Dog Bowtie | A Tutorial

I mentioned recently making Riley a new collar and bowtie and promised a tutorial was coming. Well, it is here! There’s a shocking lack of dog bowtie tutorials out on the internet, so hopefully my little corner of the internet can fix that somewhat.

If you missed it, there’s also a free dog collar tutorial (in 4 sizes!).

This bowtie pattern comes in two sizes, small & large. Riley is modeling the small size for you, which finishes at 2.5″ H x 4″ W. The large size measures 3.5″ H x 5″ W.

What You’ll Need:

Fabric scraps
FOR THE SMALL SIZE, cut: (1) 3″ x 3″, (1) 3″ x 6″, (1) 2.5″ x 3″
FOR THE LARGE SIZE, cut (1) 4″ x 4″, (1) 4″ x 7″, (1) 2.5″ x 3″
Fusible Fleece:
FOR THE SMALL SIZE: (1) 3″ x 4″
FOR THE LARGE SIZE: (1) 4″ x 5″
Velcro Thin Ties – these are super soft and super thin velcro that won’t irritate your dog’s skin or get stuck to their fur.

The How To:

Tutorial instructions for the two sizes are as follows: small (large). All seams 1/4″ unless indicated.

1. Fuse the fleece interfacing to the back of the 3″ x 6″ (4″ x 7″) piece of fabric.

2. With right sides together, sew the 3″ square (4″ square) to one side of the 3″ x 6″ (4″ x 7″) rectangle. Press seam open.

3. With right sides together, sew the other side of the 3″ square (4″ square) to the remaining side of the 3″ x 6″ (4″ x 7″) rectangle. Press seam open.

4. Press fabric tube flat. Both of the seams will be on the same side, and the fusible fleece will cover the entire other side. Sew the top and bottom of the bowtie, leaving an opening in the bottom for turning.

5. Turn bowtie right side out and press flat. Stitch the bottom opening shut either by hand or machine. Set aside.

6. Fold the 2.5″ x 3″ rectangle in half so that it measures 1.25″ x 3″. Stitch seam down on the 3″ side. Press seam open & turn.

7. Press tube so that the seam is in the center of one side. Fold in 0.25″ on one end of the tube and press.

8. Pull off one velcro tie from the roll. Cut off the wider end.

9. Measure 3″ and cut. Set aside the rest for a future project.

10. Find the center of the velcro and position it above the 0.25″ fold you made on the 2.5″ x 3″ rectangle. Secure the velcro to the tube, on the side without the seam, creating a 0.5″ square of stitching. Your stitching should stay 0.25″ away from the end of the tube.

11. Insert the raw edge of the tube into the folded edge, creating a ring. Sew together by hand. Alternately, you can place both raw edges together and sew by machine.

12. Putting the bowtie together: Place the main bowtie fabric front face down on a hard surface. Fold in half lengthwise.

13. Fold down each end piece back towards the center, almost like an accordion fold.

14. Push the main bowtie piece through the ring, until the ring is in the center of the bowtie.

15. Admire your new bowtie!

Attaching bowtie to collar

1. Make sure the velcro is loose.

2. Place bowtie face down on a hard surface, and place the outside of the collar together with the back of the bowtie.

3. Fold up the bottom velcro piece over the back of the collar. Fold down the top velcro piece over the bottom velcro piece.

4. If your velcro is slightly too big, you can trim it at this time for a better fit.

5. Try it on your best friend and admire how dapper he looks!

If you make one, use the hashtag #ppdogbowtie on instagram and tag @patchworkandpoodles so I can see it too!