As you saw in my post last Monday, we like to take Jaxon hiking in the woods with us. Since he is a short hair, we thought is was important to get him a coat to help keep him dry and warm. We found a very nice coat that fit him well. Unfortunately it didn’t stand up to the wear and tear of a dog running through the woods.

This coat was purchased for Jaxon, but it quickly became damaged as we hiked about. The hook and loop closures frayed and had to be repaired numerous times.

I decided to use the coat to create a pattern and make my own version, with some sturdier materials. I liked the fact that this coat had blaze orange on it. It also has a strip of reflective material that helped make him more visible in low light conditions. I decided to make two, one that covered both warmth and waterproof, and the other only waterproof.

Materials

I chose a heavy weight, waterproof pack cloth for the outer fabric. I chose a nice blue because I thought it would look good. It was important to add those pieces that would make him highly visible, so I chose some bright orange nylon. I used a couple of different reflective ribbons because I did not have enough of either to use it on both coats.

The materials used to make the coats.

I lined the coats with two different to materials to suit the different purposes. For the warmer coat, I used a woolly fleece. Supplex was used to line the other coat. It is a nylon fabric but it is not slippery when sewing it. I chose both fabrics because they dry quickly.

Putting it all together

I disassembled the old coat and made a pattern from the pieces. There is a center back piece and two side sections, as well as the strap that goes under the stomach. I added a bit of extra material to the strap because I wanted to use a larger piece of hook and loop to hold it together.

Flat felled seam

I attached the orange nylon piece to back piece, then sewed the three sections together. I used a seam called a flat felled seam, which is commonly used on jeans, because it is extra sturdy. Over this, I stitched the reflective ribbon. Once the outer coat was formed, a sealant was used to cover the seams on the interior of this part. This prevents water from entering the holes made by the needle.

I assembled the lining and the strap. I sewed the lining to the outer coat in the same way you make a pillow case, except that you end by sewing the whole thing closed. Put the two pieces together so you are looking at the wrong side of the fabric, stitch around most of the outside edge, leaving a few inches open. You then turn the whole thing right side out, and sew around the outside again. I put the strap in place before I sewed the two halves together.

Jaxon was a little tired of trying on the coat while I was fitting it.

Closing the ends

Box and X

I used a heavy duty hook and loop tape to close the front at the neck and the strap under the belly. To ensure it wouldn’t come loose when the coat was removed, I did a double box with X stitching in the centers. The same method can be used to attach straps to items like purses.

The end results

Both coats work well for us, and show very little wear after having been used a couple of years now. I can throw them in the washing machine and dry them on the clothes line after a romp in the woods or just a chase around the yard.