I am not someone who has ever been called “crafty.” I have no patience for crafty projects, and my skill level is… shall we say, LOW. But with Cooper’s allergies, we’ve had to take away all plastic and rubber toys, he is bored of ropes, and the organic cotton toys cost a fortune since he tears through them in about five minutes.
To save money and to be more eco-friendly than buying and tossing tons of toys, I decided to sew him some. For those of you who are uncrafty like me, I thought I’d share my step-by-step in case you decide to tackle a similar project.
Step 1: Assemble your materials.
Step 2: Select your fabric. Because I wanted this to be a recycled project, I used an organic cotton tote from the Indianapolis opera and, for the stuffing, a selection of old socks with the elastic ankle parts cut out for safety.
Step 3: Fill your machine with a heavy-duty thread. The one that I selected was really strong because I know how hard Cooper is on his toys. Note:
Apparently, with a thick thread, you need a different needle or else it jams up your machine. Who knew.
Step 4: (a) Ditch the instructions because they require that you draw and cut out a fish. Realize you don’t know how to draw a fish nor do you know how to do the scallop (??) technique required for the tail. Draw and cut out a square instead. Pin the edges you need to sew leaving a small opening through which to stuff the socks. (b) Reference your sewing machine’s instruction manual to figure out what to select on all the little dials and levers. I went with a narrow zig-zag stitch.
Step 5: Sew! Two little tips here: First, pull the pins out BEFORE you get to them. I thought they should stay until you got past, just to keep it straight, when in fact you risk breaking your needle if it hits a pin. Rats. Second, don’t forget to stop sewing and leave a spot for the stuffing. If you accidentally sew over that spot like I did, don’t worry. That’s what seam rippers are for!
When you’re finished sewing, flip the fabric through the hole you left open so that the right sides are now out with space to stuff the socks.
Step 6: Here’s where things get tricky. You can either hand sew that opening closed. I didn’t do that, though, because I was convinced I couldn’t do a tight enough stitch to keep him from ripping it open. That, and I discovered that I don’t have a regular needle to sew with anyway. So I shoved all the stuffing to one end and used the machine to sew that side closed. I sewed two rows thinking it would be extra reinforcement.
Okay, so it’s not perfect. There was a HUGE learning curve on this project. The real test, though? Did Cooper like it?
Then, moments later – like, seriously, 45 seconds – he was through the fabric. Drat. It took me a little over an hour to make the stupid thing, and he destroyed it in under a minute. The good news is that he got through the fabric itself and not my seams, so I’m going to tackle this one again but with a stronger fabric. I think I’ll cut up a pair of John’s jeans next time.
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Those were the best 45 seconds of his day, though! And! He didn’t break the seams, just the fabric, so that shows your high level of sewing skills. I’m glad he was able to help out, but we need to teach him how to refill your wine.
I had seen these really cute sewn bone toys at Crate and Barrel which were made in cute fabrics so they would actually look nice laying around on the floor. This makes it look so easy!
HA! I’m glad I made it look easy. That it took me an hour is a little embarrassing. Anyway, I was actually going to try a bone shape next! (Anyone can draw a bone. I think. Right? Maybe.) I’ll let you know how it goes…
Love an opera themed dog toy!
Thank goodness you didn’t sew through your finger…’cause that’s what I did the one and only time I made something for the dogs.
Oh no, Sarah! I can see why that would be the only attempt! 🙂
Wow, I am so impressed that you did this! Making cat toys is much easier – infant socks, fill with catnip, tie shut with string. viola!
LOVE IT! Cooper, the speed shredder. With practice, Maggie, you might just make these toys as fast as he eats them!
Thanks, Ann! Thanks, Kim!
Kim, I think you’re onto something… I need to get a lot faster to make my time vs. Cooper’s time more equal!
Maggie, maybe instead of using thread, you could use fishing line??? I haven’t tried to put any of that in a bobbin, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you need some extra jeans, send me an email, I have extra pieces from making capri’s for my daughter. Our Jack Russell destroyed a ball in 6 min…so I know what you mean about the toys…
Nice work, Maggie! I’m sure John won’t mind Cooper chewing up his jeans. =) Also, you can get canvas fabric (like the kind you’d cover outdoor furniture cushions) really cheap at the fabric store. Check out the remnants section!
I’m in the process of designing a chew-proof set of toys, and so far I’ve found that a laminated canvas does awesomely against dedicated chewers. I’m not sure if that’s something you could use for Cooper? The canvas I bought is cotton canvas pressed to a PVC backing for waterproof-ness. One side is unlaminated.
Many people wish to know exactly how to care for organic cotton. Well organic cotton care is a pretty easy thing once you have the basics for what you should use in the wash, or what you can do to keep that favorite organic shirt for years to come. The first thing to look at is the wash cycle, assuming the organic cotton clothing you own is dirty. Avoid heavily industrial detergents and other fabric eating agents… they might work great on that crap cotton that is not organic, or on the polyester… but for organic cotton you want to use organic detergents when you are washing. After all, it loses its appeal once it has become a home for the very things you want to avoid.
Great post!! We are all about organic toys that are not filled with harmful pesticides! Bone shape next would be great 🙂