Tutorial on Tuesday- Dog Collar and Leash by Sarah Hodgkinson

Design Team member Sarah Hodgkinson shows us how to create a cute dog collar and leash that would be a perfect gift for the furry member of your family. 

We've also loaded this tutorial as a PDF on the left side bar under 'recipes'. 

Enjoy

Jillibean Soup Dog Collar and Leash Tutorial
By Sarah Hodgkinson

For this festive season, why not create a stylish Jillibean Soup collar and leash for that special furry friend in your life? Jillibean Soup has a wide range of printed twill, ribbon, twine and printed canvas shapes which can be used to create the perfect present for a four-legged family member.

Please note: I have separated the supply list so that you can make either a collar OR a collar and 5 ½ to 6 foot leash. If you would like to make both you will need to purchase three packages of Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks (printed twill) as there is only 1 yard of printed twill on each card. The collar is based on the pet’s neck measuring smaller than 24”. If larger than 24”, increase the collar needs by ½ yard. All hardware for the collar and leash can be found at your local sewing supply store or can be purchased on-line (e.g., The Rain Shed). 

Supplies Needed:

- one yard of Jillibean Soup printed twill or ribbon (for the collar) and two yards of the Jillibean Soup printed twill or ribbon (for the 5 ½ foot leash)
- one yard of 1” nylon webbing (for the collar) and two yards of 1” nylon webbing (for the 5 ½ foot leash)
- one Jillibean Soup Cool Bean button (red, green or brown)
- 8” of Jillibean Soup twine (red, green or brown - to match button)
- one Jillibean Soup printed canvas flower or star
- sewing machine
- #14-16 denim needle
- ¼” seam foot (optional)
- one 1” D-ring (for the collar)
- one 1” single-adjust, side-release buckle (for the collar)
- one 1” slide/strap adjuster (for the collar)
- one 1” swivel snap hook
- all-purpose thread (for your bobbin) and invisible thread (for the top stitch)
- tape measure
-darning needle (for sewing with twine)
- ruler
- scissors
- straight pins
- match or lighter

Let’s begin:

1. You want the collar to be snug, so it can’t slip off, but not so tight that you can’t slide your fingers easily underneath the collar. The finished collar will be adjustable to an additional 4”. Measure your pet‘s neck, then add 10“. For example, Sorella’s neck measures 16”, so 16” + 10” = 26”.

2. Cut the pieces for the collar based on your measurements. I cut the nylon webbing at 26” and the ribbon at 26 ¾”. Cut the pieces for the leash after sewing all remaining printed twill into one long length (left over printed twill and the two other packages). For the leash, the nylon webbing should be cut at 6 feet and 2 ½”. The printed twill should be cut at 6 feet and 3 ¼”.

3. Melt the ends of the nylon webbing to prevent fraying. To do this, simply pass the end of the webbing through the flame of a match or lighter. 



4. Thread your machine with thread to match the nylon webbing in the bobbin and invisible thread in the top.

Let’s sew:

1. Using a few straight pins, center the printed twill onto the nylon webbing, leaving approximately 3/8” of printed twill extending over and around each end of the nylon webbing.



2. Stitch the printed twill to the nylon webbing along both sides of the collar and the leash, approximately ¼” from the edge of the webbing. A ¼” seam foot does a nice job of keeping a straight line, if you have one.

Finishing the collar:

1. Lay out a tape measure flat on your work surface.

2. Thread the collar through all the hardware. First slip on the D-ring and then the slide. Next thread the collar through both ends of the buckle.

3. Fold back the ends until the length equals your finished length (16” for Sorella). The fold-back of the side with the adjuster slide should be a great deal longer than the fold-back on the side with the D-ring.

4. Feed the long end back through the back side of the slider. Check your length measurement again. Adjust if necessary.

5. Using a straight pin, secure the left end of the collar to the back of the adjuster loop and the right end of the collar to the back of the nylon webbing.

6. Stitch both ends in place with two lines of vertical stitching. Stitch backwards and forwards several times in order for the collar to withstand pulling and tugging.

Finishing the leash:

1. To create the leash handle, fold one end back 8”. Place a pin 2” from the end.

2. Feed the other end through the swivel hook and fold back 3”.

3. Stitch a rectangular box with an “X” through the middle to secure and reinforce both the folded back end at the swivel clip and the 2” you originally measured and marked with a pin at the loop end.

4. Using a darning needle, thread the twine and hand-sew the button and canvas flower or star in place where the loop begins.

Keepin’ it Green:

Good hardware will last a long time. If your pet isn’t full grown, like my dog Sorella, you can cut off the hardware and use it again to make a new collar and leash once they have outgrown or completely worn out their first stylish Jillibean Soup leash and collar.

Have a good one!

Comments

[Becky Williams]

This is such a cute idea, Sarah!

[Aly Dosdall]

pure genius!

[cari Locken]

That's just amazing!!!! Such a great & creative idea Sarah!! You rock!

[soccerboyzmom]

That it totally adorable and extremely creative.

[liz aka javagirl]

Wow very creative

[Heather I.]

GREAT JOB!! Awesome!

[Erika M]

Very cool!

[Juliana]

This is totally adorable!

[Sarah Mullanix]

Soooo adorable!! :)

[auntie ang]

Wow loads of work but it's so adorable

[ellen s]

cute!