Summer of Patchwork: Patchwork Dog Collar

A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that my service dog Bentley could use a different colored dog collar.  Not that his current one wasn't bad, I just decided that it might be kinda fun to have a new one to "match" each other. Because I'm weird that way! So out I went to out locally owned dog stores and found a lot of really cutesy, fluffy type collars, but nothing just fit his personality.  So, back to the drawing board aka-Pinterest. Sure, if I wanted to sew ribbon onto 1" webbing I could be like every other person and then, they aren't washable either.  Eeew.  OK think, think, think. I'm surrounded by fabric, I love to pull colors...patchwork...dog collar...patchwork dog collar!  I could use two main colors, pull scraps and just make color combos that work with his MOLLE bags as well as his personality! (And maybe my outfits too.)

So, I headed over to Etsy and found a pattern made by Fidos Fashion Collars. The main reason I chose this one was simple:  Theirs gave me the dimensions to wrap the fabric around the webbing.  I have seen this done two ways: either just fabric with interfacing folded into each other, or fabric sewing just on top of the webbing.  I wanted the fabric to be the one thing up against my dog's neck, not the webbing, and, as much as I have seen dogs pull, I wanted that webbing as the core to help take the stress of a pull if it was needed. They also have a a great sizing chart to fit just about every dog.

For my patchwork, I just used the typical 2.5" to show off a bit of the fabric design. I used a straight stitch for the edges and a sati stitch for the attachment points.  Again, not for any other reason but if a dog pulls I don't want the fabric to give.  So at this point, my hardware is my weakest link.  The supplier I use for my camera gear is Country Brook Designs. They maybe a bit more expensive, but their quality and their customer service is fantastic.

So, here are the three sets of collars I've made (out of the 4 thus far, 2 more to go) just this week alone! I do believe SchnoodleFish is alive and well! If you are interested in a collar for your Goggie, drop me a line, I'll get one made up for ya!