Did you know that making a baby toy is probably one of the easiest sewing projects EVER?!?! Plus you can use your imagination, and sew easy baby toys in any shape that you can think up! And they make an awesome sewing project for a new sewer. Corbin helped me come up with the ideas for the shapes, helped pick out the fabrics and sat on my lap and “helped” me sew the baby toy together! One day soon he will be able to sew all by himself!
These baby toys also make awesome baby shower gifts, or personalized gifts, because you can whip a couple up in less than an hour. Plus, homemade gifts with love are always the best gifts! So, here is a very easy step by step tutorial so that you can make some super cute baby toys too!
oh… If you are looking for some more baby toy sewing ideas or inspiration, here are my tutorials for “How to sew Baby Blocks with Taggies” and “How to Sew a Simple Stuffed Animal: Cute Baby Bunnies.”
ENJOY!! Now onto the tutorial!!!
HOW TO SEW EASY BABY TOYS
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- Fabric (I used 2 quilting weight printed fabrics)
- Thread
- Fiber Fill Stuffing
- Sewing Machine
- Ribbon (Optional – to make the Taggies)
- Paper, pencil, scissors (Optional – to make your pattern)
METHOD:
Step 1: Decide what shape you would like to create, and pick out the fabric that you want to make it out of! this is a great time to get your kiddos involved in the creative process. I put a bunch of different fabrics out and let the kids choose out of those. Here are some of the fabric choices I put out for Corbin to choose from, and the other supplies we used to make our pattern…
Step 2: Create your baby toy pattern! All you do is draw the outline of the shape you want to create. In this case Corbin wanted to make a tree. It doesn’t need to be perfect… that’s what makes them special!! Like this…
Step 3: Cut out your pattern about 1/4 inch away from your outline. Like this…
Step 4: Fold your fabric in half so that you will be creating 2 of your pattern. Trace your pattern onto the fabric. Like this…
Step 5: Then cut out your pattern. Like this…
Step 6: You can make your whole toy one patterned fabric, OR you can use multiple and patchwork them together. We decided to make the truck of the tree a different colour fabric. So all you do is trace that part of the pattern onto some fabric and cut it out. Like this…
Step 7: OPTIONAL: Cut out 2 inch long pieces of ribbon to create Taggies on the sides of your baby toy. Baby’s just love everything with a tag on it so why not add one?!?!
Step 8: OPTIONAL: Sew the taggies to the front side of the patterned fabric. We added 3 taggies!! Like this…
Step 9: Then sew your pieces of fabric together to create the whole front and back pieces of the pattern. Like this…
Step 10: Sew the back and front of your baby toy together with their front sides facing each other. Remember to keep a spot about 2 inches unsewn so that you can flip your baby toy the right way out!!
We left the bottom of the tree unsewn. (this was a bit small of a spot to keep open because it made it hard to flip the right way out… but not impossible!! Lol!
Step 11: Snip the corners of your project slightly (before flipping it the right way out), to allow your project to flip nicely!
This handy-dandy little tool helps get all the little corners turned out perfectly!
Step 12: Stuff your baby toy!
Step 13: And sew the bottom closed! You could opt to hand sew the opening shut (as shown in this tutorial “How to Sew Baby Blocks with Taggies“), to hide your stitches, but sometimes I just don’t care about that, and I take the quick easy route, and just top stitch an opening closed. SMILE!!
DONE!! He was so happy with all his “help” in creating this fun baby toy!! I can’t wait till he can use the sewing machine on his own… Oh my word I think I just discovered how I could open up shop and sell all of our creations! I don’t have the time on my own, but what about Child labor! I could cut the fabric, while the kids sew the pieces together!!!!! This idea kills 2 problems with one stone… keeping the children busy so they can’t cause mischief, and me actually getting things done!! I’m so excited! This could be the start of a family business! NO ONE STEAL MY IDEA!!
Then we made a popsicle shaped baby toy! I might be making one of these on a larger scale as a fun pillow for Ivy’s bed! Love it!
I hope this tutorial inspires you to create your own sew easy baby toys! I know there were 12 steps, but I broke it down into very small steps, so that even if this is your first sewing project ever… YOU WILL NOT FAIL!!! Have fun thinking up shapes to make. I’ll list off a few shapes that come to my head to give you a bit more inspiration:
- Mustache
- Cactus
- Sail Boat
- Kitty Cat
- Apple
- Watermelon (I could go on and on with the fruits)
- Dragonfly
- House
Until next time… Enjoy making gifts for the little wee ones in your life, and creating beautiful things everyday!
XO JCL
These look amazing! And within my sewing ability. Think I might get to work on some of these as Christmas presents. Thank you for this!
YAY! Thanks Charlotte! I’m sure all of the recipients will be thrilled to receive such cute baby toys! Have a beautiful day!
I make my son’s toys too! The first one I did was a rabbit and I just made it to see if he liked it. And he did! I still buy him car toys though but I saved a lot of money by making plushies 🙂
Awesome Thea! And homemade toys have so much more love in them! love it!
These are so cute. I saved your page to show to my daughter. I don’t sew anymore but she is always sewing.
Thanks so much Laura! Thanks for spreading the love! Have an awesome day!
This is awesome! I’m finished having babies but I babysit and have a lot of nieces and nephews! Thank you!
Thanks L! Yes! They make super simple baby gift ideas. Have a beautiful day!