Dogs

Here are the Pup Birthday Bandannas promised earlier in the week. BUT these aren't just for pups. A bandanna is a bandanna whether wrapped around your doggie's neck or for keeping the hair out your eyes!

Truly, the hardest part of making this bandanna is deciding on the size. Here is the standard sizes when purchasing bandanna's for dogs.

Dog Sizes
14" - small
18" - medium
22" - large
26" - extra large

Our dogs are 34 pounds. They are considered medium dogs. I made 17" bandannas and they fit perfect.

Another technique is to take the measurement of their neck (or your head) and add 6". My pup's necks are 11". Adding 6" to the 11" is 17". My finished bandannas have 17" sides.

To be on the safe side I suggest you could cut a square from muslin or rag to make sure it fits.

Also, if making a bandanna for a human head, and you would like to use elastic in the back instead of a bulking tie, read over the directions for our Handkerchief Bandanna found HERE.

Materials:
Light to medium weight cotton fabric cut into 3" strips (I had a stack left over from a quilting project... YAY!) I used 3 different colors for each bandanna.
Light to medium gray sewing thread. HINT: When sewing different colorings together in a project, using a gray thread seams to blend the best with most colors and is the least visible.

Cut your strips 2" larger than the finished size you want. I wanted 17" bandannas so I cut my strips 19". The number of strips can vary depending on the size you are making. I needed 9 strips for my pup's bandannas.



Sew the long side of all the strips together using 1/2" seam allowance. 


Press seams. NOTE: When piecing for a quilt top, which is basically what you are doing, it is a good idea to iron your seams to one side INSTEAD of ironing open. This makes the seams sturdier and less likely to come apart.

Trim the piece so it is 1" larger than the desired end size. I wanted 17" bandannas. I need an 18" square. So I need to cut approximately 1/2" off all sides. When sewing strips together, the ends can become uneven. By making it slightly bigger and then cutting it down to size, you ensure that your edges are even and your corners are perfect 90 degree angles. Make sure you cut a little away from all 4 sides so all sides are even.

If you plan to embroider or applique something to the bandanna that will be permanent, now is the time to do it. This way all stitching will be hidden in the bandanna. When placing an applique or embroider on the front of the bandanna, remember there will be a 1/2" seam allowance all the way around. (Because I am changing the number on the bandanna each year, I am waiting until I'm done to apply the applique.)

Fold the bandanna in half diagonally, with right sides together. (Making a triangle.) Pin in place.

Sew the 2 unfinished sides together using a 1/2" seam allowance. Leave an opening (3 fingers wide) in the middle of one side.

Trim the three corners to remove bulk. Be careful not to cut too close to the stitching line.


Turn right side out.


Press flat.

Slip stitch the opening closed using a ladder stitch found in Stitch Glossary.

If adding a temporary applique, sew it on now using a running stitch. To find the right location for placement, fold the bandanna in half and "finger press" the fold, making a slight fold line. Place the applique centered on the fold, about 1" from the sides. The Bone Number Appliques can be found HERE.



Your bandanna is now ready to adorn your favorite canine friend!

When it came time to make the dogs their birthday cake, I did an Internet search to find a recipe. I shouldn't have been surprised, but there were a ton of recipes! Most were baked and frosted. As I was trying to decide which one I was going to make, I had a thought. We have 4 dogs; 2 elderly Yorkies, Ringo and George, and the 2 youngsters, Leonard and Sheldon. In our house the standard fare for the dogs is dry kibble with the left over protein from our meals. That is for everyone except for Ringo. He is 15 1/2 years old and has a special canned dog food diet. When it is time to eat, we bring Ringo in the kitchen, and shut the gate so the other boys can't get in. Often they sit by the gate watching as Ringo sloooowwwwllllyyyyy eats. They are absolutely certain he is eating food of the gods and they are denied!

So, I decided they would be just as happy with the coveted wet dog food out of the can... with a couple extra ingredients thrown in. But given the fact that these guys seem to be connoisseurs of a wide variety of animal excrement, I'm not sure it's high praise to say they LOVED it! But, hey, it was their birthday :) Below is Pixie's recollection of the recipe we prepared, and below that the real one. Hope your canines enjoy!

Chef Pixie joined me in the kitchen to make the Doggie Birthday Cake!

Here is Pixie's Recipe on how to make Doggie Cake:

Ummm...
You use the ah, the brown stuff in a can
And you need some hard dog food
Mix it up
Annndddd... oatmeal

Take it out of the bowl and put it on the plate.

Ummm… put the candle on top.

She did a pretty darn good job remembering what we did on Sunday. Here is the "official" recipe.

