The Family that Sews Together

We had two sewing jobs to do last night, thanks to the dogs, so I did one while my sweetie did the other.

Two years ago, when Angel accidentally trapped herself in the bathroom, she tore the hanging strap off my robe while she was jumping and scratching at the door to try to get out. I never got around to sewing it back on. In a discussion this evening about safety in the home, we decided it would be wise for me to keep the robe near our bed in case of a break-in during the night. I needed the strap so I can hang it on a short nail already in the wall by the bed.

I didn’t mend this sooner because I knew it would be a pain in the tuckus. To secure the strap required pushing the needle through multiple layers of heavy terry fabric. I selected one of my heaviest needles and the cotton quilting thread I save for heavy-duty mending tasks. It took me a while and it doesn’t look pretty, but the strap is now secure and my robe is hanging in its new place.

Polie led us on quite the chase yesterday morning. It started when he tried to lunge at a passing bicycle. He’s new to walks, still learning manners, and has a few bad habits we’re working to curb. My sweetie pulled him back and tried to get him to sit. Of course Polie didn’t want to sit and somehow in the little power struggle that ensued, my sweetie pressed against the leash latch and it unhooked. Freedom! Polie was off and running (not after the cyclist).

Now, anyone familiar with huskies knows that this breed likes to run. (His other half, German Shepherd Dog, is also a high energy breed.) With his freedom, Polie chose to stretch his legs. My sweetie headed out after him while I followed with Angel, looking for a way to intersect his course. That’s when I saw the cat. “Uh oh,” I thought. A second later the cat bolted and Polie streaked across my field of view in an all-out run. Thank goodness there was no traffic on the neighborhood streets because he did not look in both directions before dashing across the road. The cat got away but Polie continued to run around looking for it.

I knelt down next to Angel and called him. He came running towards me and I thought he might stop for attention or a treat. Ha! At the last moment, as I was reaching for his harness, he leapt over us both. My sweetie took up the chase again, almost cornering him on a porch, but just missing him. Polie was having a blast. Unfortunately, he then started heading towards a major street. I was terrified he would run out and get hit by the traffic that always drives too fast on that road. He was as oblivious to the danger as we were aware of it.

Just feet from the street, my sweetie was able to grab fur as Polie tried to slip by him. He got him hooked back up and we tried to calm our nerves. On the rest of the walk home, we talked about how to prevent this from happening again. In time, the training we are doing should help. In time, he will bond more strongly with us. However, he is half husky and his nature makes him open to opportunities for freedom. My sweetie plans to take him for longer walks to give him more exercise but we had to have a leash that wouldn’t come unlatched again.

My sweetie’s sewing awl came to the rescue. We bought this a couple of years ago at a local camping supply store and have found it very handy for repairing torn backpacks, tents and other heavy fabrics. At the same store, we bought nylon strapping.


My sweetie decided to just make a new leash for the harness instead of modifying the one with a latch.


The new leash was sewn onto the harness attachment, making it a permanent part of the harness. The only chance for escape now is dropping the leash. The old leash will be available for quick hook-ups to the collar when taking the dogs for a short trip in the vehicle.

The dogs are happy when we have domestic chores. After all, it means we were sitting nearby, available to dispense attention and treats to them. I think I saw them plotting this morning in the corner about more ways to keep us at home with them.