Making A Dog Coat On The Cheap

The weather has been getting really cold here at night over the last week getting down to just 2 degrees the other night.  We decided that this year we would get Jessie a dog coat to wear at night to help keep her warm in her kennel.
Last year we created a mattress stuffed with hay to keep her warm but it was dusty and we think it made her itchy.  We have also tried an actual dog mattress but Jessie turned it into a wrestling toy and pulled out all the stuffing.  So this year we have lined her kennel with a thick layer of newspaper topped with a layer of carpet, topped with an old doona (duvet) cover.  But even with these layers beneath her we thought a coat would be the best thing for her.
So I headed off to the local op shop to see if they had any polar fleece jumpers I could convert.  As it turned out I was able to pick up a polar fleece blanket that was being sold as a dog blanket as it had a hole in it.  It was only 50 cents and perfect for what I wanted.  I also picked up a set of double bed vintage sheets in good condition for $3.00 and a brand new coffee plunger for $3.00.  I have been on the look out for either a new tea pot or similar to make herbal tea in.

Op Shop Finds

I spoke to Liz the other day about the dog coats she made and decided that I would just make a paper template and sew it up from there.

My Paper template

I used a double layer of fabric as it was quite thin.  I sewed the two pieces together and inserted the tummy strap at the same time, then I turned it out so the seams were hidden.  I only had some narrow Velcro so I added 2 strips to the tummy strap and 2 strips to the front.

The finished product

Then it was Jessie's turn to model her new coat.

Jessie's new coat

 Doesn't she look pleased... not.

"Really?  You are really taking my photo while I sit here looking soooo impressed"

Jessie does not seem to mind her coat at all but when Hubby let her off from her kennel this morning the front of her coat had come undone and she had walked out of it.  I wondered if that would happen when she stretched because it was such thin Velcro that I used so I might have to add some stronger stuff or a button.

What have you been sewing lately?
Have you ever made pet coats?