Easy Appliqué and a free Dog Jersey Pattern

A few months ago I took on Thandi after my Gran passed away. Thandi is a 3 year old mixed breed rescue.

I found her at a rescue organization 2.5 years ago when my Gran was looking for a companion.
Even though I am not new in Thandi’s life, my role is. She has adapted to this change so well and I think the new energy has brought out her inner puppy.

It has been Winter in Cape Town and the area we live in gets very cold which means Thandi struggles to settle at night. She has been wearing hand-me-down jerseys from Kutja (my beloved Schnauzer who passed away last year) and I thought it time to make her something of her own.

What will be needed:

Sewing machine (735)
Dog Jersey Pattern (see below)
Knit Fabric
Off cut for Appliqué
Appliqué Paper
Appliqué Foot #23 or
Embroidery foot #6 or
Open Embroidery Foot #20/20C/20D or
Clear Embroidery Foot #39/39C
Refer to Heading Machine Appliqué for assistance
Ruler/Tape measure
Scissors
Printed out letter(s)
Iron

Pattern

I used the Doggone Raglan free Pattern from Patterns for Pirates. I love the t-shirt look and the opportunities to colour block or mix different fabrics.
You can download the pattern here and the instructions are available here.
1.2cm seam allowance is included in the pattern. I reduced my seam allowance to 0.6cm so that I could overlock the seams.

If you don’t have an overlocker refer to this blogpost for special stitches you can use:
Overlock & Coverstitch with your sewing machine (free Turtleneck pattern too)

I have made a dog jacket and jersey in these previous blogs:
Up-cycled dog raincoat from a kite
Puppy love: refashion a jersey for your pooch

Here is a visual reference for How To Measure your dog.

If you are unsure of the fit or whether or not your dog is comfortable to wear it, I recommend making a mock up. I always use a fabric I am not emotionally attached to in case it isn’t perfect. Here are some tips for making a Mock-Up

Appliqué Paper

A material that will be super helpful in the appliqué process is Appliqué Paper.
Some other names for this material are Magic Appliqué or Hot Melt Web.

Appliqué Paper is a double sided, fusible backing that helps secure the position of the fabrics while appliquéing. It is basically a double sided vilene/iron-on fusing and is usually found with stabilizers or vilene at sewing/fabric stores.

It is applied with heat and shouldn’t have a sticky residue so it won’t interfere with your needle or thread. There are sometimes different weights/thicknesses. Unless I am creating an iron-on patch, I prefer to use the thin/light type as I don’t want the fabric feel to be stiff.

Choosing a Font

Depending on your computer’s software, the document apps come with a variety of fonts available but if you would like to download other free fonts, refer to this tutorial: How to download a font.

If using Google Docs or Microsoft Office Online you likely won’t be able to use downloaded fonts.

The best fonts are clean and simple to read and stitch

Tips for choosing a font to Appliqué:

Thicker letters, especially if you are wanting to showcase your fabric
If you want to do a word rather than just a letter, a font with uniform shape and sized letters would be good
Straight lines are quicker and easier to stitch

Preparing the Letter/Wording

I used Google Docs for these steps, but you can use your computer’s document app like Microsoft Word or Mac Pages.
If you are logged in to your Google account it is found by clicking the 4 dot icon on Google’s Homepage and scrolling down to find Docs.

Open a new Document

Find the Ruler tab, for me it was under View.

Place an actual Ruler on your screen, increase or decrease the zoom until the measurements of the on-screen Ruler match your Ruler.
You can choose from the drop down menu or type your own % in the little box and press Enter on your keyboard.
I found that 120% was the most accurate.
My on-screen Ruler is set to inches so I used a Ruler with inches.

Type the letter, highlight it and choose a font from the drop-down menu.
Some fonts have various weights to choose from too.

While the letter is still highlighted, increase the size or type your own size in the little box and press Enter on your keyboard.
Check the width/length of the letter by placing your Ruler on the screen.

When you are happy with the look of your letter, print it.

Preparing the Appliqué

You’ll notice that the appliqué paper has a rough side and a paper side.

Trace the letter, in reverse on to the appliqué paper.
The quickest way is to put the page against a window, with the printed letter facing out.
Place the appliqué paper against the page with the paper side facing towards you.
Trace the letter on to the paper.

Roughly cut around the traced letter, through all layers of the appliqué paper.
I recommend using scissors that are not your fabric scissors.

Place the fabric off-cut (the one for the letter) wrong side up and place the traced letter on to the fabric.
The rough side must be touching the fabric.
Iron the appliqué paper. Refer to the paper’s instructions.

Once the paper has fused to the fabric, cut out the letter.
Again, I recommend using scissors that are not your fabric scissors but are sharp.

Pull off the paper cover.

Place the garment/other fabric with the right side up and place the letter on to the fabric.
The fabric part of the letter must be facing up and the fused part must be touching the garment.

Fuse the letter to the garment.

Machine Appliqué

Bernina have an eBook with some helpful tips about Machine Appliqué and which feet to use with which stitches:
BERNINA Just Sew It eBook Appliqué

If you are interested in Bernina’s wide variety of eBooks, you can find them here. They have so many tutorials available for Sewing, Embroidery and Overlocking.

Feet you can use:
Appliqué Foot #23,
Embroidery foot #6,
Open Embroidery Foot #20/20C/20D,
Clear Embroidery Foot #39/39C

Stitches you can use:
Regular Zig Zag #3
Satin Stitch: use the Zig Zag and reduce the stitch length
Blanket Stitch #1309 (found with the Quilt Stitches)
Decorative Stitch
Invisible Appliqué: Blind Hem Stitch #9

I went with the Satin Stitch: Zig zag stitch #3 with a width of 5mm and length of 0.4mm.
The foot I used was Appliqué Foot #23.
I used a black embroidery thread bobbin and a grey upper thread to create a contrast outline.

Click on the needle icon to engage the Needle Stop Down. This means that every time you stop sewing, the needle will stay in the down position so that you can lift the presser foot and turn the fabric.
Also select the foot you’ll be using in the selection menu.

Have the needle in the far right position and line it up with the outer edge of the appliqué.

Stitch around the letter.

When you reach a convex corner:
Stop with the needle on the right at the corner,
lift the foot and pivot the fabric 45°,
lower the foot and sew 3 stitches, stop with the needle on the right,
lift the foot and pivot the fabric 45°,
lower the foot and continue stitching.

When you reach a concave corner:
Stop with the needle on the right at the corner,
lift the foot and pivot the fabric a bit,
lower the foot and sew 2 stitches, stop with the needle on the right.
Repeat this step about 3 times or until you’ve stitched the whole corner
then continue stitching.

Give the Appliqué a press.

Tips

Keep your dog’s comfort in mind when choosing what style pattern to use.
Not all dogs would like this jersey type that goes over their head and they have to lift their paws through the sleeves.
If that is the case, the Free Dog Coat Pattern by Closet Core Patterns that I used for a raincoat may be better.
Not all dogs need or are comfortable wearing clothing.
A looser fit would be better than too tight a fit.
It is always best to prewash your fabric, even the offcut for the appliqué, to prevent shrinkage when the garment is washed in the future.

I would love to see what you make, please feel free to share with me!
Remember to also tag Patterns for Pirates if you use the Doggone Raglan Pattern.
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-Hannah-Rose