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Re-Make it Monday! DIY Dog Bow Ties!

Its Monday and life is crazy! ICYMI Check out this Make it Monday! post for DIY Dog Bow Ties. I’ll be back next Monday with a new MIM so let me know what you want me to make. 


Happy Monday friends! For years Basil, being the 1st class hipster that he is, has been wearing bow ties. And for almost that same amount of time I have been purchasing him those bow ties. Okay so the cost isn’t that much each time, 1 bow tie retails for about $10-$20 but in the long run, that cost really adds up! So after buying Basil’s 20th bow tie (I know, I’m crazy!!) I figured I could make these, so I did!

Below you will find my simple DIY No Sew bow tie tutorial. Hopefully it works for you and your dog can look like a gentleman without breaking the bank! DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 1Step 1: There is a few things you’ll need!

• Large flat work area
• Hot glue gun
• Double sided Velcro
• Sharp scissors for cutting fabric
• Fabric
• Optional: elastic

The great thing about this project is most people have a lot of these craft supplies already in the their home. If you need anything on this list all of it can be found at your local craft store. I highly recommend using double-sided Velcro and it can be a little tricky to find. I ordered mine online(http://www.etsy.com) at a great deal. I also use a standard hot glue gun on the high setting. For my fabric, I found an amazing deal in the remnant fabric bin at Hobby Lobby. It was 1/8th a yard and only .59 cents! Also, I couldn’t pass up the Elvis in the 50’s pattern!
DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial

Step 2: Cut out a square!

The size I picked was about 6 inches by 6 inches. This bow tie is going to be a little large for a medium size (20 lb.) dog but that how I like it. If you want a smaller tie make the square smaller. DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 3

Step 3: Flip square over and glue edges down!

It doesn’t have to be perfect! I glued the “hot dog” sides first and then the “hamburger” sides. You really just want to make clean edges for the front of the bow tie. DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 4

Step 4: Cut a small rectangular piece for the center of the tie!

I cut a 2×6 inch piece of fabric. Make sure the length is 3 times the size of the width. I flipped the fabric over and glued the edges down like I did with the first piece of fabric. DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 5
Step 5: Pinch to make your bow tie shape!

Pinch the large square that you created, from the back, to make the bow tie shape that looks best to you. When I did this it made Elvis’s face a little weird.DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 6

Step 6: Tie the long rectangular piece around the pinched square. Knot in the back!
Make sure the fabric is laying flat on the front. Knot fabric in the back and glue flaps down. This is also a great time to glue down what doesn’t look right!

DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 7DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 7

Step 7: Measure & Attach Velcro!

I grabbed one of Basil’s everyday dog collars and placed the double sided Velcro on top to see how much I needed. For a 1 inch collar I recommend at least 2 inches of Velcro.

I cut the Velcro and glued the strip on to the center, back of the bow tie. Make sure to place the glue on the soft side of the Velcro! This way the Velcro teeth can grab onto the collar as well as the other side of the strip. If you prefer to use elastic you can glue a loop of elastic band in the same spot.DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 8

Step 8: Attach to collar and look awesome!

Wrap the Velcro around the collar in your preferred area. Think about how the collar is going to hang and sit once on your pet.

DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Look how cute he is! This bow tie is cute, easy, and lightweight. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Show me your pictures of your creations!

Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and the featured city is San Antonio, Texas! So make sure to check back then!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

Make it Monday! DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy!

So being Monday and all I thought, “lets be creative!” Today is the first of my Make it Monday series. Here is a re-share of my first dog DIY project,  the T-shirt dog toy. I know a lot of people enjoyed this one and I know a lot of people missed it so I thought I would repost. I hope you like it and going forward on Mondays I’ll be posting new dog friendly recipes I’ve tried, other DIY toys, crafts for the home, and a ton more!

DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Hello all! In our house Basil loves new toys and my husband loves new t-shirts so I came up with a way that I can make both of those things happen much faster. By using an old, stretched out, too large t-shirt of my husbands and a pair of scissors I can make a rope toy, and I can show you how.

