Introducing: The Bow of the Month Giveaway!

************************THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED************************

After posting the tutorial for dog collar fabric flowers a couple of weeks ago, I received a great suggestion from the RespectaBulls group leader that I make a few flowers to donate to a local rescue to use for photo shoots and adoption events.

Flower bows to be donated to this month's featured shelter

Of course I thought this was an excellent idea, especially since I know just how important it is for dogs to stand out in their adoption photos.  If only Athena would have been photographed wearing a fashionable flower bow, maybe she wouldn't have been described as looking "mean" in her photo and would have been better considered by possible adopters.

Starting today we are launching a monthly giveaway series called Bow of the Month.  Here's what will happen each month:

1. We will feature a stylin' Bow of the Month on the first Monday of every month (that means the next giveaway is on Monday, February 4th!) that our readers will have a chance to win
2. We will also feature a shelter or rescue that is doing great work to find forever homes for their adoptable dogs
3. A set of collar bows (one flower and one bow tie) will be donated to this rescue as a way to help make a couple of shelter pups stand out to potential adopters

Bow ties to be donated to this month's featured shelter

January's Featured Rescue: Born Again Pit Bull Rescue

We would like to introduce you to a fabulous rescue in the Portland area called Born Again Pit Bull Rescue (BAPBR).  BAPBR works with animal welfare organizations in Oregon, Washington, and California to transfer dogs out of the kennel environment and into their "Pit Stop" foster program.  They are the only non-profit organization in the Portland-Metro area that is dedicated to pit bull type dogs.  Seeing as BAPBR is solely based on fostering, they rely heavily on showing off their dogs through photos and at adoption events.  This is why we would like to donate 8 flowers and 8 bow ties (yes, that's 16 bows!) to ensure that their pups shine!   

January Bow of the Month Giveaway:

Now it's your turn to win your very own flower or bow tie for your pooch and the rescue of your choice!  Below are the 16 flowers and bow ties that we are shipping off to Born Again Pit Bull Rescue this month.

Bandana Paws, Ole Ole, Brown Eyed Susan, Nightingale

Day of the Dead, Diva Princess, I Heart U, Pink Sugar Skulls

Green Sugar Skulls, Rainbow Paws,  Prepster, Mr. Bandana Paws

Hoot Hoot, Dapper Dog, Mr. Sunshine, Seusstastic

Here's how to enter the January giveaway:

• PRIZE FOR YOU: One collar flower bow OR collar bow tie of your choice
• PRIZE FOR YOUR SHELTER/RESCUE: One collar flower bow OR collar bow tie of your choice
• PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Each flower and bow tie easily attaches to a dog's collar with double-sided velcro and is made with 100% cotton fabrics
• TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “Send me and _______ a _______ collar bow!" Fill in the first blank with the name of the shelter or rescue that you would like a bow donated to.  Next, fill in the second blank with the name of the flower or bow tie that you like best for you and your shelter/rescue to receive.  Example: Send me and Born Again Pit Bull Rescue a Pink Sugar Skulls collar bow!
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Thursday, January 17th 2013 at 9pm (Pacific Time) 
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE VALID FOR: Citizens of the U.S.
• GIVEAWAY INFO: One entry per e-mail address is permitted (make sure to provide me with an e-mail address if you don't set up a Blogger or Google+ account). The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday, January 18th, 2013 as an update to this post. I will also email the winner on the 18th for information on how to redeem their prize.

Congratulations to April for winning a Seusstastic Bow Tie for your dog and the adoptable dogs at  Indigo Rescue!

Can't wait to win a Bow of the Month?  Make your own with our Dog Collar Flower Tutorial         

Do you know of a great rescue that you think should be featured in a future Bow of the Month post?  E-mail me at PitlandiaPooch@gmail.com!

Dog Collar Fabric Flower Tutorial

In an attempt to make Athena look girlier, we have recently outfitted her in her very own bright pink Tiennot Knits sweater as well as two stylish Sirius Republic collars.  I have definitely noticed more “she’s so pretty!” comments rather than the “he’s so cute!” ones.  But, I decided that Athena needed just a touch more girl to go along with her new girliness.  So, I sat down at my sewing machine and created a collar flower complete with a Velcro attachment and fabric button.

