Fashion Plates: An Easy Dog Sweater for a Chilly Dog

I recently posted pictures of our new dog to be, Chloe. We introduced her to our family dog coat, and she and Lotus proceeded to put on a doggy fashion show for the little girls at the Rural King.

Susan Viall asked me how I make their coats. This is for her and for anyone else with a chilly dog.

I’ve made these for years. They’re polar fleece, cut in one piece and serged, They wash easily, keep a dog warm in a chilly room or when they’re doing zoomies in the yard. They can be made to fit any dog, and tie instead of having a velcro closure that can abrade delicate tummy skin.

You’ll need

• Polar fleece the length of your dog from head to base of tail. 1 yard works for most greyhounds. Larger boys may need 1 1/8th yards.
• A serger or sewing machine with a double-knit stitch
• Polyester thread that stretches

Instructions:

• fold the polar fleece so that the folded edge is roughly the length of your dog from middle of back to their tummy plus a couple inches. The fold will be uneven.
• Cut the tab out of the single layer and the body section out of the folded section
• Serge the neck edge ( or edge it with a double-knit stitch)
• Serge the front seam together
• Serge all around the edge.
• Add a buttonhole on the side that doesn’t have the tab
• Dress your dog! The tab goes through the button hole and you tie it softly overhand.

All of my dogs have loved having a sweater on a chilly day! They wash warm water, cold rinse. Just be careful not to dry them on high or the polar fleece becomes crispy.

Greyhounds are always cold. But other dogs feel the weather as well. Dress them up and warm their hearts!

Chloe hasn’t arrived yet. We met her last week. She’s from American Greyhound in Hobart, IN. More about her story on my site.

Twinsies! Lotus’ New Sister

For those of you following the new dog saga, we think we’ve got our dog!

We had originally thought we were going to get a fawn girl named Champagne.Fate intervened as sometimes that happens. She was not meant to be ours.

After some more investigation, we found a little black dog that is darling.

This Sunday we got to meet our new dog.

Her name is Ponda Hot Tub, which is not going to happen. I think we’ll be calling her Chloe. She’s literally Lotus’ twin.

We met her at the Rural King in Champaign, not a hot spot I would think.

There was a batch of Brownies selling girl scout cookies and they descended on both dogs and petted the fur off them.

I was a bit worried about having a bit-to-shit moment, but the dogs treated it like a fashion show. They both posed at the camera like models. We only lacked a runway.

Chloe is from American Greyhound and they have been very helpful. You can see their dogs for adoption on their website.

If you don’t know about greyhounds, you are missing the most wonderful dogs in the universe. They are quiet, strong, loving creatures that are like no other dog on earth.

So we don’t know when she’s coming, but she’s ours. Lotus not only is going to have a friend. She has a twin. Lotus is the girl in red. The girl with frogs and mushrooms is Chloe.

For those of you who bought quilts to help make this happen, thank you so very much! My quilts are still on sale on Etsy if anyone would like a quilt at a super low price. We still have some settling in costs that we’re covering.

Quilts, Housecleaning, and Puppies

2017 was not a productive year for art. I finished and published my book, Sight Unseen. I published Don’s book With Patience Wait. But most of the year I spent on my back with two knees so bad I couldn’t walk without damaging my feet.

I’m personally aware and in a relationship with every crack in the ceiling. That’s ok. This last November, I got my first new knee. I’m up and rolling with my walker and sometimes just on a cane. It’s a brave new world, but what I’m most thankful for is to be able to do the small necessities. Dinner. Laundry. To be able to pick up something on the floor. To be in more than one room in a day.

During that time we lost our greyhound Zeke. Zeke was a lovely silly boy, who had epilepsy. His illness finally became medically unmanageable.

We miss him. Horribly. But Lotus, our remaining greyhound,  is a mess. Greys are used to being in a pack. She has her kitties, but we know she’s still grieving Zeke and wishes one of us would put on a greyhound suit and run with her.

So, after all that medical stuff and all those medical bills, we’re looking for a greyhound girl to add to our pack.

We think we’ve found one. We found a beautiful fawn named Champaign. She’s three years old, and clearly taken to Don, although she liked me too.

Of course, we need to get everyone at home up to code. So we’re looking at the vet bill from hell.

719 Lady Mantis

In the middle of this, I’ve been looking at the quilts I’ve horded for the last 30 years. I’ve always sold my work, but I kept certain quilts back. I have two huge suitcases full of quilts that should really be enjoyed on someone’s walls.

They tell me the essence of cleaning is to get rid of things you aren’t using. You can’t say you’re using quilts in a suitcase unless you’re taking the suitcase somewhere regularly. Which I am currently not doing.

So for the next little while, I’m putting a number of works on sale. Most of them work out to half the asking price on them. I’m doing it because I do need the money and the quilts deserve better than life in a box.

If you’ve ever wanted a quilt of mine this is a very good time to buy one. You’ll find Lady Mantis at my etsy shop and on my web page you’ll find a listing of quilts for sale under the embroidered tapestry tab at the top of my site. Click on the quilts for sale tab and you’ll find the quilts. Or you can check my Etsy store to purchase quilts directly. Any problems or questions, email me.