Ingredients:
1 can dog food
1 raw egg
6 pieces bacon fried, drained and crumbled
1 cup dried small piece kibble
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

Directions:
With electric mixer, mix 1 can dog food and 1 egg.
Add 1 cup kibble, 1 cup oat and crumbled bacon.

Place on serving dish and mold into desired shape.

Optional: Can be frosted with sour cream.

Place in candle and sing Happy Birthday!

Scoop up a large serving spoon full for each dog. All 5 of our dogs had a large "piece" and it was scarfed down in seconds :)
 

NOTE: Although the number 5 is depicted in the applique, numbers 0 - 9 are included on the pattern.

So... when could you possibly need numbers in the shape of bones? Well... if you're:

making doggie birthday bandannas
anything Halloween related
have a little pirate in your life
are doing a dinosaur or archeology unit

Having just made the pups their birthday bandannas, I plan to change the number every year. The numbers on the pattern are small enough to work well on a bandanna, however, the numbers can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. I enlarged the pattern to 120% to fit on our 6" x 6" blocks.

I sewed the numbers to the bandannas and felt using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss. Next year I will remove the number 1 from the birthday bandanna and add a number 2. While creating my applique block, I added little curved lines to the ends of the bones to give added definition. I used a stem stitch and 6 strands of floss. For the numbers 0 and 8, add the end of the bone line using a stem stem and 3 - 6 strands of floss. Also, you may or may not chose to make lines on the number 4. If you do, use a stem stitch and 3 - 6 strands of floss. The pattern for the Applique Bone Numbers can be found HERE.

Disclaimer: Before beginning this post I feel compelled to point out, that in the decades that I have owned dogs, I have never once given or attended a dog birthday party. Having said that...

This is how it went down...

Gammy: I can't believe Leonard and Sheldon are going to be 1 year old on Monday.

Fairy: Are you going to make them birthday crowns?

Gammy: No, Sweetie. They wouldn't keep them on.

Fairy: Are you baking them a birthday cake.

Gammy: No, Sweetie. Dogs don't eat cakes. (Wrong! I happen to know dogs do in fact eat birthday cakes, fresh baked apple pies, and entire boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. But I didn't mention that.)

Fairy: Are they having a party?

Gammy: Honey, no. Dogs don't have birthday parties.

Fairy: Then how are they going to know it's their birthday?

I couldn't come up with an acceptable answer. So it was decided Leonard and Sheldon would have a birthday party on Sunday. Now, given the fact that there are 4 dogs living in our house, I felt like that would be a respectable number of attendees, with the addition, of course, of the wee one's dog, Flint.

Todd: Uh, why are we taking Flint to this thing? He's not really friends with them.

Michelle: I know. Think of him more like their cousin. Cousins are always invited to birthday parties.

Todd: And why am I going?

Michelle: Because my Mom feeds us on Sundays.

Todd: What time's the party?

Fairy was still thinking the dogs needed birthday crowns. I then got a scathingly brilliant idea... instead of birthday crowns, I would make them birthday bandannas. Each year I could sew on a different number announcing their birthday, and then tuck the bandanna away until the next year. So, instead of doing the hundred other things I could have or should have been doing, I made birthday bandannas for the boys this morning, and I've got to say they are pretty dapper.

The day started with baths for the boys. You've got to look nice for your party, right?

I made their bandannas, including a doggie bone #1 on the front.

When the wee ones showed up... with Flint in tow... we made a birthday cake.

The gifts were unwrapped.

The bandannas were tied on.



We sang happy birthday.

And the birthday cake was shared by the canine guests. I offered to serve up some for Bug, Fairy and Pixie... they declined. (Gluten free brownies were shared after dinner.)

Because Leonard and Sheldon STILL munch on just about anything, the bandannas were taken off before the pack went outside to play. All in all, I have to say a good time was had by all, dogs and people alike.

Later in the week watch for our "recipe" for the doggie birthday cake, the Bandanna Fit for Man or Beast, and applique patterns for the bone numbers 0 - 9! 

Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 

Yes, life moves pretty fast, so when I get a chance to slow down, I relish EVERY minute. Tim was busy finishing our new deck, but we managed to slip away Saturday morning to have breakfast at one of our town's many outdoor cafes, then wandered our Farmer's Market. We discovered a vendor selling THE BEST homemade granola made with Michigan maple syrup and pecans... yum... and bought 7, yep, 7 new birdhouses. (More about THAT another time!)

Probably my favorite part of the whole weekend was my quiet, out-of-door, morning knitting sessions. Although the days were incredibly hot, each morning was refreshing, with a lovely breeze, birds singing, and, of course, the plethora of canines! I'm coming close to finishing another project for the Little Lady, which I'll be sharing soon. Leonard was very helpful, and I made sure to include ample dog fur in this swaddling!

Hope everyone had a safe and peaceful 4th!