Tuesday, October 22, 2013

DIY Pet Bandana Tutorial & Vitapet Treats


Have you met the fifth member of the Sew Delicious family before? Pharlap is our seven year old miniature dachshund. He is my baby and I took this opportunity to sew him something cute!


Pharlap (my husband chose the name, but it suits him - he runs fast on his little legs!) is such an affectionate little guy. He loves to cuddle up on the couch with us and play with our girls. We were unsure about how he would be when we bought the girls home when they were babies, but we needn't have worried, he was their protector when they were babies and has become their best buddy. Kids develop such special relationships with their pets and it's so lovely watching them together.


Little doxies have a few health issues that can arise if you don't care for their nutrition properly - excess weight can put pressure on their long spines and short legs, and we've found that it's important to watch their oral health too - our old doxie growing up had terrible issues with her teeth later in life. With nutrition in mind, the VitaPet  treat range is perfect for Pharlap.


Quite a lot of the pet treats available from the supermarket are full of additional salt, preservatives and not all of them use real meat products (!!), but not VitaPet. There is the Healthy Naturals range made from real meat such as beef, kangaroo, chicken and lamb, and the Vitapet range of tenders and sticks. Pharlap really loves the Vitapet duck and chicken tenders and you can see that they are just dried breast meat of duck and chicken, as natural as can be. He loves them.


They are a really great size for small dogs and they are quite chewy, which is good for his teeth. I like the resealable packages too, we only use these as an occasional treat so they keep fresh in the cupboard for a long time.


Make sure you check out VitaPet next time you are at the supermarket - your dog will love you for it! You can also find VitaPet on Facebook, they are currently giving away free samples to trial. Hurry, limited time only.

Pet lovers not only appreciate good nutrition for their animals, but it would seem many like a good accessory too! I've never been one to dress Pharlap in any kind of outfit (and with his long coat he doesn't need it) but I think a bandana on a dog is pretty cute! So here is a quick tutorial on how to sew one for your best friend.


Materials: fabric scraps / fat quarter, flannel for backing, plastic or metal snap button.

These measurements will make a bandana to fit a small to medium sized dog.


1. Draw up a pattern (it will fit on an A4 sized paper) using the measurements from the above diagram. Adjust accordingly if your pet needs a larger or smaller size.

2. Use your pattern to cut 2 pieces - a front and a backing. I used quilting cotton for the front and some flannel for the back.


3. Place your fabrics with right sides together and stitch all the way around, leaving a gap for turning (refer to above diagram)

4. Clip corners, turn right sides out and press.


5. Top stitch all the way around the bandana to finish and to close the gap.

6. Attach snaps to either ends (velcro is an alternative)

Put on your pet and admire how cute they look!


WIN - thanks to VitaPet, you can win a fantastic pack of pet treats for your dog. Just leave me a comment and tell me why your dog is so special to you and your family! Check out all the giveaway terms & conditions here.

If you make a bandana for your pup using my tutorial I'd love to see it! Share it on my facebook page, in my flickr group or tag me on instagram!

11 comments:

  1. Pharlap is adorable! His face looks a lot like my mom's Golden Retriever, who is quite dark red and has a long, handsome face. I'm kind of glad I don't have a dog yet, because I think I'd become quite a freak about sewing them little accessories. :)

    Some pet shelters might take donations of these, if you have readers who are interested. At the no-kill one I used to volunteer at, we liked to put little bandanas and stuff on the dogs to make them look extra cute. :)

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    1. That's a really great idea! It makes them look lovely when people come along to hopefully adopt them :)

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  2. Ooooh, I love your little Pharlap. He's so cute. My two love their morning treats and I've been giving the Milky ones to them and they love them. If it wasn't for my dogs throughout the early days of parenthood, I don't know where I'd be. Suffering PND, I had a hard time adjusting to motherhood and they were always there with a sympathetic ear and eyes. As much as I enjoyed petting them to calm down, they enjoyed it as well. I'd be lost without my fur babies.

    Anne xx

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    1. Thanks Anne! I agree, Pharlap was such great company when Anna was a baby. He really kept me company in those early days when I was finding it all really tough. These days I especially appreciate that he doesn't talk back ;)

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  3. Thats so cute! We dont have a dog, so I wont enter the giveaway. But ill be sure to tell my friends and family about this product :-)

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  4. We have to feed ours a grain free diet here in the States due to gluten allergies- their coats are much better for it. (We have four adopted rescue dachsies and are fostering a fifth blind and deaf
    double dapple)

    This bandana pattern will be great for halloween!

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  5. Our dog is special to us simply because she makes us laugh and loves us uncoditionally! Even though she is naughty, now we couldn't imagine our life without her. I haven't made a bandanna for my dog before, however I do make her collars and jumpers.

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  6. So, how wrong would it be if I used your pattern to make a drool bandana for my kid instead? ;) I also have a dog, a Taiwanese Mountain dog named Chai but there is no way she would allow me to put accessories on her without shredding them to bits.

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  7. Rusty works three jobs: he's my children's companion, my wife's therapist and my personal trainer... but he's always happy and he never ever complains (except during thunderstorms!)

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  8. Wagner has been thrilled to see us each day for over 19 years now - a fantastic example of devotion - and has 'raised' his two younger brothers with the same perfect temperament, manners and companionship!

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