Materials: Turtleneck shirt (cotton)
Towel, Polar fleece, or other safe comfort layer (optional)
Thread - does not need to match

Decide if you are using any design that is on the shirt. Remove loose appliques and anything else that might be harmful if chewed and eaten.

Turn shirt inside out and sew sleeves and neck closed to create roughly square or rectangular sides. (Rest of instructions will assume you are leaving the neck and sleeves as padding. If you cut them off, use a low bulk seam finish to prevent fraying or raveling.) Turn right side out and continue. OR pull sleeves and neck inside shirt and secure the openings from the outside. OR leave turtleneck out and stitch at edge and closely to both sides of the seam attaching it to the main body of the sweater.

If retaining one or both sleeves as padding, remove bulk from hems or cuffs. Overlap the sleeves using natural inclination of fabric. Some sleeves will cross each other at the elbow, some will completely over lap at the neckline. Smooth the fabric to reduce large lumps and gradations in thickness. Add comfort material on top of any sleeve fabric to even out material and pad as needed.

It doesn’t need to be glass smooth or pancake flat. My own dog just pawed a throw rug into a lumpy mess for her third morning nap. A difference in thickness will allow the pet to control its temperature a bit as well.

Roll or pin as for quilting and begin securing layers with small to medium stitch length freehand or pattern quilting. Secure sleeve outlines and padding if possible or quilt through and next to additional padding. A jean notion may help with changes in bulk from thin to thick or just raise your presser foot and make it happen. This is a work of love not a work of art.

Sew hems or bottom edges together.

Zigzag crew neck and any tags. Fasten off all stitching with backstitches and tie or apply seam sealer (Fray check). Check carefully for any remaining pins.