So today's tutorial might not be of interest to most of you, but I recently realized that there are no instructions for making belly bands out there on the web. Since I have a pretty good method (if I do say so myself), I thought I'd share my approach.
For the uninitiated, belly bands are diapers for male dogs. They are great for new rescue dogs who haven't learned the rules of the house yet, for older dogs who develop incontinence problems, and for dogs with anxiety issues (like separation anxiety) that might lead to inappropriate urination. Our greyhound rescue group sends all new boys home with a belly band, just in case.
I like my belly band design because it doesn't require disposable diapers or "pee pads" (which are hard on the environment and on the wallet), but it prevents the leakage and seepage problems (ew) that are common in washcloth-based belly bands.
To make one, you'll need an old T-shirt, a package of sew on velcro, two old washcloths (or an old towel cut into two washcloth-sized squares), and a piece of vinyl. I like these vinyl pillow-storage bags (purchased at Target) because they are very soft and flexible - they feel much more like fabric than like typical vinyl.
First, lay out your T-shirt. Cutting through both sides of the shirt, cut out a rectangle of fabric that is long enough to wrap about halfway around your dog's belly, and wide enough to cover the entire *ahem* necessary area with a few inches to spare on all sides. To fit an average-sized greyhound, my rectangle is about 16x7". Set your rectangles aside.
Next, slice one sleeve off your shirt, cutting just outside the seam.
Then, cut along the top folded edge and the bottom folded edge of the sleeve, to make two pieces of fabric. Nothing needs to be perfect here - remember that this thing is going to be peed on.
Set your sleeve pieces aside, and cut out a rectangle of vinyl. It should be about 1.5-2" smaller than your t-shirt rectangles on all sides.
Time to sew! With right sides together, stitch up one long edge of your t-shirt rectangles (if you cut out your rectangle on the bottom hem of the shirt, stitch the
other (raw) long edge). Use a zig-zag stitch or something else with some stretch to it.
Open your rectangles, wrong side facing you. Place your vinyl in one half, as shown in the picture, and sew it down along all four sides.
Now place a length of velcro along each long edge, so that the rectangles will fold over each other and close off the vinyl. Leave at least 1" between the velcro and each short side of the rectangle, and at least .5" between the velcro and the long side of the rectangle (this way the velcro won't rub against your dog's belly).
Okay, time to deal with those weird sleeve pieces. Lining up the hem of the sleeves with the velcro-edge of the rectangle, stitch the sleeve piece onto the short side of the rectangle (you might need to trim the sleeve a bit to fit). Repeat for the other side.
Now your band should look like this - a rectangle in the middle with two "wings" on either side.
Almost done! Take two more lengths of velcro, and sew them onto the "wings," so that the band will wrap securely around your dog's belly. Sew the velcro vertically onto the wings, rather than horizontally - that way you will get a nice snug fit, even if the band shrinks or stretches.
That's it! Fold the washcloths into thirds and slip them inside the band. Put the band on your dog with the vinyl side on the bottom. If he has an accident, just toss the whole thing into the washing machine.
"Mo-ooom, this is so embarassing! Take it off!"
Argh, fine. I'll just take a nap.
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