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Alright, let's talk about this hippo dog toy I made. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing, but hey, that's crafting, right?

So, first things first, I grabbed some old jeans. Figured denim would be tough enough for my little chomper, Max. Plus, I had this scrap of pink fleece lying around that I thought would be perfect for the hippo's ears and snout.

Next, I drew a super basic hippo shape on a piece of paper. I'm no artist, trust me. It looked more like a lumpy potato with legs, but hey, it was a starting point. I cut out the pattern and pinned it to the denim, making sure to leave enough seam allowance. Then I cut out two hippo shapes – one for the front, one for the back.

Then came the fun part – the snout and ears. I cut out circles for the ears from the pink fleece and stitched them together to give them a bit of dimension. For the snout, I cut out an oval shape, stuffed it lightly with some batting I had, and hand-stitched it onto one of the denim hippo pieces. This was trickier than I thought, and my stitching is… well, let's just say it's "rustic."

Now, time to sew the whole thing together! I pinned the two denim pieces right sides together, leaving a gap at the bottom for stuffing. Then, I fired up my old sewing machine (it's a beast, but it gets the job done) and started stitching around the edges. I went slowly and carefully, especially around the curves, making sure not to catch any of the fleece bits in the seam.

Once I was done sewing, I flipped the hippo right side out through the gap I'd left. This was a bit of a struggle, but eventually, the lumpy potato emerged. Now for the stuffing! I used some old pillow stuffing I had saved. I poked it in with a chopstick to make sure I got into all the nooks and crannies. I wanted it to be firm enough for Max to chew on, but not so firm that it was like a rock.

Finally, I hand-stitched the gap closed with a blind stitch. Again, not the prettiest stitching, but it was secure. And there it was: my very own, slightly wonky, denim hippo dog toy!

The Moment of Truth

I presented the hippo to Max. He sniffed it cautiously, then grabbed it and started shaking it like crazy. Success! He absolutely loved it. He's been chewing on it, carrying it around, and even sleeping with it. So, even though it's not perfect, it's a win in my book.

• Lesson learned: Denim is tough, but hand-stitching small details is a pain.
• Would I do it again? Definitely! Maybe with a slightly less lumpy hippo shape next time.

Anyway, that's the story of my hippo dog toy. It's not fancy, but it's made with love (and a whole lot of denim). Hope you enjoyed hearing about my little crafting adventure!