The Giving Challenge: Sewing for the Fur Babies

Much of this month’s challenge is about sewing for others–whether you know and love them, or whether you are donating sewn items for people you have never met.

However, it’s not just about people! It’s also about our furry companions (#dogsarethebestpeople) and showing our love for them with handmade items too.


Here’s a quick round up from our recent call-out:

Jamie: Sewing for Sally the Greyhound

This past April, my husband and I adopted our first dog, a greyhound named Sally. Since this breed gets cold very easily, I knew I wanted to make her clothes to keep her warm and cozy (and stylish, let’s be honest). Greyhounds’ bodies aren’t shaped like other dogs (little heads, long necks, barrel chests, little waists), so it’s not easy for me as a kind of new sewist to hack most dog patterns to fit her.

A greyhound dog standing in a house wearing a fleecy blue sweater with a funnel collar.

I got this greyhound pajama pattern and modified it so it’s just a sweater, and finished the edges with bias tape I made from Ruby Star Society fabric. (And now, I’m figuring out how to make this for myself because I love the silhouette!). As the temperatures dip into the 30s, I’m looking forward to making her more sweaters, shirts, and PJs so she’ll stay toasty and cute all winter long (and I may or may not make versions for myself). —  Jamie


Terry: Sewing harnesses for her three chihuahuas

They are all girls: the brown one is Abby, a 3-year-old Chiweenie. The bigger white one is Bella, an 11-year-old chi mix, and the smallest one is Deeogee who is a 17-year-old deer head chihuahua.

Three small dogs wearing handmade harnesses stand in front of a person.

I make their outfits because I like to change them often. I just have a pattern that I made up myself — Terry


Shilpa: sewing a bed stuffed with fabric scraps for Champi

Here is my little dog Champi:

A small, golden dog is snuggled up asleep on a striped dog bed.  There is a cutting mat and scraps in the background.

He claimed his new scrap stuffed bed before it was even finished! — Shilpa


Chloe: Sewing a coat and a bed for Bingo

Bingo is quite a big dog and it’s hard finding a bed his size, as we live in a city where there are mainly smaller pooches. For this “ravioli” bed I took an old duvet, folded it in half and then basically joined two pieces of flannel I had around it.

For the dog coat, I used this pattern. I liked it because it will work for any size dog, as you make a paper pattern based on their measurements. It’s warm where we live, so I only made it a single layer, out of the leftover fabrics from my husband’s coat. — Chloe


It’s been lovely to see how much care people take when sewing for their furry friends!

We only got responses for dogs from the shout-out on Instagram, but I suspect that was because I used a picture of Bingo… There must be some people sewing for cats out there, right? Do you sew for any special creatures in your life?


Chloe is a Sewcialists Editor, who lives and sews in Australia. She blogs at chlo-thing.com and can be found on Instagram here