DIY Vintage Hanky Doggie Tee Dress and Meet Annabelle Jane

A few weeks ago my mom and I drove down to Georgia to pick up an italian greyhound puppy for my sister. We met the gal a few hours outside of Atlanta, and when she arrived she had the littermates with Hannah’s little fella. I picked up one of the girls and flipped her over on her back and she just laid there are let me rub her belly and fell asleep. I melted and long story short, even though I was not supposed to be adding any more animals to our household, she ended up coming home with me. She quickly stole my hubby’s heart, just as fast as she did mine. Beaureguard took a little while to warm up to her, but they are now very good buddies! We named her Annabelle Jane, and mostly call her Annie. She is both a snuggle bug and a wild little lady when she wants to play. My favorite thing about her is that she prances like a show horse wherever she goes. It’s something I hope she doesn’t grow out of because it’s so cute! I have always had boy dogs and cats, so I have a bunch of tees and sweaters in different sizes, but I did not have any cute dresses for little Annie, so I decided to make a few with some plain little puppy tees I had for my boys.

Here’s What You Need:

*Dog Tee

*Hankerchief or Bandana, Scarf, Etc….

*Trim

*Buttons, patches, etc…

*Scissors

*Sewing Machine and Thread

*Straight Pins

Instructions:

Start by cutting your hanky in half.

Fold over the raw edge by about a quarter inch then fold it over again encasing the raw edge, then iron.

Stitch the folded edge down close to the edge. Then put your stitch length on your basting stitch and stitch a basting stitch across the top about an eighth or so from the edge.

Gather your hanky skirt.

Pin your hanky skirt to the bottom of your tee.

For the polka dot I pinned the skirt to the right side or outside of the bottom of the tee. I matched the center of the skirt to the center front of the tee and then pinned around to the sides. You wil leave the bottom where the tummy will be open, so you end your skirt at the sides.

For the aqua floral I pinned the skirt to the inside of the tee. I matched the center of the skirt to the center front of the tee and then pinned around to the sides. It will be open on the bottom.

Stitch your skirts to your tees. Then add trim to the bottom of the tees. I stitched a line of ricrac to the hem of the tee on the aqua floral and stitched a row of periwinkle flower trim to the gathers at the top of the skirt on the polka dot.

You can finish off your tee by sewing on some buttons or a little patch of your hanky.

I absolutely LOVE these little dresses on her. The hankies I used were around 9″ square, and were perfect halved and stitched to an xs tee. You basically want something twice the width as the front hem of the tee. The best thing about these little dresses are that they are so easy to make, and super cute! I love to use the vintage hankies I have on hand, but a bandana or scarf would be adorable as well. So, if you’ve got a sweet little four-legged princess at home, grab her some tees and make her a new wardrobe. She might not thank you for it, but I know you’ll love it as much as I do! I’ll be back soon with more DIY projects. Until then…

Happy Crafting!