Dog Chew Toy

If you have a puppy, you know that they chew on everything!

My dog, Murphy, is 1-1/2 years old and I have tried to be careful to put my shoes out of his reach because he loved to chew on anything he could get a hold of.

Here's how you can make a fun chew toy that will last for months.

If you've ever made one of those plastic lanyard key chains, this is the same concept, only on a larger scale.

This would make a great gift for a friend with a new puppy!

For this project you will need:

Old cotton clothes, I used mostly shirts

Fabric scissors

Sewing machine

Thread

Measuring tape

straight pins

Cut up old clothes into 6" wide strips. Cut the ends at a 45 degree angle.

Sew the fabric strips together with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Continue sewing pieces to the end until the total length is about 24 feet.

Press the seams open.

Fold the fabric strip in half, lengthwise. Press. Open the strip and fold the outer strips toward the center fold.

Fold the outside folded edges together, the strip will be 4 layers thick and 1-1/2" wide. Pin.

Sew down entire length and up the other side.

Cut the strip into 4 equal lengths, about 6 feet long each.

Bring one end of each long strip together and tie a knot as tight as you can.

Refer to the diagram in step one, and place the knot in a cup or glass, place the strips into 4 different directions.

Basic square stitch:

Bring the bottom strip up and over the right side and place on the right side of the top strip. (Fig 3)

Bring the right side over and place just above the strip on the left (Fig 4)

Bring the top strip down and loosely place at the bottom (Fig 5)

Bring the left strip up and through the loop on the bottom strip (Fig 6)

Pull each strip tightly, one at a time. (Fig 7)

Continue weaving and pulling each layer tightly.

When you have about 1 foot left, tie a knot with all 4 strips as close to the woven section as possible.

You can vary the width and length depending on the size of the puppy.

To get 1" wide finished strips, cut the fabric into 4" wide pieces.

The most important thing to remember is to pull the strips very tightly.

You can cut the ends diagonally after the knots are tied.

Once you get the strips sewn, you can work on them while you're watching TV.

It's a great way to use old rags and torn clothing.