Episode #5 - Hack Your Pattern:
How to Start Thinking Like a Dog Wear Designer

[00:00:00:00] Have you ever followed a pattern? Exactly. Only to think half way through. This would be perfect if it just had a hood or maybe you've finished sewing and thought, well, next time I'm going to add pockets. That little thought. That's not second guessing. That's not being difficult. That's you stepping into your role as a designer. And today I want to talk about what happens when you stop thinking.

[00:00:32:03] Can I do this and start thinking, what if I tried this instead? I'm Jill Bartlett, dog wear designer, educator, and the creator behind. Thank dog. We made it the online hub for dog wear enthusiasts. This podcast, it's where I share what really goes into designing for dogs, learning the tech, and turning your creative ideas into patterns. People actually want to buy from digitizing and grading to building your brand and marketing your designs.

[00:01:07:24] I've been doing this for over a decade, and most of what I've learned came from trial, error and figuring things out the messy way. If you're figuring it out too, you're not alone. And this podcast is for you. Real quick, before I get into this episode, I want to tell you about something I think you're going to love.

[00:01:30:16] I'm running a spring giveaway from my cozy coat course, where you'll not only learn how to sew a custom fit coat for your dog, but also how to make it your own to design something that actually fits and feels like your dog. Let's be honest, most of us aren't making dog wear to keep our pups warm. We're doing it because we want them to stand out.

[00:01:55:27] Because we want to say, I made that because it feels good to create something that fits not just their body, but their personality. Whether you're sewing for your own pup or thinking about designing for others, this is your chance to begin. I'm giving away three spots in the course. Just head over to. Thank dog. We made it.com/giveaway to enter.

[00:02:21:28] And if you're listening to this and thinking yeah that's me. This giveaway is for you. All right. Let's get into the episode. So let's talk about pattern hacking. If you've been in the sewing world for a while, you've probably heard that term tossed around. And if you're new, don't worry. It's it's simpler than it sounds. At its core, hacking a pattern just means changing it, customizing it, tweaking the details to better reflect what you want.

[00:02:54:11] It could be as small as adding buttons or a lace trim, or maybe something bolder like quilting, color blocking, or extending the collar into a hoodie. It's not about making it better, it's about making it yours. And that's the first shift I want to talk about, because so many people think of a pattern as something you have to follow.

[00:03:19:06] Exactly. But here's the truth. The moment you start thinking, what if you're already a designer? And that's exactly how I started designing dog wear. After I followed my first pattern, I realized something didn't quite work for Scott. The jacket was way too short for her back. No fault of the pattern. It was before I fully understood the importance of measuring your dog.

[00:03:48:00] In fact, I ended up creating my own system for measuring. And if you're interested, you can grab my guide and a video and workbook on measuring your dog. I'll put a link to all of that down below. Anyways, I thought when I looked at this that well, maybe I could add a skirt to extend it. Problem solved right?

[00:04:08:13] Well, I proudly put the coat on Scout and looked at her and thought, I don't know. This is just a little bit too fearful for her. She's a scrappy little character with a lot of personality, and I just didn't feel a skirt was really her style. So what did I do? I added a hat. Now, it wasn't actually a functional hat, but it looked damn cute.

[00:04:33:20] And somehow the whole outfit went from frilly to kind of cool. A little edgy, a little rebel, and suddenly it felt just right. And that was the moment I realized I wasn't just sewing anymore. I was designing, and I loved that feeling. After that experience, I was actually kind of hooked. And I went from sewing dog coats for Scout to becoming a designer and sewing them for for clients and customers.

[00:05:02:21] Every time I saw a dog and a jacket, I try to figure out how it was put together. I would stop people all the time and say, hey, can I take a look at that coat? I would go into retail stores and take a look at different coats, and then I would start thinking of ways to improve on them.

[00:05:19:03] One day, actually, I saw, a dog wearing a jacket with a harness over top of the jacket. And I thought, why not just build the harness right into the coat? So of course, I had to add a lot of structure and strength into the coat to, help with the pull. That happens when you put a harness on a jacket.

