Transform an old pair of tights into an adorable sausage dog. Easy to make, it requires very little sewing and can be made by children of any age especially if the eyes and ears are glued on. We used old mittens for ears, but children’s socks would work equally well. Use as a draught excluder, or simply snuggle up with your huggable hound!
You will need:
- Old pair of woolly tights
- Wool
- Scraps of fabric
- 2 buttons
- Needle and thread
- Stuffing or old socks (clean!)
- Old mittens
- Scissor
- Cut one of the legs from an old pair of woolly tights as high up as possible with a pair of scissors.
2. Fill the cut leg of the tights with stuffing (or whatever you are using) so that it forms a sausage shape. Leave a bit unstuffed at the end.
3. Cut a length of wool and tie it firmly around the end of the sausage, finishing with a double knot to hold it in place.
4. At the other end, tie another piece of wool around the toe to make a big doggy nose. Again, tie a knot to hold the shape in place.
5. Sew an old mitten onto each side of the sausage just above the nose to make the dog’s ears.
6. Make a heart template and use it to cut out some hearts from scraps of fabric.
7. Sew the hearts onto the sausage using a needle and wool. Tie a knot in the end of the wool and stitch through the tights. Push the needle up from the back of the heart to the front near the edge and then stitch back through the tights. Continue around each heart shape and finish with a knot.
8. Sew the buttons onto the sausage to make eyes. Tear a strip off some fabric or use a piece of ribbon and tie around the doggy’s neck to make his collar.
Craft idea from Green Crafts for Children by Emma Hardy. Published by CICO, £9.99. Photography (c) CICO Books.
