Dog days of summer

I’m just going to put this out there right from the start. If you aren’t a dog person, and perhaps even if you are… this project – to keep your dog cool during the summer heat – may seen a bit much. But I promise you, it’s very practical! We’ve had some really warm weather here and this chamois or cooling coat, really helps keep my dogs cool.

Cool coats come in a variety of different styles. The ones I like to use are typically a little fancy. Who doesn’t like a little bling? The version I’m going to share with you today has a swim material on the top side (more for looks but also because this material is very lightweight) and a chamois material on the underside that touches the dog. To use, you damped the chamois material, wring it out, and as the chamois dries, it provides a cooling effect. Humans have versions of this they use as well. You could even made one for yourself to wrap around your neck!

This cooling coat is for my puppy, Libby. Being a puppy, she’s smaller than my other Bassets and doesn’t fit into the other cooling coats that I have. And, I think she deserves her own, so I set out to make her one that fits her and also was personalized just for her.

The embroidery for this project will go on the swimsuit fabric. While it’s tempting to think this fabric is too stretchy or slippery to embroider, the right stabilizers will help make this part of the project much easier, with better, more professional results.

I used a heavy weight stabilizer on the back of the fabric before I positioned it in the hoop for my Janome Skyline S9. You could also use a lightweight water soluble stabilizer on top if you’re worried about the stitches getting pulled through the fabric.

The Janome AcuSetter App helps position my embroidery text exactly where I want it without having to fiddle around with my fabric. I can adjust my file horizontally, vertically and even make slight rotations, as needed.

Once I have everything lined up, I send my embroidery file via WIFI to my sewing machine.

I used the one of the basic fonts found in the Janome AcuEdit App, to set up this design. It’s so easy to do and adds a nice personalized touch. I don’t want one of the other dogs trying to steal Libby’s cool coat, lol!

Next, the front and back were sewn together. This was a basic construction of sewing around the entire coat, right sides together. I also added straps at this point so that the coat would sit securely on Libby when in use.

As usual, I went straight to my trusty Janome HP foot and HP needle plate for this step. The chamois has a bit of resistance when you try to slide it along a surface, and I definitely didn’t want to have to fight with it while assembling this coat. It was no problem for the all metal Janome HP (High Performance) foot!

The Janome HP foot is also my favourite for sewing around curves. It’s a slim foot, so is easy to maneuver the fabric around it.

At this point the coat was turned right side out.

I dug into some Maderia thread for the top stitching. Love that pink! It was just the right shade.

Doesn’t Libby look excited for her new cool coat? It fits her perfectly and will keep her nice and cool at some upcoming outdoor dog shows this summer.

Perhaps she was not that excited about the matching “snood”, I made for her out of the same swimwear fabric. The Snood help keep her ears clean when she’s out for walks, and is a good way to use up scraps.

What are some fun sewing projects you have on the go for summer? Do you have any fabrics you’d like to embroider on but aren’t sure whether it’ll turn out okay? Check out this Janome Life blog about the Madeira Stabilizers, which are available from most Janome Dealers.

Trina