[00:05:39:07] But it ended up becoming one of my best sellers, the alpine jacket with built in harness. And I got to tell you about one of the funnest coats I ever made, which I called The Easy Rider. Now, I don't know if you are old enough to know the movie Easy Rider with Peter Fonda, but he wore this amazing suede jacket with fringed tassels all over it.

[00:06:02:23] It was just the coolest. I even actually own one myself, and whenever I wear it, I feel like my inner flower or child comes out. Anyhow, I thought, wouldn't this just make an amazing dog jacket? So I took my cozy coat pattern, which is my basic pattern, and I cut it about halfway down, and then I added an extra panel in to add some fringe.

[00:06:27:07] Plus I added two pockets, which I put fringe all over. And metal finishings and metal buttons. It was such a fun coat to make and another one of my most popular designs. And that's really what pattern hacking gives you. It gives you freedom and flexibility and confidence to say, what if I tried this and then followed through with it?

[00:06:53:05] So what does hacking actually look like? Well, here, I'll give you a few ideas. Try swapping out Velcro for snaps or buttons. Add quilting for warmth or for texture. Create color blocked panels. Change the neckline. Add a collar or a hood. Perhaps you can just round off or square off a hem, extend the belly band or adjust the placement for a better fit.

[00:07:25:21] Add pockets. Consider where you might be able to cut the pattern to shorten it or lengthen it. These are all examples of pattern hacking. For example, I shortened the cozy coat and used a stretchy cotton blend to turn it into a thunder vest for Scout, and it works wonders on firework nights. I gotta tell you, these changes don't require redrawing a whole pattern from scratch.

[00:07:51:16] They just require a little curiosity and the willingness to try something new. I talk a lot about identity based design, and this is exactly what I mean. You're not just making a coat, you're making something that reflects your dog's personality or your taste or your style. If you've ever said this would be so much better if it had, and you fill in the blank, you're already thinking like a designer.

[00:08:24:06] You don't need a fashion degree. I don't have one. You just need curiosity and a willingness to experiment. That's what real design is. And once you allow yourself to think this way, it becomes so much more fun. So I'd love to help you get started thinking this way. So I've created a free design starter kit, which I call the Cozy Coat Hack Pack, but in fact, you could use this with any pattern.

[00:08:53:04] You don't need to use it with the cozy coat. It includes a printable idea board you can fill with fabric swatches, photos, magazine cutouts, notes, anything that inspires your design. It also includes dog sketch templates to visualize your ideas. And if you're not a dog drawing professional or an artist, these might really help to get you started. And I've also added a whole bunch of photographs of the cozy coats that I've hacked a whole bunch of different examples to help spark some new ideas you can apply to any dog wear pattern, even if you're not ready to sew just yet.

[00:09:34:04] This gives you a fun, low pressure way to just start sketching and planning and thinking outside the box. You can download this hack pack to get started, and I'll put the link down below in the show notes for you. So I want to just give you a challenge to just start right now. Pick one thing to hack. Pick a pattern you already have.

[00:09:57:13] I do have the cozy coat pattern. If you're looking for something to start with right away. It doesn't have to be complicated. Maybe. Maybe it's adding a dart or, a simple closure or maybe just sketching up some new fun ideas. Whatever it is, the the challenge is to try to come up and make something that just feels like it's your own design, because that's where the real magic starts.

[00:10:24:02] This is where you start thinking outside the box and getting this kind of excited designer person come out. I would love to hear about your ideas, and I'd love to be able to get you started with that hack pack. If you want to talk to me about any of the designs that you are thinking about, please DM me on Instagram.

[00:10:46:06] I can be found at. Thank Doug, we made it or on Facebook at Thank Doug we made it! And if this episode inspired you in any way, I would love it if you would share it with a friend or tag me on social media. I'd love to hear about what you're creating. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep sketching, and keep saying, I made that.