Review of Sofi and Friends Winter Dog Jacket

Love this pattern!  I've finished three jackets for Bertie using it.  I'm showing them in the reverse order because I want to show the best one first.  This one is in laminated cotton cuz ya gotta have a spring raincoat, right?

 

My dragon has to do the modeling since Bertie is at his parent's house.  The hood goes down nicely once the rain stops.

I used webbing and plastic clips for belly strap on this one.  Bertie can be energetic.  It is easier to get the clip snapped than lining up the Velcro.  I also started sewing the chest tabs shut by this third jacket rather than using Velcro there because it can be slipped over Bertie's head easily with no need for the extra work and expense of Velcro.  If you are sewing for someone else and unsure of the size or have a growing dog the Velcro option makes perfect sense.

Another jacket completed was a simple denim without the hood. It has the Velcro strips on the front, but I ended up just sewing it shut anyway after spending too much time trying to get the little snot to sit still long enough to line up the Velcro strips.

The belly tabs have wide Velcro which is easier to get together than the individual strips I used on the chest area.  Still, I am inclined to use plastic clips and webbing for this belly area on the jackets in the future for ease in getting it on quickly and keeping it securely in place.

This last one was a hurried project because Bertie had outgrown the first rain jacket I made--no pattern then, just winged it.    In my rush,  I didn't take the time to put on a hood which I regretted immediately.  Who makes a raincoat without a hood?  It's a beautiful waterproof fabric, though.  Kyle and Melissa tell me they are constantly asked where they bought the coat.  Kyle uses this jacket all the time because big dogs like to roll Bertie around in the dirt at the dog park. Kyle can just wipe it clean when they get home.  Must find some more of this fabric for bags and such....now where did I buy it?????

Yeah, it's a terrible photo of the coat, but you try getting a squirming little ball of energy to pose!

 I've got enough of the fabric left to make another one with a hood which will happen soon.

Also note the N.Y.C. subway fabric bandana in the photo above.  It's the cotton version of the fabric used for the laminated raincoat at the top of the post.  This boy has more bandanas than some small stores and still managed to be wearing a coat and scarf that never, ever should be worn together.   The subway fabric is from The City Quilter.  It's a bit expensive, but Bertie is a New York City dog and it's New York City fabric!  I could not resist.

Next on the sewing list is a hoodie sweatshirt.  I'm pretty sure hoodies are required for street cred in the city.  Oh, and harnesses!  Wait until you see the barbed wire webbing I found.

Meet Bertie

 Kyle and Melissa got a dog!  Lucky me, all the fun and no vet bills.  Yes, Bertie is wearing both a sweater and a coat in this photo.  He's a rescue dog brought up to a New York City shelter from Georgia.  He's been slowly adjusting to cold, snow, and city traffic--very, very slowly.

Granddogs are apparently allowed on the furniture.

Bertie is a quite the cuddler.

Melissa and Bertie

Kyle and Bertie

He also loves my sewing room!  Bertie finds all the fleecy, fluffy fabrics on the lower shelves and gleefully pulls them down.  He is particularly found of fake furs and flannels.  I've caught him racing around the house with fabric trailing behind more times than I can count.  Bertie is also convinced that the rolled fabric remnants from Joanne's are actually chew toys.  I've always wanted someone to hang out with in the sewing room, but this wasn't what I had in mind.  Hard to resist those cute little eyes and those skinny little legs, though.

That's supposed to be a bandana, but he does look sweet in a babushka, doesn't he?