How to Make a Pet Sweater From an Old Sweater

If you’re the owner of a small dog or kitten, particularly a breed that hasn’t been blessed with lots of fur, you know that sweaters are a must. However, pet sweaters are quite pricey, so purchasing them easily becomes an inconvenience. Using an old sweater (or one of the ugly ones you received last Christmas) or a large sock, you can make a quick and comfortable sweater for your pet without spending a dime.

Find an old baby or toddler sweater that is the appropriate size for your pet. Put it on, slipping the front legs into the sleeves and, if it has buttons, button it on the underside of the pet. The sweater you use should not be tight in any areas, as it might cut off your pet’s circulation.

Mark the sleeves of the sweater with a sewing pen at the desired length for your pet’s legs. Remove the sweater and trim off the excess sweater. Use yarn or thick thread to stitch the cut edges to prevent the knit material from unraveling.

Trim the hemline of the sweater to your desired length for your pet. Reinforce the edges by stitching with yarn or thick thread to help prevent your sweater from unraveling. You can also fold the hemline up 1/2 inch and sew it, leaving a gap. Thread a string through the gap to make a drawstring, or use elastic (be sure it’s not too tight!) to hold the end of the sweater in place while it’s on your pet.

Use a measuring tape to measure the width of your pet’s head. Measure the length of your pet from the neck to the base of the tail.

Use an old sweater with sleeves big enough to fit over your pet’s body. Cut the sleeves off of the sweater where they meet the body. Make a cut along the length of the sweater sleeve, leaving the cuff in tact. The cuff will serve as the neck for the pet sweater.

Slide the cuff over your pet’s head. Make sure your cut is facing downwards, so that that the sweater sleeve is resting like a cuffed blanket on your pet. Mark the sweater sleeve with a sewing pen where the holes for the front legs should be.

Take the sweater sleeve off of your pet and cut the holes for the legs where you marked them. Stitch the cut edges to keep them from unraveling. Sew the opening of the sweater closed on the wrong side, or fold the edges down and stitch them to finish them. Add buttons or Velcro to keep the sweater closed.