Easiest {no sew} Small Dog Snood {infinity scarf} Tutorial!

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Roeshel

Have a small dog? This is the easiest {no sew} small dog snood {or infinity scarf} tutorial!

Our Italian Greyhound, Rosie, has very little body fat and very short fur. Needless to say, she’s not a happy to be walking in a winter wonderland type girl (she’s so much like me). Even if it’s summer time, she’s burrowed under her blankets on the couch in the a/c. So you can imagine winter time = sweaters, pajamas, coats.

While I was doing some online shopping, I came across something called a “snood”.

Snood: (/snuːd/, rhymes with ‘food‘, not ‘wood‘) is historically a type of European female headgear, or in modern times a tubular neck scarf. In the most common form, the headgear resembles a close-fitting hood worn over the back of the head.

I’ve seen dog snoods for sale but my DIY-eye saw the opportunity for a super easy tutorial where I could choose the patterns and colors for a lot less than $12+ each and not have to wait for (or pay for) delivery.

Ready to make one?

Small Dog Snood Tutorial

1. Shop your closet or thrift shop for a stretchy long-sleeved knit shirt or thermal shirt (this type works best as it won’t unravel or need hemmed).

2. Make sure the cuff area stretches enough to go over your dog’s head comfortably. It should be loose fitting but not so loose it’s hanging. Loose but snug. Got that? Italian Greyhounds have VERY small heads so this is perfect for Rosie.

3. Then simply cut the sleeve off near the armpit area/where the shirt meets the shoulder. Cut your snood shorter if desired. 3/4 length sleeves work too!

Ta-da! The easiest DIY no-sew dog snood ever!

If using a sweater, you may have to hem the larger cut side of the sleeve to prevent un-raveling.

I paid 1.50 for size large shirts from the thrift shop. That’s $3.00 for 4 snoods! Or FREE if you end up cutting up shirts from your own closet. Well, maybe minus the money you’ll need to replace your wardrobe if you go crazy.

I snoodle her by putting her head through the larger part of the snood first (the side I cut), letting it naturally bunch around her neck/collar area. If it’s too bulky, remove and cut the sleeve shorter. The smaller cuff area rests closest to her ears and top of her head, the larger part of the sleeve sits at her shoulders.

Rosie mostly wears them as infinity scarves over her collar but when it’s cold, I pull it up over her ears for her outdoor potty breaks. Awe, baby! Or is that granny? Too cute either way!

And for those concerned about safety, Rosie only wears her snood under adult supervision.

Please supervise your snood-wearing pooch.

Note: Rosie is a 10 lb. senior dog with a tiny skull. If your dog is larger, try sewing a larger version using a stretchy fabric and by looking at the shape of a shirtsleeve and the size of your dog. You don’t have to be a professional seamstress, just a few simple stitches. Results may vary. 🙂

Update: And just like that, that quick, one DIYShowOff reader has already raided her closet and a few minutes later, her sweet chihauhaus are cozy and warm! This is Phoebe & Sable. They love to snuggle. Aren’t they cute?! Thanks for sharing, Mary-Louise! xo

Share your photos and show off your snoodled pups by emailing them to thediyshowoff at gmail dot com.

More DIY:

Silhouette Scrap Wood Wall Art

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Roeshel

I recently shared the DIY coat rack we’re now utilizing in our sitting room above a vintage trunk used as a bench…

See who loves to rest here? It’s a tiny little Italian greyhound named Rosie…

One more picture. She’s just so stinkin’ cute!

and I’m loving this scrap wood turned silhouette art placed above it. Rosie approves!

Materials I used:

scrap 1 x 6 pine boards
RustOleum Ultimate Wood Care (kona)
RustOleum Ultimate Polyurethane
Gorilla wood glue
picture hanging hardware
vinyl decal (I used a greyhound shape)
white acrylic craft paint

What I did:

I cut my pine boards so that they all measured the same 30 inches long then sanded the edges.

Next I used wood glue and clamps to create a large wood plank canvas. Let dry.

