It could be said in some 'rare' instances that I might possibly spoil my dogs on occasion. :) But in this instance it can't possibly be true! My poor wittle doggie Winston was recently shaved down after he became a mat land. If he had better parents, he would have long flowing gorgeous hair, brushed and washed 3 times a day. His hair is stunning. But seeing as we're not dog show participants he's just a normal beloved Shih Tzu dog in our house. If he even looks at wet weather he mats up like a fluff ball.
The problem with shaving Winsta-Pooh is he then shivers constantly. No really, constantly, even in his sleep. In fact the first 3 days after being shaved he laid around with my daughters's electric blanket. He wears a sweater but it doesn't make enough difference. So today I worked on some leg warmers. Not so he can be a dandy of fashion but so he can be warm. I didn't make socks because it's so muddy out, he'll just ruin them first time out.
Here's some instructions on how I made them.
Needed: An old knee sock. Sewing machine or needle, quilting & elastic thread. Scissors.
1. Cut the foot off the sock. note: I left the top cuff on, less sewing for later.
2. Cut the sock in half horizontally (not the length.) this is where I made my mistake. I did not cut in half first and it caused problems later on, so don't skip this step.
3. Thread your needle with quilting or sturdy thread and knot it. ** if you have a sewing machine, skip dealing with needle and thread.
4. Make sure to turn socks inside out BEFORE sewing.
5. Eyeball (or draw a line with pen or chalk) the middle of the sock and stitch a line with small stitches 1/8-1/4" to the right of the mark you made. Sew all the way to the top.
6. More over 1/4" towards the other side and sew another line from top to bottom.
7. You should now be able to cut in between the 2 stitched lines to make 2 leg warmers. ** do this to both halls of the sock so you should have 4 pieces now.
8. Turn down the edge of each end and stitch down with elastic thread. Here I made another mistake and tried using quilting thread at first. It does not allow enough 'give' to get it on the dog's feet. ** You will not need to stitch down the ends that have the cuff. They're already secure.
If you have a larger dog you may just need to stitch up the bottoms of a normal sock where you cut off the feet. No vertical sewn lines necessary. If they have skinnier legs, measure how thin the sock needs to be and sew a vertical seam.
Did someone say 'treat?!' (Winston is having a cockatoo hair day.)
Posted with Love from Contessa
