Jeremy and I are friends from college (Go Hokies!) and he also happens to be a seams….um, seamster? Anyway, he has recently completed some really nice items and I asked him to guest blog over here so we could show off his work. His website, Xanja von Brooklyn, is under construction but we will definitely be featuring it when he is ready, so stay tuned!
As a thank you to a friend for her hospitality I wanted to make her dog, Cooper, a coat. I decided to just make my own pattern based off some other ideas, specifically this. I used some pattern paper, a pencil, and a ruler and came up with my pattern.
Since this is a dog coat I wanted something warm but also wind and water resistant. I settled on two fabrics. A top layer of ripstop nylon, in maroon, and the underneath layer in a black neoprene type of fabric. This way there would be warmth close to the body and some fabric to handle the elements on the outside.
I don’t have any construction photos but it was pretty simple. I sewed the wrong sides of the nylon and neoprene together, then attached the bias tape. The construction of the jacket itself is very straightforward.
Since I wanted this coat to be very personalized I used the embroidery side of my machine to stitch Cooper’s name into the coat.
To secure the coat, I put on 2 straps in nylon webbing and 2 in hook and loop.
I had Cooper’s measurements but I wasn’t sure if it would actually fit. I let Xanja be the model and since it was long on her I figured it would work well.
Cooper had a little bit of a hard time at first with the coat, probably because of some PTSD from being a former racer. But here she is, seemingly enjoying her new coat.
Thanks for showing us your awesome coat, Jeremy (and in Virginia Tech colors, no less!) We can’t wait to see what you do next!
Great coat… definitely want to give that one a try… and what a gorgeous German Shepherd!
Thanks again Jeremy! Cooper is the most stylish greyhound ever!