DIY dog jacket

Found Woman’s quilted jacket at Unique Thrift Store (7530 N Western Ave, 773-338-6898), 11am on April 16

The process I found a free dog-jacket pattern at sewing.circleofcrafters.com and printed the JPEG file. Per the instructions, I measured my dog’s chest and enlarged the pattern to fit by laying the original pattern on a piece of newsprint and tracing around it to create a larger version. Then I strategically laid the pattern on the jacket’s back and sides and cut out the dog coat. To finish the raw edges, I salvaged the tan-colored binding that hemmed the jacket and machine sewed it onto the dog coat. I sewed on Velcro to fasten the coat around the neck and chest. Lastly, I cut letters from the leftover jacket sleeves to embellish the coat and, at the same time, answer the protocol question to dog owners, “Is she friendly?” I ironed on the letters with fusible hem tape.

The materials Quilted jacket ($6). Package of Velcro brand Sew-On Tape ($5.29) and Stitch Witchery Fusible Bonding Web ($3.59) at Joanne Fabric and Craft (2639 N Elston Ave, 773-227-7874). Total cost: $14.88

—Collected and salvaged by Diana Durkes (finedivingchicago.com).