Sewing For Small Dogs, McCalls 5998, and FABSCRAP

Hello, it’s back to sewing today. This post is a tad different. I’m going to talk about sewing for my smaller dogs. There are three things I am going to cover:

1. Sharing my most tried and true pattern for the last fifteen years.
2. The non-profit organization FABSCRAP.
3. My joy in sewing for small dogs.

When did I Start Sewing for my dogs?

I became interested in sewing for dogs in 2009 when I adopted a five-year-old toy Poodle from a Missouri puppy mill. Being a Missouri puppy mill dog, she was not in the best shape when I got her. I named her Sophia, and immediately decided that she had to become a princess, which necessitated creating a wardrobe. All princesses need their clothes.

Two years later, I adopted another toy, a poodle whom I named Niki. Of course, Niki needed vests.

The Pattern

Early in the game, I discovered McCalls 5998. Originally published in 2009, it is now discontinued. However, you can still find it everywhere for a decent price. Over the years, I have adapted this pattern to suit my needs. A good example is that there is no vest look, but I have redesigned the bodice into a vest.

For dresses, over the years, I have made the bodice shorter and added a longer and fuller skirt.

Most of my designs have been based on this original pattern. Lately, I have developed a newer summer dress design, but this is not the place to discuss that.

I also want to note here that McCalls has a current pattern that, to me, closely resembles 5998, which I also own. This is McCalls 6218, found HERE. It’s cool because of the hooded jackets.

Now I want to talk about where I sourced the fabric for Niki’s vest and the appliqué for Lynnie’s dress.

What Is FABSCRAP?

FABSCRAP is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that was created to help alleviate the waste that goes on in the New York Garment District. They sell online and at their physical locations. If you go HERE and check out their online site, you will see that they sell a variety of fabrics, notions, and trims, and have been a great source for fledgling designers.

One of their features is a category that sells packages of surprise fabrics. These packages come in one-pound allotments. You can pick an approximate color way, but you have no idea what is going to be in that package. You can count on probably getting a mixture of knits and wovens.

Four years ago, I made an order. One of the items was a $5.00 orange scrapack. It had some pretty cool fabric in it. I made a Rachel Comey top from the big pieces, seen HERE.

But, of course, I also got a lot of small pieces, many of them knits. Until this fall, they were all just stuck in a small bag.

All These Little Pieces

Finally, I decided they had sat around long enough and needed to find a way to use them. So, I decided to mix them all up and make Niki a scrap vest.

Starting the journey with a basic layout. These are all knit pieces, so I did not turn any seams under. However, the whole piece is lined.

View From the Side–I Think It Looks a Bit British Inspired

Lynnie

There were still quite a few pieces left, but not enough to make any kind of garment. I decided that Lynnie needed a new fall dress, and I could use some of the scraps for a simple appliqué. Using templates, I designed a really simple flower.

The base dress is fabric from Joanne’s. During their going out of business, I went through the quilting fabric and picked some things that would work for “Lynnie Dresses.” I wasn’t thinking about these FABSCRAP pieces, but their colors went so well with this particular pick.

A view showing off the trim that I had in my stash that went perfectly. Also, I used the reverse side of the one piece of satin that was in the pack. Its matte back goes great with the cotton.

Variation on a Theme

Visual artists (and composers) regularly use the same subject matter and change it, also known as “a variation on a theme.” The same goes for sewing. You can interpret a sleeveless top in endless ways. The same goes for the vests and dresses I have made over the years. Below are some examples of how I’ve created variations for different holidays and seasons; my variation on a theme.

And with these samples, I will end today’s post. Thanks for reading about one of my obsessions. Quirky as it is, it’s something that I’ve wanted to talk about for quite a while. After having so much fun making these last two, I decided to just do it!

Niki’s Vests Over the Years

Different Dresses Made Over the Years

Just Some Extras-all garments except the plaid little jacket were made for Bea, my mini-husky. She HATES clothes, so I need to somehow adapt these pieces for Lynnie. I’m still thinking about that one.

Just something extra-Niki (with Sophia) back in December 2016, when I just finished their matching outfits. I lost Sophia in 2020.

That’s It. Take care and sew on…Until next time.