How to Make a Banana Costume for Dogs

Make your dog the top banana with some fabric, a few stitches and a big sense of humor. Dog costumes have become fashion-forward, and your dog's is limited only by your imagination. A banana costume is a sensible choice, as far as wacky dog costumes go, because the elongated shape of the fruit matches the streamlined shapes of many dogs.

Because dogs come in many sizes, so do banana costumes. Your challenge here is to estimate the sizes of each piece of the banana to meet your dog's size. You should start this project by measuring your dog from the top of his head, down the neck and along his back, not including his tail. Then measure just the length of the neck, adding it to the length from head to rump. Draw a banana-shaped arc the length of the sum on tissue paper. Use this arc as the outer edge of a peel section, and draw a mirrored image on top of the arc, creating a banana-peel pattern.

Cut out three peel forms from the yellow felt, three from the while felt and three from the batting. Sew the white peels together with two long seams with 5/8-inch seam allowance, so that the bottom remains open. Repeat for the yellow peels, leaving 1/3 of the peel unattached -- to roll back as if the banana were partly peeled to eat. Sew the yellow and white sides together with batting under the white felt.

Make straps from the yellow felt, or used purchased straps, line them with Velcro and set them aside. Place the "banana" on your dog, so that the tip of the banana forms a hat on the dog, and measure for strap placements. Mark each spot with pins or a pen mark. Place these straps to fit under the dog's neck, In back of the front legs, and at the belly. Make the straps long enough to overlap for the Velcro to connect. Sew the straps to the edges of the banana pieces, and fit them snugly.

You can add decorations to enhance your design. Pompom balls can turn your costume into a banana split. Adding a bug or a stuffed monkey to ride the banana gives extra apeel.