Easy Sew Dog Dress

 I am aware Christmas is over, but I just had to share this Easy-Sew Dog Dress with you guys!

We took our honeymoon over Christmas, even though our wedding was at the end of October (teacher problems), so I was scrambling to get Christmas gifts finished and delivered before we left which gave me no time to post these pictures of our cutie dog in her fancy new dress. 

I used the Sweet Pea Dog Dress Pattern that I purchased from the Etsy shop, Sofi and Friends and it turned out so cute! 

Confession: until now I had never used a real sewing pattern before. Truth. I've sewn quite a bit and have posted several projects here like my faux chenille baby blanket, Crinkle Tag Baby Toy, Easy DIY Hammock, Travel Felt Board and more, but they have all been sewn using online tutorials (aren't blogs the best?!) or just ideas I came up with. 

But after taking a Pattern Reading Class at our local Sewing Shop, Sew Dayton (a great place for designer and vintage fabrics and notions and sewing classes if you're in the Dayton, OH area!), I felt ready to tackle a real pattern. As Jesy at Sew Dayton, suggested, I started with an easy pattern. The  Sweet Pea Dog Dress Pattern was perfect. It had easy to read instructions and pictures that helped guide you. I highly recommend any patterns from the Sofi and Friends shop!

Plaid probably wasn't the easiest choice of fabric because of all the lines that should be straight/match up, but I couldn't help myself. Somehow we already had a bow to match. It was fate. 

I sewed this dress for our dog, Nix, in a few hours before leaving to go to a Tacky Sweater Christmas party with friends. I thought about adding some ridiculous trim or applique to the dress to make it a "tacky" dress, but I wanted her to be able to wear it throughout the Christmas season. While Nix is fancy, she is also practical. 

The pattern comes with instructions on how to add a band to the middle of the dress and a bow, which would have been a nice touch, but I ran out of time. 

The  Sofi and Friends shop makes patterns for small dogs and Nix is a shih tzu so she's more medium sized so I purchased the XXL size. It felt weird because I don't feel like she's XXL, but I went by the measurements laid out in the listing. If you plan on purchasing the pattern, be sure to read that part carefully and measure your dog. 

It's even lined. So fancy. 

For my first sewing project from a pattern, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself and ready to tackle new things. 

I hope everyone had the best Christmas yet and are enjoying time with your friends and family! 

Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to sharing more with you soon.