Making a dog collar

This little post is really an homage to my sewing machine.  Well, to my sewing machine and also to my stash of saved zippers and straps, rescued from the plethora of giveaway-bags that my husband picks up at conferences.  Those conference bags are usually made of a nasty material, in completely the wrong shape for hauling groceries or other substantial items, but the zippers (if there are any) and the nylon straps are usually pretty durable.  Better yet, because the construction on those bags is so flimsy, it's usually a matter of one or two minutes to remove the zippers with a seam ripper.

Somehow, in the most recent months we seem to have lost our dog collars. So when we went to get our new dog, Prewash (who is really an amazingly wonderful dog, by the way), I knew I'd need to get a new collar.  And me, thinking about buying a dog collar at an actual store, it's a bit like a stereotypical dad balking at the price of his daughter's bikini:  So much money for so little fabric! I mean, since I already refuse to pay more than $1 for a pair of jeans, then why should I buy a little strap for my dog that costs an order of magnitude more?  That'd be just nutso.

Prewash showing off her bikini collar.  

For less time than it would take to drive to a store, I could pull out my collection of nylon straps and clasps, pick out one about the right size, and trim and stitch it.  You can't see it in these pictures, but I stitched one extra small loop in the collar, and used a key ring through that loop to attach her dog tags.

Looking closer at the collar . . . 

Being not overly fashion conscious, especially when it comes to my dog, I didn't even bother to switch the thread on the machine to black, so the collar has a little splash of color.

. . . and closer yet.  You can see my orange/red stitching.

In the grand scheme of things, of course, making my own dog collars isn't a grand money saver.  But the sewing machine is --- even more, the habit of thinking about sewing is.  I've repaired all sorts of clothes, backpacks, bags, towels over the years, freeing us from having to spend money to replace those things (and putting the broken/busted things back into general use instead of sending them to the landfill).  I've made my own purse/bags, tool holders, mesh produce bags, and (very occasionally) clothes.  The habit of thinking "can I whip this up myself?" is a great one to have, especially when the answer turns out to be "yes".

As it was in this case.  Huzzah for a quick collar, and also for a wonderful dog to wear it!