About a month ago I had the opportunity to test something a little different for Stitchwerx Designs.  I think almost all of us sew for our children or grandchildren and maybe even on those rare occasions, sew for ourselves too.  Well this time I got to sew for…my DOG!  Yes even he deserves to be spoiled, and boy, did he love what I made for him.  The I Love Lucy sweater is a great little sweater for everyday use for your little pampered pooch.  It comes in 5 sizes for small dogs and features a turtleneck collar, loop fringe collar and back trim, or even a flower accent.  This is so cozy when made out of fleece, but can also be made out of knit as well.  I know my Scooter Bean didn’t want me to take this off of him to even wash it.  Of course he is a little wiener dog with almost no hair so who can blame him!

Photobomb!

Now when I had the opportunity to review another pattern by Stitchwerx, well how could I say no?  Another chance to try out another great dog pattern…YES Please!  I had even more fun with this one too!  Let me introduce you to the Bentley Harness!  If you are a dog owner you know that any boutique harness costs an arm and a leg.  Well now it doesn’t have to!  This pattern makes is soooo easy to make your perfect one-of-a-kind harness for your pooch.  The pattern comes in 6 small dog sizes and of course you can mesh these sizes to make the perfect fit for pooch if they fall within two sizes.  There are also many embellishing options included like pockets and a placket, but you can seriously let your imagination fly with this one.

What I especially love is that the tutorial includes not just using Velcro for securing the harness, but also explains how to attach nylon straps and parachute clips for even more security.

For my harness I used fun gold denim I found.  I added ribbon on either side of the middle with gold buttons in the middle.  Now a couple things I would recommend not doing would be to use the gold webbing for the straps of the parachute clips. It is too slick and slides down on its own.  Ah, well it was worth a shot.  Does look so cute anyways!  It didn’t help that Joann’s had a limited selection of nylon and clips.  Next time I will order ahead of time.  Where may you ask?  Did I mention that the pattern has resources for buying these supplies?  Yes, Kim of Stitchwerx thinks of everything!  Her patterns are always very thorough.

Some other little tips:  Since I forgot to buy the fray check I burned the edges of my straps with a lighter.  Works to stop fraying but just be careful you don’t start a fire!  Also another great way to secure the straps to the harness is using an x box.  No not the game console.  This stitch is sewing a rectangle with an x in it.  Gives it an extra little security for those dogs that like to walk their masters!

Take a look at my girls modeling it!  The harness was intended for Maggie, the Shitzu, however I never knew her modeling skills weren’t up to par until I was trying everything to get her to look normal during the photo shoot.  I finally gave up and put the harness on my other dachshund Stella.  Is there an America’s Next Top Model Dog?  Stella would win if there was!

Anyways, Stitchwerx has many other patterns besides these two.  Go check out her shop to see more dog patterns, kid’s patterns, and more!   You may just fall in love like I have!