I recently volunteered to make these dog scarves for ARK to replace the worn-out ones. The old ones are slip-on type with casing to thread the collar, which is perfectly fine if there is only one or two dogs. But when there are five or more dogs, taking the collar off and putting it back again can be quite a hassle, so they asked me to make a non slip-on scarves.
After several prototypes, I came up with this one. The scarf is double layered, topstitched around the edge, has rounded edge, and a small loop to keep the ends of scarf together. I made it in 3 sizes. Since I didn’t have too much yellow fabric, the other side is from an old bedsheet in different shade of yellow.
Another problem was how to put the ARK logo on the scarves. One way is to use iron-on transfer paper, but they often don’t do quite well in washing machine. They also leave a thin layer of background on the fabric. It is actually quite transparent but since the logo has a lot of empty space inside, it still shows up. Of course I also didn’t look forward to ironing several scarves in this summer heat. The other alternative was screen printing. But I didn’t know how! Well, I can always learn, can’t I?
That was where T-shirt kun came in. I bought it in Sekaido, an art supply shop in Shinjuku. T-shirt kun is an easy screen printing kit with an exposure machine and enough equipments to make several small prints. I only had to put the screen on the frame, put them in the exposure machine and pushed the button. Several minutes later the light went off and I brushed the screen gently with water, then it is ready for screen printing!
Now I’m thinking of all the possibilities to make with this screen printing kit! In the meantime, here’s ARK dogs (Punkie Anna, Moulin, Fuwawa, Financier, and Swan) in ARK adoption event last Saturday wearing the new scarves!
12 Comments
How fun! And learning a new craft at the same time! I so want to learn screenprinting, too–and I really want to squeeze all these adorable dogs!
So nice of you to volunteer to make these scarves, they look awesome! What a good cause!
Oh my gosh, these dogs are all so cute, and they look so sweet in their bandanas! Great job, girl!
Wow! What a fantastic project. The dogs look very dashing in their new attire. Love your new toy too!
They look really cool and professional! Are you going to try using screen printing for clothes for you and your family?
Thank you! I hope to use screen printing for my clothes too. But still having a hard time deciding what I want to make :D
These new scarves are adorable! Could you give a few more details about the loop that keeps the 2 ends of the scarf together? I want to make one for my dog :)
The two ends are going through the small fabric loop. The fabric thickness together will keep the ends from sliding out. Hope that is clear :)
Oh! I’ve always wanted to try screen-printing, particularly for labels for my ETSY shop pieces, but the at-home kits were pricey. These look great! I’m sure I would be an ink-y mess after my first attempts.
Oh I created quite a mess in my first try! Also scrubbing the sink immediately after washing the equipments is very recommended ;P
I’ve enjoyed following your efforts with dog fostering. This is a very interesting scarf and I would like to make one but I can’t quite figure out how you get the scarf on the dog. Is it attached to the collar? Thanks and keep up the good work!
Karen
It is not attached to the collar. The two ends are going trough a small fabric loop. The fabric thickness together will keep the ends from sliding out :)