes, towels, sheets, etc. as filler. I do add some poly fill to make the pillows not too heavy, but for the most part it saves room in my garbage can for things I can’t reuse! In this fashion, I went looking for an alternative for the neckline. 

While cleaning up some bags of clothes that were given to me to go through, I found a few polo shirts with collars in excellent condition! Those collars were the answers to neckline problem! One down 2 more to solve. The straps under the belly were a simple fix, just a little measuring and adjusting and that was that! The third solution was the use of flannel as the lining to the fleece outer coat. Chewy was in love with this new outfit! He wore his from then on and into Heaven to keep warm!

I found myself making some for my daughters canine kids too. While visiting one time, bringing new sweaters, my son-in-law told me I should name them Capes! He said they looked just like a superman cape, only dog stylized. So the Chewy Capes came to be! I just finished a new look for my female canine grand dog, Raine who truly needed to be dressed up for Christmas this year! Her Chewy Cape was looking kinda sad and snug lol.

You can see the polo red collar that is now a must for the cape. I added a skirt for her this time too! It does lend a very feminine flare for my girlie, don’t ya think?!? She is now in the holiday spirit for this next weekend of winter weather! Happy Holidays to all!  Cyn