What’s better than sewing on a day off? Sewing with friends on a day off!

Since we all had the day off for Labor Day, my friends Joe and Chris came over today for a little sewing party.

This isn’t the first time we’ve had a sewing party. I taught them the basics many years ago, when Joe sewed a fall themed tissue box cover for his classroom, and Chris sewed a pumpkin. I think this was seven, maybe eight years ago? Hard to believe it’s been that long since we last sewed together!

Joe and Chris recently got a dog – an adorable corgi named Ellie. As a dog-warming gift, I sewed Ellie a reversible bandana with a pocket that slips over her collar. I recently started sewing these for my roommate Katie‘s dog, Winnie, too. I really like the way they slide over the collar for the bandana “look” without actually having to tie anything around the dog’s neck.

Last weekend, Joe and Chris saw that someone at the local farmer’s market was selling these bandanas for $12/each. They decided they’d rather pick the fabric on their own and learn to sew the bandanas themselves. So today they stopped at the store to pick up some fabric, and then came over to sew a few more for Ellie.

Winnie must have known that today’s project was all about dogs because she was happy to stick by Joe’s side as he sewed.

First I taught Joe how to make a reversible bandana, while Chris played with my Perler beads… because no craft room is completely without a bucket of Perler beads, right? Chris stuck with the corgi theme of the day by making a corgi-butt out of the beads! LOL.

Then Joe showed Chris his bandana-making skills, and they teamed up to make a few more. I am so proud of them! They didn’t require very much supervision and did a great job whipping these up.

When they finished sewing for Ellie, they decided to make an extra bandana for their neighbor’s dog. I hope their neighbor is impressed by their sewing skills!

I wish we had gotten a photo of the “reverse” side of these bandanas. The fabric combos were lovely!

Once Joe and Chris got home, I got a “virtual” fashion show of Ellie modeling her new bandanas via text. I love the way this one matches the coloring in her fur. Ellie is ready for fall!

There are a lot of dog bandana tutorials out there, but I like this one best, the Reversible Over The Collar Dog Bandana by Cut Out and Keep. Not only does it have the features that I like best in a dog bandana (reversible, slips over the collar) but the post also includes measurements for five different sizes – Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. I make the medium size for Winnie, because I like them to be a little bigger. Joe and Chris made small, since they like them to be a little smaller.

If you have a four-legged friend in your life, I would highly recommend this cute and simple little project! Your dog will love you for it. 🙂

Happy sewing!

PS – Remember my list of “100 No Pressure Projects?” One of my goals was to teach my friends to sew something during a sewing party, so I can officially check that item off the list! Wahoo!