I applied my vinyl decal to the center of my wood canvas, burnishing the edges using my thumbnail.

Then using a foam brush, I applied the stain in the same direction as the wood grain.

After a few minutes, I wiped away the excess stain, again in the direction of the wood grain, with an old rag. Let dry one hour.

Then I removed the vinyl decal. I was hoping that there wouldn’t be any seeping but there was. No problem! Change of plans. Sometimes DIY doesn’t always go according to plan.

I used a small craft paint brush and white acrylic craft paint to fill in the unfinished portion of the greyhound stencil. Let dry.

I then applied a coat of the polyurethane over the stain, brushing on in the direction of the wood grain. Add picture hanging hardware to the back and hang to display.

Perfect complimentary wall art for above the coat rack.

#MyRescueStory {and Pet DIY}

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Roeshel

Meet: CocoRosie or as we call her, “Rosie”. An Italian Greyhound.

Ever since we lost our beloved doxie (Niski) a few years back, I’ve been wanting to open our hearts and home to another dog but just didn’t feel ready. I was just heartbroken. Even now when I think about her, my eyes tear up. I loved that little sausage dog.

When I truly began to settle down into my empty nest, it just felt too quiet. I mean, Lalka, our ragdoll cat is super sweet but most days, she has her own agenda, comes out of hiding or wakes up from napping and plays on her own terms. Cats are so independent. When she’s not bullying the dog, she’s hunting mice but mostly, she’s enjoying cat naps. Or as the baby of our family, looking to get into mischief.

Meet “Lalka”:

And a lot of times, she’s supervising my DIY projects…just to make sure I’m doing things right.

diy cat window perch

and always ready for her photo op….

DIY photo backdrop

Meet: Sneaks. And you may not know this, but we actually have a second cat. His name is Sneaks. He was rescued/adopted by my husband before we met. He is super sweet. He currently resides at my husband’s office (he loves people but isn’t a fan of other animals) so he has taken to welcoming and putting clients at ease. He takes his job as VP of public relations very seriously.

I started considering welcoming a dog into our lives again. However this time I knew I’d prefer to rescue an adult rather than adopt a puppy and so the hunt began.

I saw an Italian Greyhound who needed a home on Craig’s List. Unfortunately by the time I called, he already had a new home but it got me to researching the breed a little more. And the breed seemed like a good fit. It seemed as if we had a lot in common!

Italian Greyhounds:

Small in size.
Short fur/little shedding.
Imaginative.
Funny.
Snuggly and affectionate.
Gentle.

And after more research, I discovered a local/tri-state Italian Greyhound Rescue. After more thought, I finally applied. The adoption process was more than I anticipated with paperwork and a home visit but understandingly so. Our home visit was completed by a friendly IG loving/owning couple in our town who brought their little guy with them for us to meet. He was just so irresistible, the couple so kind and knowledgable. Before we knew it, we were approved!

I was looking for an adult female Iggy. It took about 3-4 months before we found her.

Lucky for us, that same couple that did our home visit began to foster Italian Greyhounds in our town and had a sweet little girl.

I was nervous. I was hesitant. Would I love a new dog as much as I loved our dachshund? Would she be a good fit to our laid back, boring life?

Name: CocoRosie

Breed: Italian Greyhound

Age: 8 years old

Weight: 10 lbs.

Favorite past time: Burrowing under the blankets, sleeping.

Then I met her. 10 lbs. of the sweetest little dog. Calm. Relaxed. So well behaved.

I fell head over heels in love with her. She is super sweet! Those big brown eyes. Her personality is so similar to our doxie…even down to the love of burrowing under the blankets! And guess what – she is perfectly house trained as well! Bonus!

And they aren’t kidding when they call IGs “velcro dogs”. If I’m on the couch, she’s on the couch. If I get up to go to another room, she follows. If I walk out the door, her nose is looking out the French door glass. If I’m on the patio, she’s right there. She never leaves my side.

Rosie has been enjoying some attention here at DIYShowOff…