The 12 Crafts of Christmas: Day 02 - Dog Bow Tie

Who doesn’t love a dog in a Christmas bow tie? If you want your furry friend to look smart on Christmas day, then this is the perfect project for you. Better still, it is a beginner level project so easy for most people to try. Send us your photos or tag us on Instagram: @CotswoldCurtains #CC12CraftsOfChristmas 

You will need:

Christmassy fabric
Fusing
Need and thread
Small piece of elastic (4mm width)
Scissors (fabric scissors are best) 
Iron and ironing board
Pattern (Download here)

Method:

Print out the pattern (or measure your own) and cut it out. You can adjust the size of the pattern depending on the size of your pooch and how big a bow tie you would like. 

Place the shiny side of your fusing onto the reverse side of the fabric. Trim any excess fusing so that you do not end up with a sticky iron. 

Setting your iron to a low-medium heat, iron the fusing onto your fabric from side to side until it has stuck. Make sure you iron on the fabric side. 

Fold piece A in half on the long edge and iron it to make a good strong crease. Open it flat. 

Next, fold in each long edge to the centre crease, ironing it flat to make further creases. Keep these folded. 

Fold the piece in half from the short edge this time, to make a centre crease, then open it back up. 

Fold each short edge to the centre crease and iron flat. 

Take the centre of the fabric between your thumb and forefinger and pinch it to make a bow shape. Thread a needle and put a few stitches into the middle, back and forth to secure the shape. 

Take your smaller piece of fabric and fold them into each other a bit like an envelope, ironing one piece down and then the shorter piece over the top. 

Sew one end of the new piece to the middle of the bow, then wrap the fabric around a few times until you are happy with how it looks. Secure with a few stitches at the back, trimming off any excess.

Taking your elastic, fold it in half and then mark the width of your dog’s collar. Sew a line across the elastic at this point to form a loop. The loop should be snug on the collar, as it will stretch. Leave about 1cm spare elastic under the loop. 

  Open up the ends of the elastic and stitch it either side of the bow. 

Thread your finished bow tie onto your dog’s collar and take a photo of your faithful friend wearing his smart new attire!