How to sew a fabric dog collar with a buckle (plus a matching leash)

To sew a fabric dog collar, cut nylon or polypropylene webbing to length and seal the ends, press a strip of quilting cotton into a folded cover the width of the webbing, and edgestitch it on. Thread one end around a tri-glide and stitch it with a box-X, take the free end through the male buckle and back through the tri-glide, then thread the female buckle and a D-ring onto the other end and stitch it down. Check the fit with two fingers under the collar. The Sewzy Fabric Dog Collar comes in XS to XL by neck size and takes about 45 minutes.

TL;DR

• Size by neck: measure around the middle of the neck, snug, and pick the size whose range holds that number near its middle.
• Webbing does the work: nylon or polypropylene webbing inside, quilting cotton outside for the look.
• Hardware: a contoured side-release buckle, a tri-glide and a welded metal D-ring, all the webbing width.
• Machine: a jeans needle (90/14 or 100/16), polyester thread and a 3 mm stitch.
• Time: about 45 minutes, beginner. Add a matching leash or a slide-on bow tie.

Dog collar sizes

The ranges already allow for the buckle and two fingers of room (one finger for XS and S), so add nothing to your measurement. Between sizes, take the larger one; you can trim the spare webbing at the end.

What you need

• Nylon or polypropylene webbing in your size's width.
• One fat quarter of quilting cotton for the collar and bow; ¼ yard more for a leash.
• One contoured side-release buckle, one tri-glide and one welded metal D-ring, all the webbing width. For a leash, one swivel bolt snap.
• Polyester thread, a jeans needle, clips and a lighter to seal the webbing ends.

Use quilting cotton for the cover. Canvas or a double layer gets too thick to fit through the buckle slots. Prewash it so it does not shrink and ripple on the webbing.

How to sew a dog collar, step by step

1. Measure and pick a size. Measure snugly around the middle of the neck with a soft tape.
2. Cut and seal the webbing. Cut it to your size and melt each end over a lighter flame for a second, just until the fibers fuse. Do this outdoors or by an open window.
3. Press the fabric strip. Press it in half lengthwise, open it, press both long edges to the center crease and turn the short ends under ¼ inch. The folded strip is now the webbing width.
4. Cover the webbing. Lay the strip on the webbing, folds down, ½ inch short of each end. Clip every 2 inches and edgestitch both long edges with a 3 mm stitch.
5. Tri-glide end. Thread one end up through the tri-glide, around its center bar and back down, fold it back on itself and stitch a box-X: a square plus both diagonals, going over every line twice.
6. Male buckle. Take the free end through the male half of the buckle, then back through the tri-glide, over-under-over. The doubled part is what adjusts.
7. D-ring and female buckle. On the other end, thread the female buckle, then the D-ring. Fold the end back, stitch a straight line right behind the D-ring so it cannot slide, then a box-X behind that. Both buckle halves face the same way.
8. Fit check and trim. Clip it on and slide the tri-glide until two fingers slip flat under the collar, or one for small dogs. If it is too long at its tightest, shorten the tail end, reseal it and turn it under.

Add a bow tie or a leash

Bow tie: sew and turn the bow, pinch it, wrap the knot around it and stitch a loop to the back, so the bow slides on and off the collar. Leash: cover 1 inch webbing the same way, fold one end around a swivel bolt snap and box-X it, and fold the other end into a hand loop with two box-X stitches. Make it 4 feet for town or 6 feet for walks.

Safety

• The webbing and hardware hold the dog; the fabric is only the cover.
• Clip a name tag to the D-ring, never to the buckle.
• Check the stitching after every wash and before walks, and replace the collar if the webbing frays.
• Take collars off when your dog is crated or unsupervised, as with any collar.

Make a matching set

A collar, a Collar Bandana and a Dog Sweater in the same print make a lovely gift for a dog owner. The steps are in how to sew a dog bandana and how to sew a dog sweater, and every dog pattern is on our dog sewing patterns page. The Fabric Dog Collar is a Premium pattern in the Sewzy app, with all five sizes and a photo for each step.

Care

Hand or machine wash cold in a laundry bag with the buckle clipped, then air dry. Check the stitching after every wash.