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Okay, so check it out, I decided to try making a dog toy shaped like a cactus. Why? Because it sounded hilarious and my dog, Max, destroys everything anyway, so why not a prickly-looking plant?
First, I grabbed some materials. I'm talking about some tough canvas fabric – figured that'd hold up better than, like, felt. Got a bright green color, obviously. Then I needed some stuffing, the regular fluffy kind you get at any craft store. Oh, and squeakers! Gotta have squeakers. And, of course, needle and thread. My sewing machine is ancient, so I'm mostly hand-sewing this beast.
Next, I roughed out a cactus shape on some paper. Real simple, like a rounded triangle with stubby arms. Cut that out and used it as a pattern to cut two pieces of the green canvas. I pinned them together, inside out, and started sewing around the edges, leaving a gap at the bottom for stuffing.
Turning it right-side out was a bit of a pain 'cause of the points. Stuffed that thing like crazy! I wanted it nice and firm, you know, like a real cactus...sort of. Then, I shoved a couple of squeakers in there for good measure. Closed up the gap at the bottom with a whip stitch. Not the prettiest, but it'll do.
Okay, so now it looked like a vaguely cactus-shaped green blob. Needed some spines! I used some white embroidery floss and just stitched little "x" shapes all over the thing. Took forever, honestly. My fingers were killing me. But it made it look way more like a cactus.
Finally, I added a little flower on top. Cut out a small circle of pink felt, gathered the edges to make it puffy, and sewed it onto the top of the cactus. Just a touch of cute before the destruction.
The moment of truth: Max.
I gave it to him, and he went nuts! He loves the squeakers, obviously. He was shaking it, throwing it around, trying to rip it apart. The canvas is holding up pretty well, surprisingly. He’s been playing with it for a couple of hours now, and so far, no major damage. A few loose threads, maybe, but nothing a quick snip can't fix.
Would I make it again?
Probably! It was fun, and Max loves it. Maybe next time I'll try a different shape, or use a different fabric. But overall, it was a successful dog toy experiment!
- Pros: Durable, squeaky, dog-approved.
- Cons: Hand-sewing the spines takes forever.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, seeing him enjoy something I made is pretty cool. Plus, it's way cheaper than buying those fancy dog toys at the store that he destroys in five minutes anyway.