What you will need:

1 clean, old T-shirt

Pair of good scissorsDIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step one: Cut off both sleeves of the T-shirt.DIY T-Shirt Dog ToyDIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step two: Cut the seams off both the sleevesDIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step three: Cut down the seams on both sides of the body of the T-shirt.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step four: Cut long, wide strips “hot dog” wise. (One T-shirt can make two or more toys)DIY T-Shirt Dog ToyStep five: Over lap the ends of 3 to 5 of the strips. (I used only 4 this time but do whatever you are comfortable with braiding!)DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step six: Use one of the seams that you cut of the sleeves to tie and knot the overlapped strips.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step seven: Braid! Make it as tight as you can for the best toy.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step eight: Use the 2nd seam from the sleeves to tie off the other end of your braid.DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Step nine: To finish the toy off, I hand knotted the middle to add more interest for my boy. I also added a few stitches to the knots on each end to insure that they stayed put!

All that was left was to leave the new toy in the toy bin and wait! It wasn’t long before he found it and brought it to me. We played tug-a-war for a while and I tried to get a good picture of him enjoying my handmade toy but that was much harder than expected!Dog enjoys DIY T-Shirt Dog ToyLet me know if you want me to Make it and I’ll give it a try!

Have a happy, creative Monday and we’ll see you tomorrow for Travel Tuesday!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

DIY No Sew Bow Ties for Pets!

Happy Monday friends! For years Basil, being the 1st class hipster that he is, has been wearing bow ties. And for almost that same amount of time I have been purchasing him those bow ties. Okay so the cost isn’t that much each time, 1 bow tie retails for about $10-$20 but in the long run, that cost really adds up! So after buying Basil’s 20th bow tie (I know, I’m crazy!!) I figured I could make these, so I did!

Below you will find my simple DIY No Sew bow tie tutorial. Hopefully it works for you and your dog can look like a gentleman without breaking the bank! DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 1Step 1: There is a few things you’ll need!

• Large flat work area
• Hot glue gun
• Double sided Velcro
• Sharp scissors for cutting fabric
• Fabric
• Optional: elastic

The great thing about this project is most people have a lot of these craft supplies already in the their home. If you need anything on this list all of it can be found at your local craft store. I highly recommend using double-sided Velcro and it can be a little tricky to find. I ordered mine online(http://www.etsy.com) at a great deal. I also use a standard hot glue gun on the high setting. For my fabric, I found an amazing deal in the remnant fabric bin at Hobby Lobby. It was 1/8th a yard and only .59 cents! Also, I couldn’t pass up the Elvis in the 50’s pattern!
DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial

Step 2: Cut out a square!

The size I picked was about 6 inches by 6 inches. This bow tie is going to be a little large for a medium size (20 lb.) dog but that how I like it. If you want a smaller tie make the square smaller. DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 3

Step 3: Flip square over and glue edges down!

It doesn’t have to be perfect! I glued the “hot dog” sides first and then the “hamburger” sides. You really just want to make clean edges for the front of the bow tie. DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 4

Step 4: Cut a small rectangular piece for the center of the tie!

I cut a 2×6 inch piece of fabric. Make sure the length is 3 times the size of the width. I flipped the fabric over and glued the edges down like I did with the first piece of fabric. DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 5
Step 5: Pinch to make your bow tie shape!

Pinch the large square that you created, from the back, to make the bow tie shape that looks best to you. When I did this it made Elvis’s face a little weird.DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 6

Step 6: Tie the long rectangular piece around the pinched square. Knot in the back!
Make sure the fabric is laying flat on the front. Knot fabric in the back and glue flaps down. This is also a great time to glue down what doesn’t look right!

DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 7 DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 7

Step 7: Measure & Attach Velcro!

I grabbed one of Basil’s everyday dog collars and placed the double sided Velcro on top to see how much I needed. For a 1 inch collar I recommend at least 2 inches of Velcro.

I cut the Velcro and glued the strip on to the center, back of the bow tie. Make sure to place the glue on the soft side of the Velcro! This way the Velcro teeth can grab onto the collar as well as the other side of the strip. If you prefer to use elastic you can glue a loop of elastic band in the same spot.DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Step 8

Step 8: Attach to collar and look awesome!

Wrap the Velcro around the collar in your preferred area. Think about how the collar is going to hang and sit once on your pet.

DIY No Sew Bow Tie Tutorial Look how cute he is! This bow tie is cute, easy, and lightweight. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Show me your pictures of your creations!

Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and the featured city is San Antonio, Texas! So make sure to check back then!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil