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Sewing a Dog Safety Reflective Bandana

I realized recently that I haven’t given any updates on our adoption of Pretty Handy DogĀ (aka Buddy.) I’m happy to say that Buddy has been with us for a year and a half now, and he has adjusted to living with us (crazy boys and all) just fine. After the first year, he began to truly show us his personality. He can be goofy and wrestle and run around like a maniac once in a while. But, normally, this is how he rolls:

He rolls into a tight ball and snores like a sailor! He’s also what you call a velcro dog and doesn’t let me out of his sight. We’ve heard from sitters that after I leave, Buddy will pace and cry by the door. When the sitter asks the kids if Buddy needs to go to out they answer, “No, he’s just crying because he wants Mommy.” Ahh, another Momma’s Boy ;-).

With the weather being in the 100’s here in NC, I’ve resorted to walking Buddy at night. Actually, I’m normally a night walker. On these nighttime excursions, I wear a reflector vest for myself, but I always worried that cars have a hard time seeing my mostly black dog. So, I thought it would be a good idea to make him his own dog safety clothing. A reflective bandana seemed like the perfect idea.

Materials:

  • Stiff fabric or regular fabric with interfacing (I used the front of a clearance Target table runner)
  • Reflector band (or buy reflector tape)
  • Thread
  • Scissors
  • Webbing strap and buckle

Ā Instructions:

Fold the stiff fabric in half and cut a large triangle (with a squared off top) out of your fabric. Make sure the triangle is 1.5 – 2 inches larger than the finished size.

Rip apart the reflector band by removing the velcro and the backing.

Iron the seams on the fabric.

Stitch the seams down.

Lay the webbing strap at the top of the bandana and fold over the squared edge. Pin it in place.

Stitch the webbing strap into the bandana fabric.

The bandana should look something like this:

Flip the bandana over. Cut the reflector band in half and position it onto the bandana. Pin the reflector tape in place.

Stitch around all the edges of the reflector tape. You may have to raise the sewing machine foot a little if it sticks on the reflector tape. This is how the finishes bandana looks.

Ā Buddy seems to like it. He wears it proudly on our night time walks.

Are you curious how it works? Take a look at this nighttime photo! It works great. And he seems to like his new nighttime dog costume.

But now Buddy has had enough of the incessant photo taking. I’ll leave him to take his sixth nap of the day.

20 replies
  1. Jazz C
    Jazz C says:

    This is so cool! I can’t wait to move in to my first home in a month or so and finally be able to own a sewing machine and try this out! I too will be blogging about my DIY projects, but first I’m blogging about how to get a house through a 203k loan and the entire experience of making such a large purchase! Can’t wait to close. Anyways, great blog!

    Reply
  2. seansmom
    seansmom says:

    THAT is a great idea!! And easy to make too!! We live in a College town and there are always joggers/bikers out at night in this hot weather and so many times, they’re wearing black clothing. It’s a wonder that some of them aren’t injured as they run/bike out here on our country roads. Maybe we should issue them “Buddy Bandanas” in people size! ha ha!

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] Project around Brittany @Pretty Handy Girl […]

  2. […] 7. Reflector Bandana Project via Brittany @Pretty Handy Girl […]

  3. […] See how to make this bandana at the Pretty Handy Girl blog. Share this blog post:FacebookTwitterPinterest This entry was posted in Daily Free Pet Pattern and tagged DIY, Free bandana sewing pattern, Free Pet Craft Tutorial. Bookmark the permalink. ← Dog A Day Project – Pug Powered Sewing Machine Dog A Day Project – The Beautiful Game → […]

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