Monday, May 9, 2016

Make Your Dog a Fabric Ball for Fetching!

Your dog will love chasing after this ball stuffed full of fabric scraps. Its practical handle helps you to chuck it just a little bit further, which may wear your dog out a little bit quicker. It can also be thrown in the washing machine if it gets too dirty!

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From DIY for Your Dog: 30 Toys, Treats, and Treasures to Make. (Photo courtesy STC Craft)

You will need:

  • 8 by 20-inch (20 by 50cm) piece of fabric, or six 8 by 3-inch (20 by 8cm) pieces if you would like to use different fabrics
  • 2 pieces of cotton twill tape 18 inches (45cm) long
  • Small fabric scraps for stuffing
  • Strong thread and needle

Instructions:

  1. Enlarge the ball template below by 120 percent on a photocopier, print it out, and use it as a pattern to cut out 6 pieces of fabric.
  2. With right sides facing, pin and stitch 3 pieces of fabric together and then repeat with the other 3 pieces.
  3. Place a piece of twill tape onto the opposite edges of one of the three stitched sections of the ball at the notch mark, making sure the tape is lying on the right side of the fabric toward the center of the ball. Stitch into place, sewing back and forth several times to attach the handle firmly.
  4. With right sides facing and the twill tape inside the ball,
    sew the two remaining sides of the ball together, leaving an opening in one side to insert the stuffing.
  5. Fill the ball with small scraps of fabric and then stitch the opening closed with strong thread.
  6. Hand stitch across each seam from the top to the bottom of the outside of the ball to give it extra strength. You can use a contrasting color of thread for this if you wish.
  7. Tie knots in your twill tape to form a handle with which to throw the ball.

Note: You can leave out the handle if you prefer. If you would like to make a different size ball, just enlarge or reduce the size of the pattern piece on a photocopier until you achieve your desired size of ball.

This DIY dog toy how-to comes from my new book, DIY for Your Dog: 30 Toys, Treats, and Treasures to Make, available on Amazon.

The post Make Your Dog a Fabric Ball for Fetching! appeared first on Dogster.

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