DIY Easy Dog Halloween Costume
I’ve been meaning to make Gracie a Halloween costume forever. I have always thought that she looks adorable when she sits and she reminds me of those vintage greyhound statues that have those fabulous embellished collars. Very staffordshire, very Palm Springs/Palm Beach, chinoiserie chic. So, I attempted to DIY it. It was really simple and only took a few minutes. It was actually easier to make the collar than it was to get a good photo of my dog, who despite her knack for napping ALL DAY, can’t sit still when you actually want her to. It’s like she knows that you are trying to get her to stay calm and that revs her up. What a rebel.
You will need: collar, yarn and scissors
Making tassels from yarn is really easy. Since Gracie is so small her tassels could be small. I wound yarn around the fingers of my hand about 13-15 times. Then, you tie the top together so you have something to attach the tassel to the collar. This also holds the looped yarn together so it doesn’t fall apart when you are tying the tassel. Finally, pull the tied part up and the loops downward. Tie a knot around to form the head of the tassel, as shown. I always wrap a few times around so it looks prettier. Cut the loops at the bottom and trim to even out the tassel. Repeat as many times as needed until you have one tassel for every 1-1.5 inches around the collar.
Wrap the collar with yarn. This covers up the fabric of the collar and will allow the tassel ties to blend in, making the design more cohesive. I didn’t bother buying a new collar for this, just wrap the one they have, cheap and peppy plus it has the tags ready just in case they run away.
Tie on the tassels so the top of the tassel is at the bottom edge of the collar. Add dog and voila.
Disclaimer: This DIY is for fun and giggles ONLY, please do not leave your dog unattended with this on, especially if you dog is one who eats random stuff.
Dog costume DIYs crack me up. While this DIY didn’t turn out exactly as planned, Gracie was so cute that I just had to share. The size of the collar certainly makes the chihuahua in her stand out, so she isn’t quite as regal as say, a greyhound.
Sometimes DIYs don’t turn out perfect. And that is totally ok, you just have to roll with it and have a sense of humor. It didn’t keep me from testing out my illustrated background technique that will have a little more play for the Holidays. I had a ton of fun photoshopping little miss Gracie out so I could get her on my illustrated tassel pillow. I just might have to show you how to do that too!