Easy DIY Pet Bandana

Hi Y'all! Today I will be showing you how to sew a super easy dog bandana! I love making these because they take almost no time at all, and are effortless to make new ones for all the different holidays!

1. 1/4 Yard of Cotton Fabric
2. Iron
3. Ironing Board/ Safe Place to Iron
4. Scissors/ Rotary Cutter
5. Cutting Mat/ Safe Place to Cut
6. Sewing Machine
7. Thread
8. Dog/ Cat/ Pet
9. OPTIONAL: Snap Buttons

This is the best part of the whole tutorial, in my opinion, because you get to go to a fabric/craft store and look around! I chose a simple Peppa Pig fabric, in a standard quilting cotton weave. I would recommend using cotton, because for the purposes we will be using it, it better holds a crease and is much easier to sew with than knits or other thinner/ stretchy materials.

The next step is to iron your fabric completely flat. Make sure you are doing this on an iron safe surface. Also, be sure to turn your iron to a steam setting, as dry heat does not work well with cotton. Once you have ironed it flat, it is time to fold it in half. You can measure the circumference of your dogs neck and fold it accordingly- Say, if your dog's neck was 24", you would fold it in half so that the top fabric equals 12", or half of your dog's neck size- Or, you can eyeball the length based on what your dog looks like. Here, I just eyeballed it because I've made these a million times. One tip is to make the length about 1/2"-1" longer to account for sewing. You can always wrap the fabric around your pet's neck, and add an inch to get an easy measurement too.

Now it is time to cut your fabric!! Make sure you have the correct length/size because once you cut the fabric you can't go back!! If you are worried you might mess up, a good rule of thumb is to always cut bigger than you need- You can always cut fabric away, but you can't bring it back!!! I laid my fabric on a cutting board, and used a ruler and a rotary blade to cut a straight line from corner to corner, making sure that the folded end was on the side and the long edge was at the top. When you unfold your fabric you should have a big triangle.

After you have completed steps 1 through 3, it is time to return to your ironing board. Begin by ironing your piece flat once again, then iron down the longest part of your triangle about 1/4". It doesn't have to be perfect! Start at one end, and slowly make your way across, folding down the edge evenly. Quick Tip!!!: Make sure that you have the right side of the fabric down, and that you are folding the right side back onto the wrong side. To ensure we make an even bandana, we will only be sewing one edge at a time.

YAY!! It is time to sew! Bring your bandana to your sewing machine and prepare the thread based on your specific machine. I chose to do a wide zig-zag stitch, but you can do whatever stitch you want! Turn your fabric right side up, and begin stitching down the very edge of the fabric. Although you can't see the backside where your fold is, since you are stitching directly on the edge you will still catch the fold and adhere it together. Sew directly down the edge in a straight line, and when you get to the end, feel free to backstitch. Once you remove it from your machine it should look something like this. Trim off the excess fabrics and head back to your ironing board!

Time to repeat the step you just did. Chose one of the other two sides of the triangular bandana, and iron the edges down from the right side down to the wrong side about 1/4" wide. Once you have your side ironed down, head back to your sewing machine and sew along the edge you just ironed, following the same ideas from the previous step.

Now that 2/3 side of your bandana have been sewn, it is time to finish sewing that final edge. Bring your bandana back to your ironing board and iron down the final side. This side is very important though, because it will be the finishing edge of the bandana. When ironing down the point of the bandana, make sure the sides line up, as shown in the photo above. Again, iron with the right side down up onto the wrong side with a 1/4" width. When done ironing, bring your bandana back to your sewing machine to sew the final side. I would recommend backstitching at the point because it is thicker and could come undone over time.

Now that your bandana is completely sewn, trim off the excess thread and any unruly edges. From here, you can either be finished, and just tie the bandana around your dog's neck, OR you can add little snaps for easy application and removal. I prefer using snaps because when it's time to take the bandana off your pet, you don't have to worry about untying a knot. If you do decide to add snaps, follow the directions of your snap setting kit, making sure that the snaps are correctly place on the right sides of the bandana.

Now that your bandana is complete, put it on your pet and take some stylish photos to send to all your friends. Them give them a treat for being so darn cute, and pat yourself on the back for finishing your beautiful creation.