Cone of shame alternative

My oldest basset had major surgery recently. I’ll spare you all the details but it was pretty traumatic for both him and I. Thankfully he is home now so we can focus on healing.

Part of the surgery required some stitches. As anyone with pets know, stitches need some extra care, especially as they start to heal and get itchy, and sometimes you need to invoke the cone of shame. With bassets, it’s not that easy – lack of any vertical height means that cone often drags on the ground. There are lots of alternatives these days, including some soft, plush options, but I decided Baxter needed a personalized version, so I set out to make him his very own cone of shame.

I decided to have some fun with it, too!

First, I embroidered some light-hearted text using my Janome Skyline S9. Given the machine has WIFI, the free Janome AcuEdit app for the iPad makes it super easy to design the text and adjust exactly how I wanted it to be set up. After it’s just as I want it, I send it directly to the machine to embroider. It’s that easy!

I decided to break into this beautiful set of Madeira multi-colour thread. Janome Canada is a distributor of Madeira products, so you can get these from your Janome dealer.

All ready to appliqué to Baxter’s cone of shame.

The design for the actual cone of shame alternative comes from the neck pillow often used for travel. I traced the shape of one I had then modified it so the neck was a little larger. The pattern template was cut out on the fold to ensure symmetry. I wanted something soft and the only fabric I had on hand was this hedgehog pattern. Sorry Baxter! lol!

Once I had the front and back cut out, I determined the placement of the appliqué piece. Now you can see why I cut it on a curve.

I used a wide stain stitch to attach the embroidered text to my project. I LOVE the taper feature on the Janome Skyline S9. This is great for borders and has options for 30, 45, 90 and 120 degree angles. For this project I used the 45 degree angle. That mitered corner paired with the Madeira multi-colour thread is *chef’s kiss*!

The sewing for the rest of the soft collar came together really quickly. The top and bottom were sewn right sides together with a small opening to turn everything right side out. I stuffed the collar with a scrap batting that I had laying around (great way to use up those little bits that I just couldn’t bear to throw away). And I also made a short strap out of the same material and attached to the open section of the pillow. One side was sewn on and the other was attached with a Velcro option so it could be secure enough not to fall off.

Baxter is still in the early recovery stages so he wasn’t up for posing for a photo with his cheerful new collar just yet, so Bailey volunteered for the photo op!

She loves it, don’t you think! 😀

I think this will work out perfectly to prevent Baxter from scratching at his stitches as he heals. Of course, it will only be used while someone is around to monitor.

Do you do any sewing for your pets? What pet-related project have you sewn recently?

Janome Canada Artisan Trina Gallop