doggy bow tie

Ever since seeing this kitty bow tie, I've been thinking of ways to DIY this idea to life. I made the executive decision not to involve my cat in this project to save her from certain frustration (& to save myself from the wrath that comes when I dress her up - don't judge me). Instead, I made a bow tie for our dog, Doria. She was very excited to pose for this photo shoot. Or maybe it was the dog treats that were involved. 

I made Doria's bow tie from vinyl (because she is allergic to cotton & about everything else in the world), but any kind of fabric will do. This project only takes a couple of minutes, & there's no sewing involved! Because it's held together with hot glue, I wouldn't recommend this as an everyday fashion accessory. It does the job for an adorable photo shoot, though. My favorite feature of this bow tie is that it slides right onto your dog's existing collar!

To make your own doggy bow tie, you'll only need:

• Vinyl fabric
• Scissors
• Elastic
• Hot glue & glue gun (use the highest heat setting)
• Binder clip or clamp (not pictured)

Cut your vinyl into two pieces. You'll want one long piece for the bow (mine was 13" x 3") & one small piece for the middle of the bow (mine was 4" x 3"). If you're making your bow tie for a smaller dog (or a cat if you're brave enough), cut your pieces smaller. 

Fold your smaller piece into thirds height wise, with the sides meeting in the middle. Glue strip in place with hot glue. Be careful! The highest heat setting is needed, but it's super hot.

Fold your larger piece into thirds lengthwise, folding the ends of the fabric inward. 

Flip your bow over, & pinch in the middle. 

Wrap your smaller piece of fabric around the middle of the bow, & glue in place. 

Cut a small piece of elastic (the length of your elastic depends on the width of your pet's collar - I cut my elastic 4" long). Wrap your elastic in a loop & glue in place. 

Glue your elastic on the back of your bow tie. Use a binder clip to hold everything in place while it dries.

When the glue had dried, feed your dog's collar through the elastic loop. Now you're ready for a doggy photo shoot!

Doria is quite the dapper dog, don't you think?

xoxo,
-m.e.

P.S. Donut could sense that we were making something for the dog, & immediately tried to sabotage our tutorial. She may or may not be a princess.


P.P.S. Links for dogs, or make yourself a matching bow tie!