We decided to have a lazy Halloween this year and wear store-bought skeleton costumes — and obviously Rigby had to match! But when I started looking for a dog version, I couldn’t find quite what I was looking for. I wanted the costume to cover Rigby’s legs, be at least vaguely anatomically correct, and (most important for a whippet) be warm and comfy! Sewing my own made this Halloween a little less lazy, but I’m so glad I did. I mean, just look at this cozy bag of bones:

Base Onesie Pattern

As a base, I used the Whippet Onesie pattern on black fleece (you can get away with one yard, but scale up accordingly if your dog is bigger). Check out the blog post linked above for a printable PDF pattern and detailed instructions.

Bone Appliques

I cut out the skeleton pieces from white fleece. It worked fine, and was nice and soft, but if I were to do this over again I would use felt instead. I think the added stiffness (and lack of stretch/pilling) would make the attachment process a lot easier!

The printable skeleton pattern below will fit on the Whippet Onesie pattern linked above, and can also be scaled up/down as needed. Be sure your printer “zoom” settings are set to 100% for both!

You can use the image below for an assembly reference:

To attach the bones, I used the appliqué stitch on my machine (#24 pictured below, looks like a one-sided ladder) for a nice even finish. However, you could also use a zig-zag stitch, a straight stitch, or even glue if you don’t want to fuss with more sewing!

If you do opt to sew the bone pieces on, I recommend only basting together the back legs (Step 3 in the linked instructions) and chest/neck areas (Steps 5 and 6). Then, once you’ve checked the fit on your dog and arranged the bones, remove the basting stitches before sewing on the bones. This will make sewing within the leg “tunnels” much easier!

You can also add an optional leash hole for either a collar or harness. I opted for a bound buttonhole for a more polished look, but a normal zig-zag buttonhole would also work just fine. 

Does your dog have a Halloween costume this year? Have you made a skeleton costume using this method, fabric paint, or pet-safe colored hairspray? Share in the comments below!