I finally finished the pup’s winter coat (yes, I know it’s July; but if I’d have waited and let the motivation pass, it never would have been done). I basically just cut a series of rectangles from fleece and stitched it all together.

The main body is a rectangle cut to fit around her chest (I measured) and I cut another one the same length and just a few inches wide to fasten around her neck. I cut two of each and with right sides together stitched around three sides and partway along each end of the fourth side, leaving an opening in the middle. I did that for both pieces.

I then stitched the two pieces together at the opening, leaving another smaller opening in the center for her harness ring to stick through.

Next, I cut two more small rectangles for straps; I decided to cut them on the bias so that if she got chubby (as she is prone to do) they’d have a little bit more give.

These I stitched to the outside of the coat; then I applied the iron-on Velcro to the neck strap and the two body straps, and the outside of the coat where the straps would connect.

 

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UPDATE: So, the heat-fused Velcro did not work out incredibly well. I followed the instructions, and the Velcro seemed to be holding, so I decided to test the “bond gets stronger with washing” concept during this week’s trip to the laundromat.

About half the Velcro pieces survived intact and come out reasonably well. The other half came up. Those will have to be sewn back down, and I will probably tack the others down for good measure.

I think it probably would have worked pretty well on a smooth fabric – but the pile of the fleece probably interfered with some of the bonding. I give it a C+ on fleece and a “I dunno yet” on smoother fabrics. I’ll be working on a backpack soon and might test a piece or two in that; however, I’m planning to use flannel and a mystery fabric with a rough, nubbly weave, so I’m not sure those are really good candidates for testing the smooth fabric hypothesis.