I was faced with making dog boots yet again. It feels like I just made a pair too. Probably because I did.
Here’s my pup. Isn’t he adorable? He’s wearing the new suede boots I made him just a few months ago. I can see by the photo that I was still in the process of organizing my sewing room. I’ll share more on that later in this post.
Suede
My cousin suggested I use suede for boots, and it seemed like a great idea. However, I think I need to think more off-road than peacefully walking along a path. My husband likes to head into the bush for his walks with our pup.
The suede just hasn’t stood up to those back-woods walks. There are two big holes in two of the boots already.
But I do think my cousin was onto a good idea. I’m going to try making the boots with fleece again, but backed with a heavier leather. I’d been using vinyl for the past few years, and I know it doesn’t last.
Assembly Line
Each year I’ve made boots and they haven’t lasted. The first year we lost one or two boots of the two pairs he had.
The last couple of years, I’ve tried various backings, but we always end up with holes – which is why my cousin thought suede would be better. At least we haven’t lost a boot since that first year.
Those red cords? We call them the mittens of shame. Does anyone remember having a string of yarn running from one mitt through your sleeve, around your back, down the other sleeve and attached to the other mitt? I do. Because our pup lost his boots, he now has to have these fleece cords pinned onto his coat. They can’t come off his boots either because they’re sewn on under the Velcro. A boot may come off once in a while, but they’re not lost anymore.
And with this most current dog boot sewing adventure, I’m making two sets of boots. Hopefully, I won’t be making boots again until next fall – if then.
New Boots
Here are my pups new boots. They’re polar fleece, with leather used for the backing. I had an upholstery sample I used for the backs.
In the photo above, you can see the set I made, the spare set that’s in process, and a few extras I cut out, but am not sewing just now. Those extras are ‘just in case’. If he gets a hole in a boot, I’ve got spares to replace the holey ones, and spares to replace those!
Sewing Room Organization
I’ve been a bit frustrated with my sewing room. It’s really my sewing room/ piano room/office. It can be a challenge to have all that organized, and keep it organized.
Here’s a bit of what my storage looked like before I started organizing.
I was keeping some of my stash in Space Bags. Sadly, this is how they were being stored. Everything was folded, and safe, but it looks a mess.
Over the last few months I’ve been slowly working on making this look a lot better. I bought a metal storage rack, and some grey storage containers. It’s looking so much better.
The above photos, which are a big improvement, was only part way through.
A few more storage containers, and it’s almost perfectly organized. I think a couple more containers, and it will all be so nice looking.
Hmm. Now I’m thinking of replacing my old cabinet that I use for storage.
Maybe next year. I can still close the doors on this and it looks neat.
Happy creating!
Isn’t that exciting? You’ll have to come back to see more, but there will be lots! You won’t have to wait long either. The tour starts tomorrow! That’s all I’m saying about it for now. Well, I will tell you one more thing. There are two teams – an Eastern team and a Western team. I’m a Western girl, so I’m on the Western team.
