Scrap Stash Dog Toys

Yesterday I showed you some super simple upcycled dog toys made from old clothes. Today is all about using up scraps of material from your sewing stash. If you don't sew, you could always just look for remnants at your local craft stores. Remnants are a great way to go because you don't necessarily need a lot of yardage to make some great toys for your pup.

All three of these toys were made entirely from scrap material. On the far right is some pink flannel that I had left over from a dog bed I made (which will be another post). Because I only had a couple of small strips, I sewed down the short sides and one long side. Then I divided it in to fourths and made four small "puffs" which were stuffed with scraps of fleece and then sewed the fourth side. The reason for the fleece stuffing is I hate having to pick up regular stuffing that has been scattered all over the floor. This way, should the dogs get this one open, I have a small strip of fleece to toss and that's it.

The middle is four strips, about 22" long, of a one-way stretch fleece, that was knotted at one end, weaved together in a rope and knotted at the other end. The stretch allowed me to add a lot of length to the toy and is great when the Dachshund and Lab mix want to play tug 'o war. (Yes, they do, quite often, and the doxie usually wins.)

Finally, the little gray bone shape is just two pieces of felt stitched together. No stuffing and nothing special. For some reason, the doxie loves to grab the little flat toys and shake them like crazy so that's why I made this one for her.

Up-cycled Dog Toys

This week is going to the dogs. My dogs to be exact. I have three, blue heeler Molly, Norwegian Elkhound/Lab mix Liebe and dachshund Mini. They are all rescue dogs and couldn't be more spoiled in this house. They are all pretty near perfect for our family though. Molly is about four, Liebe is a little over a year and a half and Mini is under a year. The two older are pretty mellow and calm in the house but run like crazy outside. Mini still has a lot of puppy personality and curiosity, but loves to cuddle. And all three are sweet as can be to my granddaughters.

I do like to spoil my pups, but toys can get expensive, especially when the two younger dogs like to destroy them. Then I end up with fluff all over my house. Which is no bueno. As a result, I have taken to making them toys. Nothing extravagant, but something they can pull and tug on without making a big mess.

The first toys were made out of old clothes. The brown is an old shirt of mine. I cut four strips from across the bottom, knotted one end then braided and added a not at the other end. Simple and a great way to reuse old shirts that are stained or outgrown.

The second is obviously denim. I love cutting up old holey jeans for dog toys. This toy is just a section of the pant leg, knotted in the middle. I have also done braided toys, toys made from several strips knotted together, weaves - there really is a lot you can do with denim. What I like is that denim is very durable, it frays but doesn't always just fall apart.

The pups love these and I like that I didn't have to spend money on them! :)