Refashioned Dog Sweater Tutorial

I know there are some dog sweater haters out there. I'm not one of them, but my hubs is. I promise to never dress my dog up like this picture below, though.

Here's the deal: Wyatt is really small and does get cold while he's outside. I knew my dear husband wouldn't be so happy about spending $20 on a dog sweater. When I ran into this kids sweater in the .50 cent pile at a local thrift store the light bulb went off: he can't be that mad if I only spend .50 cents on one!
First I measured the little pup -- around his neck and belly. Then I cut the following pieces from the sweater:
1. Front and back (er...top and bottom on a dog?) that is about 2 inches wider than half his belly circumference.
2. The collar (from the bottom hemline)
3. Sleeves (also from the bottom hemline)
Next, I estimated the distance between his front legs and cut slits into the bottom half of the sweater.
Using both my serger and sewing machine I very carefully attached the sleeves by slipping them into the slits I cut previously. {It's hard working with such a small opening, so go slowly!}

Here's what it looks like with the sleeves attached.

I stitched the front to the back, then serged the collar on.

Wyatt likes the sweater just fine! Look how fluffy his backside looks -- shows you how much hair he actually had!

Don't worry. We got him haircut and now he's lookin' all cute and stuff.

We've had a warming trend here in Arkansas, so he hasn't needed the sweater. There's a cold front coming, though, so I'll break it out soon enough!
I'm linking this project to:
Between Naps on the Porch , Making the World Cuter, The DIY Show Off, The Persimmon Perch, Skip to My Lou, Keeping it Simple, A Soft Place to Land, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Remodelaholic, Tatertots and Jello