Here are the steps for making your very own dog collar flower:

1.  Gather the materials

• Fabric (I used part of one fat quarter for the main flower fabric as well as a small amount of fabric from a different colored fat quarter for the flower button)
• Cover Button Kit  (or any button that you would like to use)
• Felt
• Double Sided Velcro
• Top Thread (or any thread that is thicker than sew-all thread)
• Fabric Glue
• Rotary Circle Cutter  or Drinking Glass (I used an Olfa rotary circle cutter, but you could easily use a drinking glass to trace a perfect circle)
• Sewing Supplies (Sewing machine, rotary cutter, ruler, needle, fabric pen/pencil, fabric point turner--I just use a chopstick)

2.  Cut the flower petals & felt circles

Begin by ironing your main flower fabric and lay it out on a rotary cutting mat.  Next, set your circular rotary cutter to the desired circumference (or find a drinking glass with the circumference that you need).  Each circle that you cut should measure 4” (this means you need to set your circular rotary cutter to 2”).  Cut out 8 circles from your main flower fabric.  Then cut out 1 circle from your felt that measures 2” (set circular rotary cutter to 1”) and another felt circle that measures 1.5” (set circular rotary cutter to .75”).

Set aside the two felt circles until step #8.  Now fold each of the 8 fabric circles in half and iron each on the fold to create a crease in the fabric.

Using your rotary cutter and ruler, cut each of the 8 circles on the center crease.  You should now have 16 half circles of fabric.

3.  Sew the flower petals

Bring all 16 half circles to your sewing machine.  Fold each half circle in half again with right sides together.  Using a ¼” seam, sew down the straight edge of one of your folded half circles.  Continue to feed all of your petals through the machine without cutting the thread.

4.  Prepare the sewn flower petals

Snip the thread in between each of the flower petals that you sewed in step #3.  You should now have 16 inside-out petals.  Using a fabric point turner (or a chopstick…or your finger!), flip each petal so that it’s right-side-out.  Next, iron each flower petal flat (this is important for achieving crisp looking petals).

5.  Stitch the bottom flower

Use 9 flower petals from step #4 to create the bottom layer of your fabric flower.  With embroidery thread, hand stitch a running stitch on the bottom curve of your first petal.  Pull your needle through the fabric and tighten the thread to gather the fabric at the bottom.  Continue to add the remaining 8 petals, tightening the thread as you go.  Once all 9 petals have been stitched, use the remaining thread to attach the first and last petal together with backstitches.  Tie a knot to secure.

6.  Repeat step #5

Repeat step #5 to create the top layer of your fabric flower, however this time use only 6 flower petals from step #4 (you should now have one flower petal left over from step #4).

7.  Attach the bottom and top layers of the flower

Position the top layer flower on top of the bottom layer and stitch the two layers together.  Secure with a knot.

At this point I didn’t like how I could see the knots from my thread peaking out from the sides of some of the petals.  To hide the thread knots, I simply used a touch of fabric glue at the base of some of my petals to hide the knots.

8.  Fix the ugly back by attaching felt & Velcro

Now that the top and bottom flower layers are attached, you may notice that the back of the flower is quite unattractive.  This is a quick fix by using the felt circles from step #2 to hide the mess.

First measure how much double-sided Velcro you will need for the flower to attach to your dog’s collar.  Then, center align your Velcro on top of the 2” felt circle and securely sew it into place (make sure to backstitch here to create a strong hold).

Glue this felt piece onto the back of your fabric flower.  Next, glue the 1” piece of felt on top of the Velcro to hide the thread and to prevent the double sided Velcro from fraying a nylon dog collar.

9.  Make the button!

This is my favorite part of making the fabric flowers because I just love to make buttons!  To make my fabric covered button, I used a Dritz button cover kit #36 in 7/8”.  I followed the kit instructions to make my button.  You could also easily use any button that you have available instead of making your own.

To finish off your fabric flower, use fabric glue to attach your button to the front of the fabric flower.

10. Wear it out and about!

Now that you’ve completed your dog collar flower it’s time for you and your dog to go out on the town and model it around!  

So far I have made Athena quite a few collar flowers in many colors and styles to match all of her outfits.  People can’t help but stop and admire what a pretty pittie she is when wearing her flowers =)

Please leave a comment below or e-mail us at PitlandiaPooch@gmail.com if you have any questions or suggestions for improvements to this tutorial!

Also check out our Dog Tutu Tutorial for another stylish DIY accessory to add to your dog's wardrobe!