THESE ARE JUST FUN AND FUNCTION CRAFTS WE DO ON OUR OWN FARM. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THESE IDEAS AND LEAVE YOUR OWN GOATS OUT IN THE FIELDS IN A COLLAR, HALTER, BANDANA, COAT OR VEST, OR ANY OTHER ITEMS, YOU ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR SAFETY. WE WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY!

Look for patterns for stuffed goats in thrift shops; look for ideas in goat catalogs and magazines; give new life to an old toy, take an old stuffed goat and make it into a puppet; draw a goat head for a wood or fabric hobby horse, make it a goat, use and old broom or a wooden dowel for the stick; use your goat feed bags (the inside liner) to make large pattens for for items for your goat to wear; use goat print fabric to make handy tote bags in just the sizes you need. Make several in different prints for all your shopping and toting needs; buy goat print fabric when it is on sale for that craft item you do not know you are even making yet; don't throw away the pattern and instructions to the needle point or other crafts so that you can reuse them or share them with a friend; recover tack, halters, headstalls, and other goat items for a fresh new look; buy glass paint and paint goats and goat heads on old plain cups and saucers; make earrings out of those single goat charms you have, the earrings do not have to be identical; Make a necklace out of that favorite goat earring you lost the match to; make toys for your goats to play with out of empty laundry detergent bottles; take an inexpensive clock apart and add a goat photo over the face, put it back together and add a battery to make it work; make a goat print fabric book cover for your paperbacks;

There are two different types of Rope Halter you can make for a goat. One is the fast over the head leading type with the lead rope attached that many people use for sheep in 4H sheep shows.

The other type is made like a horse rope halter. These are great. You can put them on fast and easy, leave them one as you work the goat, these halters fit into a persons pocket, and they fit and look nice on the goat. Never leave this type on while the goat is alone or with other goats. They are very strong halters and fit so that they do not come off easily so that if the goat would get hung up, it might get hurt without being able to escape the halter.

We are working on each types of these halter sizes and measurements and photos so that we can show you how to make them for each of your goats. So......

....more to come

It seems to me that most people that have animals they lead on a lead rope or leash has a favorite type of rope and or snaps for their animals. Some people like to lead their goats with a webbing leash, others like a 1" cotton rope, some folks like a 1/2" nylon rope and then there are many ideas what type snap is best. So making your own Leash or Lead rope gives you the opportunity of making it just the way you like, your favorite length and in the colors you would like to have.

Usually you can buy your rope in many sizes, colors and the length you would like to have at a Farm Store back by the chain. You will find hooks and bolts and snaps there too. If you are buying rope for a lead rope, buy about 10" more then the length of lead you would like to have. The knots will shorten your lead.

Buy your snap with a large enough anchoring hole for the rope to slide through.

more to come

LEAVING YOUR GOATS IN A COAT, COLLAR OF BANDANA IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE ON YOUR OWN. WE WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR DESISIONS YOU MAKE WITH YOUR ANIMALS. THESE ARE JUST IDEAS AND INFORMATION WE USE ON OUR FARM.

Many people like to put little coats on their baby goats in the cold weather, but where do you buy such a thing. When you do find them for sale, the price might be a bit much for something that your goat will only wear, soon outgrow, in a couple of weeks.

My suggestion is to watch for little dog coats at Garage Sales. Or discount stores sometimes have dog coats in a variety of sizes for $5, sometimes even less (look at Christmas time). You may have to adjust the style a little bit to fit a goat.

You can also look on line, do an Internet search for "free pattern dog coat" and find the patterns for sewing, knitting and crochet, for free in many sizes. Measure your goat to make sure you get the right size and shape to fit it rather then a standard dog body.

If you make a coat or sweater for your goat and the goat has horns, be sure to make the front, the chest cover, so that it opens and closes and clasps or you will not be able to put it on the goat. If you are making a sweater or coat that does not have the closure front and are adapting the pattern, add about the full length of the coat front (chest area), ie, it will wrap so that they closure is twice covering the front of the goat. You do not want the coat or sweater to just reach the front....it will be a drafty coat if you do.

Ok, you have decided on the size and the fabric you will be using. You have found a sewing pattern on the Internet. Now to make the pattern. Take an empty feed bag and cut it open on the seam. Use an inside layer of the feed bag to make your pattern. Take the paper pattern out to the goat, and with one or two or three other people helping you <grin and a wink> see if the pattern if the correct size and cut for that goat.

I suggest you make your first goat or animal coat out of an inexpensive fabric before you cut out your expensive fabrics and liners and make sure the cheaper fabric goat coat will fit your goat. Make sure that your closures will work for you, make sure it will all works well for you before ruining that expensive fabric you bought and can not wait to use.

I took a Man's XXX Sized Safety Vest, that I bought for $1 from a Garage Sale, and tried it on Hiawatha. I made adjustments, cut out the Zipper, replaced it with Velcro for faster, easier, safer, closing on a Goat. I then added a velcro closing neck strap, as well as a 'Back Cinch', quick release buckle belt, just past the belly area, to hold it down in the wind and with Goat Motion.

This took less than an hour to make. Hiawatha is much safer out in the field, and I can spot her if she wonders too far. However, I do tie the goats down closer to the barn during hunting season.

I added this Craft about a month after we got Back into Goats, and the Goat Fencing is not up just right, so my Goats are not out full time at this time.

VERY EASY CRAFT AND FUN FOR CHILDREN & ANYONE TO MAKE!~

Bandanas are a Square of Fabric, in whatever color or design YOU would like to make them. You can use Christmas Prints for your Goats and or Dogs to wear for Parades.

Note: IF you are purchasing Fabric, look at it on the diagonal. Prints usually run length wise and you may or may not be ok with the look once the Bandana is finsihed.

Take a piece of Fabric approx 22" by 22", run a tuck under (photo coming) around all four sides. DONE!

If you just want a Triangle so that one Bandana becomes two, cut the fabric diagonally and tuck the seams on three sides.

THESE are also good in BRIGHT Colors for Hunting Season to keep your Goats a bit safer while out grazing.

If you leave a Bandana on YOUR Goat, while out and about without you right there, THIS IS YOUR OWN DECISION AND WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR GOATS!~

Coming Soon VERY QUICK AND EASY AND ADORABLE FOR GOAT'S IN PARADES OR PULLING SLED OR WAGONS IN DEC.

The contents of this page for Goat Craft Ideas is still under construction. Please help us grow this page!

WE ARE LOOKING FOR GOAT CRAFT ITEMS FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN. IF YOU HAVE A CRAFT, WE WOULD LOVE TO HOST IT HERE, WITH A PHOTO OF THE ITEM AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THE ITEMS. WE ARE MORE THEN HAPPY TO CREDIT YOU WITH THE IDEA AND WORK. The item can be a goat product you make, a cute little craft that is a goat shaped item, or a product made with goat products (fiber, milk, etc)

-- The Working Goats Team
Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:10:21 -0400