Make Your Own Dog Collar

Instead of buying a new collar for my dog I decided to make her a new one at my work using the materials and equipment that you can find at Techshop.  The only thing I needed to buy was the metal hardware I wanted to use.  The project is pretty simple and can all be done in a short amount of time! 

In all I used scrap leather I found in our bin wall, CorelDraw, the CO2 laser, some glue, and the industrial sewing machine.

Step 1: Create Your File

First I created the basic shape that I wanted my collar to be and the holes I would need for the buckle I wanted to use.  After my basic image was done I simply copied and pasted three times.  I did this so I would have multiple layers of leather to make the collar more durable.

Instead of using a metal dog tag that would clank around and make noise, I laser etched my dog's information right onto the leather.  In the image I used the word TEXT to show how this can be done.  

Step 2: Cut Out Your Pieces

I grabbed some scrap leather I found in extremely useful bin wall at the shop and headed back to the lasers.  Once I set up the laser settings, I put my leather onto the laser bed.  I've had leather warp from the heat of the laser before so this time I used small pieces of tape in places where the laser would not be cutting through the leather to secure it to the tray below.

Step 3: Sew Together Your Pieces and Add Hardware

Once my pieces were all cut out  I used a trick my coworker taught me which is to glue your leather pieces together to keep them in place before you sew.  I stacked my leather and placed my D-ring for the leash attachment where I wanted it to go. Then I put the buckle in the spot that I wanted it to go and cut a slot in the leather for the tongue to come through. Once that was settled I applied some glue with a paint brush to the places that would not come in contact with the sewing needle to hold everything in place. 

I let the glue set up and a couple minutes later I sewed everything in place on the industrial sewing machine.

Now my dog has a beautiful hand made collar that was pretty simple to make!  I hope this has inspired my fellow dog lovers out there to get creative and make your dog something unique!