Pawsitively Stylish Collar Wrap Dog and cat collars seem like a great place for pets to sport a little embroidered style... but most of the time, they're too skinny to fit much stitching into. Here's an even better idea: a fabric collar wrap that fits over your pet's existing collar, with border embroidery and a little sparkle if you like! Read below for these free project instructions! Supplies Needed: **1/4 yard sturdy fabric (we used denim) **Temporary spray adhesive **Air-erase pen or other marking tool **Medium weight cutaway stabilizer **7/8 inch wide ribbon **1/2 inch wide sew-on Velcro **Heat set crystals and heat tool (optional) 1 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (1 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
For this project, the design we used was the Damask Royal Rose Border - Md. The design we used for the collar wrap is also available in the following design packs: A Dashing Damask Design Pack - XL, A Dashing Damask Design Pack - Lg and A Dashing Damask Design Pack - Md. There are thousands of border designs that will also look great on this collar wrap. Grab your furry friend and pick your favorite! Finished Size: 7 1/4 inches wide by 2 1/4 inches high. Wrap can be custom sized to fit any collar. First, cut a piece of sturdy fabric (we chose denim) a bit larger than your hoop. Then, decide how large you would like the wrap to be. Consider the size of the collar and the size of the embroidery design. We are creating a wrap for a large size dog collar which is about one inch wide. So, we decided to make our wrap about 2 inches wide. Also, the design we chose is 6 inches wide. So, we decided to make our wrap about 7 inches wide. Take those dimensions and add one inch to both measurements for seam allowance. Next, using an airerase pen or other marking tool, draw a rectangle in the center of the fabric using the dimensions you decided on - ours is 8 inches wide by 3 inches high. 2 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (2 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Measure and mark the center of each side by measuring and dividing by two. Then, draw lines connecting the marks. These lines will be used for hooping. Create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. If you don't have embroidery software, you can cut a piece of paper the shape and dimensions of the design to help with placement and centering. Poke a hole in the center of the template and align it with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape - there should be at least 3/4 inch space between the outer edges of the design and the outer edge of the shape. 3 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (3 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Remove the template and spray a piece of medium weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric on top and hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design. When the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery. 4 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (4 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Cut out the shape. Cut two strips each of the loop and hook sides of 1/2 inch wide sew-on Velcro using your original width dimension plus 1/2 inch - ours is 2 inches plus 1/2 inch, so we cut our Velcro to 2 1/2 inches. 5 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (5 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Cut four strips of 7/8 inch wide ribbon using the same measurement you used for the Velcro plus 1/2 inch - our Velcro measurement is 2 1/2 inches plus 1/2 inch, so we cut our ribbon to 3 inches. Then, spray the backside of each piece of Velcro with temporary adhesive and smooth it in place onto the strips of ribbon, centering the Velcro and aligning one short end of Velcro with one short end of the ribbon (leaving one short end of ribbon open). Next, sew the Velcro in place by sewing a seam around the entire outer edge of the Velcro. 6 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (6 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Fold the open end of the ribbon in towards the Velcro 1/4 inch and then another 1/4 inch and sew the folded end in place. To prepare the back fabric, trace the shape of the embroidered front piece and cut out the shape. 7 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (7 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Now it is time to assemble the wrap! Lay the embroidered front piece flat with the right side facing up. Align the raw ends of the two loop side Velcro ribbon tabs with the top edge of the fabric, about one inch from the top corners of the fabric with the Velcro facing down. Pin in place and then tack the ends in place with a few stitches. Remove the pins and flip the tabs up and lay them flat above the top edge of the fabric. Then, align the raw ends of the hook side Velcro ribbon tabs with the bottom edge of the fabric about one inch from the bottom corners of the fabric and with the Velcro facing up. Pin the tabs in place and tack with a few stitches along the raw ends. 8 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (8 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Fold the tabs in half and pin them in place making sure that the folded ends of the tabs are about one inch from the outer edges of the fabric so they will not be sewn over later on. Align the back fabric over the embroidered front piece and tabs, right sides together, and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along one of the short ends and the top and bottom edges - leave one short end open for turning. 9 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (9 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Turn the wrap right side out. Press the seams with an iron and fold the fabric of the opening in 1/2 inch and press. Top stitch a 1/4 inch seam along the entire outer edge of the fabric. To attach the wrap to the collar, lay the wrap on top of the outer side of the collar, fold the ribbon tabs around, and press the tabs together. Add fun embellishments like heat set crystals for some special sparkle! 10 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (10 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM
Create a collar wrap for each changing season to ensure that your pet is always pawsitively stylish! Click here for a printable version of these project instructions. You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon above. 11 file:///f /Source/ELProjects/html/PR1604.html (11 of 11)8/4/2010 4:14:39 AM