My very own cooling vest

Yep, I know what you all are thinking.  Why do I need a cooling vest when the cold weather of winter is just around the corner?  The answer, of course, is that I don't, but my slacker of a mom just got around to finishing it!

It was all the way back in August, the 4th to be exact, that my friend Sabrina and her mum posted a tutorial on how to take a Frogg Togg Chilly Pad and turn it into a cooling vest/harness.  I was having such a hard summer with the extreme heat this year that my mom had already purchased a Frogg Togg, but left unchanged they can be hard to keep on a wiggly, shakin' pug.  So as soon as Sabrina published her mum's instructions my mom rushed out to the stores to buy the supplies.  It was easy to find everything...except for the knit binding.  Seems all of the stores around us only carry the poly blend kind for quilts and that stuff would be a nightmare stitching on the round corners.  That's where Sabrina steps in again and saves the day by sending us some of her stash - all the way from Canada!  Thanks again Sabrina and mum!

Ok, so for the most part my mom followed the tutorial exactly, but she had to make a few adjustments as I seem to be a bit larger than most of my fellow girl pugs.  But if you have a vest harness that fits well, just use it as your guide if you get a little lost when creating the pattern.

Here I am helping mom by keeping an eye on the scraps of muslin. 

Shhh!  I'm not supposed to be on the couch (jumping is not good for my back), but I thought those scraps were a pile of warm clothes from the dryer and I love laying on those!  Anyway, because my pattern was larger, it was too wide for the Frogg Togg so mom had to cut it into pieces first.

Mom, won't you stop this project and play with me?  Sheesh!

Then she pinned the pattern onto the Frogg Togg and cut it out.

So because there were separate sections, mom first had to connect the neck pieces before the binding could be sewed on.  She took a cue from the regular pink harness you guys usually see me in, and she turned the two additional seams around the neck as an opportunity for decoration (girly butterfly ribbon).  On the inside, she sewed a softer fleece fabric that wouldn't rub on my skin as the ribbon might.

So after the binding was done (mom says that was the toughest part), the strapping was the next part, and ta-da!

You'll notice that since mom had to cut separate pieces, she took the opportunity to use the section of the Frogg Togg with the logo...wonder if I can get treat money from the company if people comment when I wear this...

Anyway, here's a few more shots of me modeling the finished vest.

I just can't thank Sabrina and her mum enough for the inspiration and help along the way!  I know this vest will help me stay nice and cool next summer!!  I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love,
Payton