I love my dog bandanas! My owner and a I walk every day and people always make comments about my holiday and seasonal bandanas! Here is how to make a dog bandana for your furry friend.
All you need is a little bit of fabric and maybe 30 minutes to whip up a custom bandana for your dog.
What fabric is best to make a dog bandana?
The best fabric is a 100% cotton fabric. Quilting cottons are perfect. They come in a huge variety or prints and colors for every holiday, season, hobby and football team! Have fun making your dog a collection of bandanas for everything!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

How to Make a Dog Bandana
Have fun making your dog festive bandanas for every occasion!
You can find all kinds of fabrics in a variety of prints, from supporting your favorite football team, to holidays or just sporting a fun print!
Materials
- 1/2 yard or less of two fabrics
- Thread
Tools
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Tape measure
- Iron
- Pressing surface or ironing board
Instructions
- Measure around your dogs neck with a tape measure.
Fold one side of your fabric up from the edge to form a triangle, until the angled triangle edge is now the length of your dogs neck PLUS about 6 inches. This will give you enough fabric to tie it around their neck.
Cut the diagonal edge.
Cut a second piece of fabric the same size. Here I fussy cut the fabric with the words so they would show well on the finished scarf. - Put the right sides together to sew. Start in the middle of one of the straight edges and sew all around the edges, stopping with about 3" from where you started sewing. Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance.
Clip the fabric from the corners being careful not to cut your sewing thread. - Using the gap, turn the bandana right side out. Gently push out the corners.
- Press the bandana making sure to fold in the fabric in the area left for turning the bandana.
- Top stitch all around the bandana.
- Tie it on and enjoy your new bandana!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Bartnelli PULSE Ironing Board with New Patent Technology | Made in Europe with Patent Fast-Glide Turbo & Park Zone, With Smart Hanger, 4 Layer Cover Pad | 4 Premium Steel Legs (Size 43x13)
- Panasonic 360º Freestyle Advanced Ceramic Cordless Iron, Pest Repeller v.57, Teal
- Kai 7205 8 Inch Professional Shears
- Dritz Sew 101 Tape Measure, 1/2" x 60", 1 Count
What do I need to make a dog bandana?
Fabric, thread, sewing machine, iron and pressing station. That’s it! If you sew, you probably have everything you need at home. The amount of fabric depends on the size of your dog. Measure your dogs neck, add at least 8-inches and that is the diagonal width of the bandana. This gives you enough length to be able to tie it with some ease around your dogs neck.
How can I make a no-sew bandana?
Follow the directions above but only use one fabric. Use pinking shears to cut out the triangle. Tie the no-sew scarf on your dog with the right side of the fabric out. You might see the wrong side of the fabric, but your furry friend will still look adorable!

Here I am in my reversible Thanksgiving dog bandana.







Browse through more fun ideas and projects for you and your pets on Create Whimsy. Check out how to make a snap on dog scarf.

