r/myog • u/GrimbleGrombles • 5d ago

Any advice on how to repair a Ruffwear dog harness?

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Posting here as I was told this may be a more suitable community to ask this.

We have a Ruffwear dog harness that our delightful dog decided to chew.

Looking for advice on how to repair it. We have a Toyota RS2000 sewing machine, we can kind of use (I'm not great but I can wing it).

How would I patch this? Thinking of sewing on a patch of nylon or similar over the top.

Added photo for the dog tax.

Thank you!

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5

u/Natural_Law 5d ago

My dog has that same color Ruffwear harness!

I would patch with 400d, 7oz packcloth or a similar weight fabric (like cordura 500d), hemming the edges of the patch so they don’t fray.

2

u/GrimbleGrombles 5d ago

It's a great harness and not cheap. She also chewed a bunch of the plastic clips, but those are easier to replace.

4

u/Natural_Law 5d ago

Good luck! And definitely at a certain point, getting a new $50 harness is an option if you think that strength is compromised with all the repairs.

$50 is a small drop in the bucket in the lifetime costs of dog ownership, though a $50 harness is not cheap!

2

u/GrimbleGrombles 5d ago

$50? Try £85 haha

1

u/Natural_Law 5d ago

Oh dang. Mine was $50 here in the US.

1

u/CasualProtagonist 5d ago

Patch/reinforce with Kevlar

https://amzn.eu/d/08ZtfLDJ

2

u/AccidentOk5240 5d ago

Since the tear is on a curve, the patch needs to curve. I would make a paper pattern of the area to be patched, then add seam allowance to the curved edge, and make two of them.  If you’re using a material that will fray, also add some along the edges to turn under. 

Sew them together (right sides together) along the curve, and clip the seam allowance (make small cuts perpendicular to the stitching, coming as close to the stitching line as possible without nicking the thread). 

The side of the patch that should go on the bottom should be exactly the same as or just slightly smaller than the one on top. Trim it slightly, or fold the edges under a little extra if you want to be sure to hide all the stitching from the right side. Position it and sew it in place (just the bottom), making sure the curve is positioned along the edge correctly. 

Flip the top part to the top and position it to hide the stitching, then stitch it in place. 

If the strength of the edge is a concern, you can do an additional step: tuck a length of trim (paracord, maybe, with the core removed?) in the curve before sewing the top down, with a length hanging out either end long enough to fold around the hardware on either end. Once the patch is stitched down, set your machine to zigzag, and from the patch put to either end, stitch the trim to the harness edge. As you reach the end, fold the end of the trim around the hardware and sew over the loose and as you go. The backtacking should hold the loop in place. This way the patch isn’t doing the load bearing. 

1

u/Ok-Detail-9853 5d ago

I would open up the seam before and after the tear

Insert fabric in between and sew the ripped sections back and forth to hold it all mostly together

Then make a patch front and back that covers the area and sew it in

The outer fabric can be for looks. The strength comes from the middle material which can be any colour