DIY Personalized Pet Bandana

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Clik here to view.As I type this, there is a cat edging out my laptop, demanding all of my lap and attention. Over the year, our house has been home to four cats, foster dogs, friends’ pets and our newest furry addition, a hamster named Popsicle. We love our pets and enjoy showering them with affection, even if they are not always as enthusiastic about it as we are — like when we dress them in tiny bandanas. Here, I’ve made a DIY bandana for both dogs and cats, with a special adaptation for cats to wear safely using a break-away collar. I wouldn’t trust a cat in a traditional bandana since they are troublemakers and could hurt themselves if it got snagged around their necks.

I started making bandanas for our beasts after making one for a foster dog (she was a Badass Brooklyn Rescue named Lillian Vernon) to look extra fancy for an adoption event. If you want to make your cat or dog (heck, if I could get Popsicle to wear one, I’d make her one, too!) look extra cute for your #DSPETSTYLE pics, try this DIY. –Jessica Marquez

Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Materials

Break-away cat collar
Fabric, washed and pre-shrunk
Measuring tape
Scissors
Water soluble pen
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery floss
Sewing pins
Sewing thread

Instructions

Cats
1. Measure the length of the cat collar between the safety snap. This will be the length of the bandana. The width is 8”. Cut two pieces w x 8”.
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2. Fold the bottom seam .25” and press on the top layer. Fold the fabric in half and lightly press to mark the center. Fold the corners to meet the center seam to create a triangle. This will help you visualize where to stitch on the bandana.Image may be NSFW.
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3. Use a water soluble marker to write the name and stitch with 3 ply embroidery floss in a chain stitch on the top layer of fabric. Once you’re finished stitching, remove any remaining water soluble pen with a damp cloth.Image may be NSFW.
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4. Cut along the the triangular fold lines with a .25” seam allowance on both layers of fabric. Pin the right sides (stitched name should be backward) of the fabric together.Image may be NSFW.
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5. Sew with a .25” seam allowance around the bandana leaving 1.5” opening. Pull the bandana through to the front side, push the corners out and press.Image may be NSFW.
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6. Turn over the bandana. Fold the corners down and pin in place. Sew ⅛” seam around the top of the fold and the triangle. Lace collar through and pop that collar on!Image may be NSFW.
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Dogs
1. Measure the length around your pet’s neck and add 10-12”. 10 inches if you want short tails of the tied knot or 12” if you’d like longer knot tails. This is the length of the bandana. For the width, measure from the neck to the point on the pet’s back you’d like the bandana to hit. For Harold, his neck measured 14” around, so the total length was 24” and the width was 12” wide.

2. Double the length of the fabric and fold lengthwise twice. Cut corner to corner. This will give you two bandana pieces of the same fabric. If you want different fabrics for the front and back, cut each piece individually. Image may be NSFW.
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4. Pin front-facing sides together. Stitch around the bandana with a .25” seam allowance leaving a 2” opening. Pull the bandana through to the front side, push the corners out and press.Image may be NSFW.
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